THE BIG GUNS
PlayStation and friends keep the big-budget solo adventure alive
Like the symbiote whispering bad things into the once-friendly neighbourhood superhero’s brain, we too are consumed by thoughts of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. If the excellence of the last two games in the series isn’t enough to excite you, it’s another PS5 exclusive from Insomniac, following the rather impressive Ratchet & Clank Rift Apart.
Both Peter Parker and Miles Morales are playable, and web-heads can transition slickly between the pair. Wrapped up in a quest to save the life of Peter’s friend Harry Osborn, the older Spidey gets his hands (and body) on the Venom symbiote, giving him new, tentacular powers. With Curt Connors transformed into The Lizard and holding the key to a cure for Harry, the duo are desperate to track him down. Meanwhile Kraven is tearing up Queens, hunting for the ultimate prey, be that the reptilian scientist or the Spider-Men.
If that’s not enough, the symbiote suit begins to take a toll on Peter, and having Miles to bounce off of in this particular retelling is a masterstroke choice – and we know a bulkier Venom with a different host will also have the pair in their sights by game’s end, possibly in addition to even more symbiotes (it could be carnage). There’ll be more villains and antiheroes too, with Black Cat, Prowler, Tombstone, Taskmaster, Wraith, Kingpin, and Shocker teased (Can we get a “Shockerrrrr!” scene considering Petey’s in black suit mode?)
As a PS5 exclusive, Spider-Man 2 can lean on the power of the SSD to allow you to move super-speedily through this expanded New York City (an entire sequence takes place under and around a rail bridge over water near the Harlem Fish Market). That means web-gliding as well as swinging, thanks to the classic-style underarm webs on the new iterations of the Spider-Mens’ suits. On top of Peter’s symbiote skills, plenty of new gadgets help to mix things up, from custom web-lines that enhance stealth to a zappy new suite of
