Marvel's Spider-Man 2 Preview: Reaching For New Heights

It only took mere moments of playing Marvel's Spider-Man 2 to realize how much of an improvement it is over Insomniac Games' past outings in the PlayStation series. I don't say this in a way that disparages the original Marvel's Spider-Man or its Miles Morales spin-off, either, because both of those titles were fantastic in their own right. Thanks to the increased hardware capabilities that the PlayStation 5 offers, though, Insomniac seems to have improved virtually everything in Marvel's Spider-Man 2 to create an experience that is shaping up to be one of the best of 2023. 

In total, I was able to go hands-on this week with nearly three hours of Spider-Man 2. Across those three hours, I was able to check out a variety of early-game missions that bounced between both Peter and Miles and familiarized me with their new abilities. Although many of the larger story elements of Marvel's Spider-Man 2 were left undeveloped in what I played, I was still able to see enough of Kraven the Hunter and Lizard to come away greatly excited about how Insomniac continues to develop its own Spider-Verse. 

Arguably the best part of the first Marvel's Spider-Man was the web-slinging mechanics, which have now greatly improved in the sequel. Since the PS5 is able to process environments at a much faster rate, Insomniac in turn has been able to increase the speed at which Spider-Man can swing through New York City's concrete jungle. To this end, a variety of new upgraded traversal mechanics have been added which add further depth to how you can move about. Arguably my favorite that I used in my demo allowed me to stay attached to a single web and complete a full 360-degree loop as a way of building up momentum. Once I completed this rotation, I could then slingshot myself forward and let loose Spider-Man's Web Wings to soar through NYC quickly. 

Speaking of the Web Wings, they're one of the best wholly new features that I've used so far in Spider-Man 2. Rather than simply being able to swing from building to building, the Web Wings let you glide through New York at higher speeds than ever before. What I think makes their implementation so great, though, comes with how they work seamlessly with the other traversal mechanics. Transitioning between web-slinging and gliding on the Web Wings is extremely fluid and allows you to keep up your momentum at all times.

Something more subtle that I came away impressed with about Marvel's Spider-Man 2 involves its open-world and how you engage with it. Rather than needing to open the in-game map constantly to find various points of interest to interact with, Insomniac has made it to where these same markers can be viewed on the HUD with the press of a button. This means that if I ever wanted to go off the beaten path and take down an enemy fortress or snap some pics for the Daily Bugle, I could see which secondary objectives like this are near me by simply pressing R3. This addition might be a small one, but it largely kept me from having to visit the pause menu unless I wanted to upgrade my various skills or abilities. 

The shining star of my time with Marvel's Spider-Man 2 was easily Peter Parker's new black suit. Equipped with the powers of the symbiote, Spider-Man can now beatdown foes with a variety of new abilities, all of which are equal parts flashy and brutal. Each of these symbiote strikes tended to specialize in one particular area or another. For instance, a lone grappling-style attack might allow me to hit someone far away, while a symbiote surge, of sorts, allowed me to take down a number of foes within close proximity. These unique powers can't be used constantly and instead have to cycle off of a cooldown after they are initiated. This led to me trying to pick my spots a bit more carefully when they were available which made combat a bit more strategic. 

Outside of these new powers, Insomniac has also added some additional layers to the basic attacks seen in Marvel's Spider-Man as well. The most noteworthy of the bunch is a parry, which can be used to redirect incoming strong attacks. Rather than simply allowing players to spam the "Circle" button to avoid most incoming damage, the parry makes combat feel a bit more balanced. Basically, Spider-Man 2 seems like it's going to be far less button-mashy than in the past, which is something that I'm quite happy about. 

All of these various combat mechanics that I started to become more familiar with over the course of my demo culminated in an eventual boss fight with Lizard. This bout ended up being one of the high points of my session, not only because it allowed me to use every ability and gadget in Spider-Man's repertoire, but the fight was followed by a chase sequence through New York City. This section of the fight was incredibly cinematic in its presentation and wrapped up with Spider-Man trying to slow down the rampaging Lizard while scaling the side of a skyscraper. If this is merely a taste of some of the larger setpieces that are in store, then I cannot wait to see what else Insomniac has lying in wait. 

If there is one concern that I have so far with Marvel's Spider-Man 2, it would be with how Insomniac fills out the moments in between these climactic boss battles. The original Marvel's Spider-Man had a number of lab puzzle mini-games and some Mary Jane stealth sequences that weren't very fun and seemed to do nothing more than take away from the game's best aspects. What I've played of Spider-Man 2 didn't have many moments like this (although the lab mini-games did return), but there were definitely some short instances which dragged more than I would have liked. I'm fine with Insomniac choosing to include different gameplay offerings to spice things up, I just hope that what's seen in the final product doesn't stray too often from the rock-solid foundation that this game is built on. 

I never really had doubts about Marvel's Spider-Man 2 being anything less than another high-quality PlayStation exclusive and my brief time with the game has essentially verified as much. Not only is Spider-Man 2 shaping up to be one of the top-selling titles of 2023, but it's clear that Insomniac has put in a ton of effort to keep it from feeling derivative when compared to previous installments. If Insomniac's take on the "Black Suit Saga" can end up standing toe-to-toe with what we've seen from the storyline in other mediums, then Marvel's Spider-Man 2 could end up easily becoming the best Spider-Man game of all-time. 

Marvel's Spider-Man 2 is due out next month on October 20 and will be exclusive to PlayStation 5. Stay tuned to our upcoming coverage here on ComicBook.com as we'll have a ton more to share about the latest Spidey adventure before its arrival. 

*Travel accommodations to this Spider-Man 2 preview event were provided by PlayStation.