Marvel's Spider-Man 2

Marvel's Spider-Man 2 follows on from Insomniac Games' previous entries and brings a pair of playable heroes — Peter Parker and Miles Morales — between whom players can switch at any time on the fly, without the game needing to load anything. New York is once again an open playground full of skyscrapers, between which the heroes swing on webs faster and more fluidly than ever thanks to the newly added wing suit, and the map has also expanded to include the Brooklyn and Queens boroughs. Combat builds on a combination of acrobatics, gadgets, and symbiotic abilities that Peter gains after bonding with an alien entity called Venom, while Miles retains his electric and invisibility-based skill set from the first game.

The game fully leverages the power of the PlayStation 5 — loading between locations practically disappears, ray tracing reflects off skyscraper glass, and DualSense haptic feedback lets players feel the difference between different types of web shots. The story focuses on a darker thread involving Venom and the hunter Kraven, who runs his own hunt for superheroes across Manhattan, while simultaneously resolving Miles's personal drama, giving the game an emotional depth the first entry was only building toward. The soundtrack underscores dramatic moments and, together with cinematic camera direction and elaborate side quests, creates the impression of an almost blockbuster experience, even though the main story is shorter than in its predecessors.

Critics and players alike embraced the game as one of the technical and gameplay high points of the PS5 generation and confirmation that Insomniac can keep pushing the series forward without losing its identity, and the title took home numerous awards for best action game of the year. Today the title is still considered a showcase example of what a big-budget superhero game should look like — accessible, visually stunning, and with a solid core for comic-book fans and casual players alike, who especially appreciate the fluidity of moving through the city.

Why play it: For comic-book fans and casual players who especially appreciate the fluidity of moving through the city, Marvel's Spider-Man 2 is a showcase example of a big-budget superhero game that is both accessible and visually stunning.