Spider-Man 2 Is A HUGE Disappointment

2. The ANCIENT-Feeling MJ Stealth Sections

A lot - L O T of people had a problem with the basic stealth gameplay MJ was given in 2018's original Spider-Man. So much so it felt like the stripped back Miles Morales spin-off of 2020 was better received all-round, simply because it let you "be Spider-Man" in a more consistent way.

As mentioned before, Spidey 2 loves to throw gameplay deviations your way every half hour or so, but one of the most "so-close-and-yet-so-far" is what happened with MJ.

The "close" part comes from some meaty, satisfying takedown animations, and a general feel that you can mow through a platoon of goons one button-prompt at a time. The "far" part... is it's still the same instant-fail, back-to-the-checkpoint-and-try-again BS we thought we'd left behind.

No radar to check for enemy positions, no cone of vision or fun enemy AI to play with - the whole thing is a slog that forcibly takes away from why you bought the game in the first place. I also couldn't help but feel, especially when you're exploring Kraven's compound, that Sony needed to get some sort of first-party Last of Us DNA in there somewhere too.

The overgrown, vegetative environment, low-rent militia look of enemies, graffiti-tagged walls and how everything is just a bit damp - it only serves to remind you of a better third-person shooter model, and how you'd rather be playing anything else.

Shout out to the tunnel sequence, though. Being actively hunted by a symbiote-minded Peter Parker is a great slasher movie-style pull no one was expecting, and an indication of tone and gameplay that could've served the story better overall.