Marvel’s Spider-Man 2’s Story Woes Rage On As The Mega-Hit Turns One Year Old Today

I remember it like yesterday when I booted up Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 on launch day, excited beyond comprehension to try the sequel of what has become one of the greatest superhero games of all time. Fast-forward a year later, the sentiment around this title has switched up drastically, and if you’re not a serial fanboy who can actually pay heed to constructive criticism, you probably know what the knock is about. 

There are no complaints regarding how Spider-Man 2 presents itself in the gameplay department, nor does anyone raise their eyebrows in relation to the visuals. But that’s not to say the game is a total masterpiece. Looking back at the title one year later, one critique stands out like a sore thumb—Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 lackluster storyline and inconsistent pacing. 

Best-In-Class Gameplay Coupled With A Shallow Storyline 

Look man, if you’ve had your go at the game and you ended up enjoying it and have no absolutely no issues with it, I’m happy for you, I really am. It’s completely fine if someone ends up enjoying a particular piece of entertainment as opposed to the masses who have their own opinion, so if you’re not among the latter, perhaps this write-up isn’t for you. 

For those of us who expected more from the newest Spider-Man title, however, it’s clear that Spider-Man 2 is a much better title than its successor in terms of how it handles its story and pacing. The major story events are spaced out well, and the plot flows in a way that you can understand and appreciate.

With Spider-Man 2, however, it’s all over the place, unfortunately, with some sequences here and there that are remarkably enjoyable, such as the game’s opening. 

Why is Spider-man 2 so hated? In MY OPINION I liked 2 better..
byu/WorriedEagle34 inSpidermanPS4

To highlight the gameplay before I rage on with my rant, the title’s combat quality has never been better, with so many upgraded options keeping the whole system busy and interesting for the player to learn. The newly added parry mechanic has a lot going for itself, and the way the boss fights are handled is just purely enjoyable as well. Along those lines, Spider-Man 2 is a cut above the action-adventure competition. 

eXputer reviewed the title, rating it 4/5, with author Usama Mehmood remarking, 

Spider-Man 2 is a cut above its predecessor, with significantly improved gameplay and a narrative that tugs at your heartstrings.” 

The Latest News Of DLC Cancellation Laid Waste To All Prior Expectations 

The case for Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 DLC has been strong for a while now, and a lot of us genuinely believed that it was coming sooner or later. However, Insomniac pretty much confirmed merely two days ago that the studio does not plan on developing additional story content for the action-adventure, and this came across as a massive bummer for us fans who’ve been waiting for Spider-Man 2’s DLC. 

It’s one thing that we won’t be able to have more of Insomniac’s goodness, it’s another that Insomniac just brutally killed off all hopes and expectations that players had garnered for the DLC in light of Spider-Man 2’s lackluster story, thinking that an expansion would take care of those pangs.

The end result? A big fat no from the side of the developers. Of course, it’s not like this was without due reason. The studio suffered a gigantic leak last year when a hacker group dumped confidential information online, drastically altering Insomniac’s future plans. The developer must’ve decided to cut content right there and then, instead focusing on spin-offs or perhaps, the next Spider-Man iteration.  

Hoping For A Turnaround In The Next Mainline Iteration 

At the end of the day, I just can’t shake the feeling that Spider-Man 2 had big shoes to fill, and Sony pushed Insomniac to meet the 2023 release for the game. There are also concerns pertaining to Sony’s dependability on Insomniac, particularly due to the developer’s success with the Marvel license and how the industry giant needs the studio to keep pushing out Spider-Man games ad hoc.

I just hope Insomniac ends up making certain improvements to the sequel that stand out in a way that do not resemble any of the previous titles’ features. New York, for starters, could use some rework, because it’s beginning to feel a bit too familiar after 3 Spider-Man titles. That’s not to say it’s not a great setting—it’s just getting a bit repetitive from here on out. 

As of right now, Insomniac is likely working on a standalone Venom game according to a very convincing leak that surfaced earlier this year. Side by side, it could have Marvel’s Spider-Man 3 in development as well for all we know; I just hope it improves upon the failures of its predecessor.

Do let me know in the comments ahead what you think about the game after one whole year.