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As a new homeowner, that coffee table is shockingly affordable for what it is. I've seen many coffee tables from brick and mortar stores and online that are more expensive for less.
Something I haven't really seen reviewers mention all that much is the traffic density in this game. It honestly makes such an insane difference in terms of immersion, like the original and miles feel so empty compared to watching videos of this game. So hyped
This! I was happy to see the difference in traffic density while watching the Digital Foundry review that they posted today. I highly suggest their tech review, it's excellent.
It feels to me like they were able to reach the PC versione level of density plus better RT and make it work on a PS5, which is insane. It makes me wonder where Insomniac might push a PC version, if they’ll make one.
Show up out of nowhere to Hunt the Hero, beat the living crap out of him, Leave him in a grave, have someone else take up the mantle in the meantime but theyre super aggressive & damage the heroes rep, the Hero comes back better & Beats the bad guy. Yup Kraven = Bane checks out.
Yeah, that's true. His best rendition I think is in spectacular spiderman, where he literally undergoes changes to become a monster just to maintain his status of apex predator in a superpowered world. Otherwise the guy really is just a rich dude with money to burn.
That and because that one story was so inarguably definitive for the character, they keep trying to find narrative contrivances for bringing him back just to redo that plot in some form Much like Lizard, he's kind of stuck in arrested development
My ONLY issue with the game, that completely gutted the stealth in this game for some reason. You have no tools for silently taking out a room full of enemies, no traps, no web bombs, nothing, all you can do is shoot web to get enemies to move so you can do perch/silent takedowns making attempting to clear a room silently take FOREVER. It’s really weird how that whole element was all but almost removed when it was so well implemented in the first but aside from that one thing, phenomenal game.
I'm not saying take them away I'm saying wouldn't you rather more to play with? Essentially the web line just allows you to perch takedown wherever you want, got a little stale pretty quickly for me. .@@Dr._Mantis_Toboggan_Md.
If I'm bring real the crack really start to show when you compare this game to Arkham Knight's stealth. Basically Spider-Man 2 plays it extremely safe.
I really appreciate how this channel puts the concluding take in the title, was slightly worried about this game but didnt want to spoil any of my experience by watching a full review, this is the kind of video I'll come back to after I've played the game myself
That Insomniac can, in 5 years, put out three Spidey Games, plus R&C:RA, plus some small stuff, and it's all polished and good, is truly a shining example for developers.
it shows that some other devs and publishers, especially ones catering to investors first, are just lazy and expect to make a lot of money with minimal work done.
I thought the wingsuit would've only been available for a couple of seconds as a burst of speed and then kinda throw you off control or something and automatically get you out of it, only being extendable by the wind tunnels.
Imo if they had gone the only accessible sometimes route y'all would complain about player agency, or it being limited didn't feel realistic enough to be warranted
Yup - exactly.. best to give all the functions and make it limitless and let the players decide how much or how less they want to use it. I think the game had fast travel as well.. think of that - how meaningless fast travel is to spideman games, but the devs still gave the features.. so I appreciate that approach here.
@@Icemanz666i love fast travel. I haven't the time or patience to go from 1 end of the map to the other to get a goal or mission from just swinging or gliding
“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” I feel like everyone knows this game will feel similar to 2018 but I think that’s a good thing. Just keep building on an amazing foundation. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel every release.
The first one was safe, formulaic and boring. You'd expect them to be more innovative now that they have people's trust, not just release what is essentially 70% the same product as last time.
20:00 I think the feeling you're getting at is that, in a game, it usually feels bad to deliberately do something sub optimal. Sometimes its best not to have the option at all (outside of accessibility options) (e.g. Auto-battle systems in rpgs etc) Since web slinging is so core to the identity of Spider-Man, that aspect needed to feel more mobile or have a system in place where the wing suit cant be abused (e.g. have the wing suit really slow, but can be boosted temporarily if used after a web sling)
@@skyblue2708 Because it's the developer's responsibility to make sure the player doesn't optimize the fun out of the core game unless they're straight up using cheats/mods.
@@skyblue2708 I think it's in our nature too. It's like the loot cave in Destiny, or finding an absurdly easy power leveling spot early on in a game. People aren't incentivised by what they *should* do but by what works. This is the reason why balance teams exist in the first place because people will abuse things, even in single player games when there isn't a (online) competitive advantage
@@skyblue2708It's literally human nature to try and get the most returns out of the least amount of effort. That's why game developers try to make the more fun ways to play (feel) at least equal to if not more effective than other options.
Just a little correction. Based on how you phrased things, it sounded like you thought MJ having a stun gun was new to this game, and that made those missions less believable. But she gets a stun gun towards the end of the first game as well. I haven't played spiderman 2 but based on the footage, that element looks roughly the same as the previous game.
She also went to a literal war with Peter in Symkaria after the first game, so Id believe she picked up a couple of things that make her more competent in the field lol
@@IknowIamkindagreat what YEAR are you living in? I said this past YEAR. Cyberpunk came out in 2020, starfield is bethesda most feature complete and technically sound game launch to date (the game sucks, but it works and is finished), Saints Row came out last year, and yeh gollum sucks and isn’t finished but that’s an outlier. Even just mainstream games from this year alone have been consistent finished and high quality in terms of technical performance and features. Street Fighter 6, RE4Make, tears of the kingdom, FF16, Pikmin 4, dead space, baldurs gate 3, fire emblem engage, hi-fi rush, octopath traveller. Even going back to last year Ragnarok and Elden ring came out, the narrative of most games coming out broken and unfinished is just a lie.
Did you not experience any of the bugs? Game crashed with 2 of my friends and it also happened with me at the end during a climactic scene. Whole playthrough for me was riddled with glitches, pop ins , and mission bugs.
It’s glorified DLC from the looks and sounds of it. Could be fine with some people but I hated the outdated combat system in the first one so if it’s basically untouched there no way I’m playing through this even if the story is good it’s gameplay first for me
Love your comment about framing and cinematography in games, it's something I bang on about all the time. The way the Mass Effect trilogy, Cyberpunk, Uncharted, TLoU, Spider-Man, Arkham Knight etc. actually visually present their stories is an absolute marvel (no pun intended) and it becomes very stark when you see how flat and uninspired something like Starfield is.
Watching this review footage, I immediately thought the same thing about the wing suit. I'm glad you said it. I think you nailed the point. Looks like a really cool, polished mechanic that seems super out of place in a Spider-Man game. Still looking forward to trying it, getting hooked and then deciding to stop using it, just like you did lol
Yeah looks like for the wingsuit insomniac didn't restrain themselves enough. Or at the very least, they didn't balance out queens and brooklyn to keep the wingsuit from being OP
@@superjlk_9538They've made an entire setting about how much physics affect web swinging. You can complain about a feature without makinh a whole conspiracy about it.
Spider-Man has always had a wing suit since the beginning, we just never see him use it much in the comics and other media. I like that it was added, but I feel like it's going to become like the Batmobile in Arkham Knight, a cool, but over-used mechanic.
@@GoliathWarfare Although he's always had it, they were definitely not as strong as the one in the game seems to be. They were basically a way to get him to control himself a bit better while in the air rather than actually gliding through it. Don't remember them actually calling it a Wing suit either, but I could be wrong.
Well, you can say that the wingsuit is like an ability similar to the flying spiders that release strands of silk to catch wind and can "fly" like that for thousands of miles :)
Sounds like it more like the Detective Mode problem. Some people will never turn it off because keeping the wall hack on is more effective, even if it means playing in a blue world of skeletons 24/7. People with that mind set are going to use whats more effective over what's more fun.
It looks like the Wingsuit should have been created to be more like Batman's cape in the Arkham series. Batman can GLIDE for limited distances, but he has to actually be at a decent height or use grapnel boosts to maintain the glide. The wingsuit here looks almost like flight you can use at any time, which is more effective but also too easy.
yeah like why didn't they make it so you can wing suit for a spell then have to use web sling to regain altitude making them compliment eachother. Either way the game looks the tits
The wingsuit thing is the exact same thing that happened with Saints Row. Once you could jump up buildings Crackdown-style in the later games, you rarely got into a car anymore...which is one of the biggest parts of Saints Row.
ehh i actually enjoyed getting good at the movement system in Saint Row 4 the most. its a super hero game, maybe you wanted the hood and car driving but imo SR4 was way more fun than the other games. but i also didnt expect anything from it.
Some spiders can glide though so I don’t mind Peter eventually using wing suits . Realistically speaking I would imagine superheroes improving their abilities all the time. Same with spiders being able to water skate . Why wouldn’t Peter invent something that would help him not just end up plopping in the water which ruins all your momentum if you happen to fall there
The wing suit problem sounds a lot like the grappling hook problem that assassin's creed syndicate had. Why parkour around a city when you can just grapple hook everywhere?
Because it's fun. Why stealth your way through something like Cyberpunk when you can slow time and use a Shotgun? The addition of a newer way to play, on top of already existing ways to play, isn't really that big an issue tbh.
@@Existential_Robotthe thing is, V is not defined by the tools or weapons she/he uses. Swinging arround like a spider is one of the key elements of Spider-Man, and it seems it gets toss aside because how good the wing suit is.
Have you never heard of fast travel? Check points? They are options to save time meaning you don’t have to use them. What a stupid ass comment lmao stop complaining about dumb stuff
@liquidsword601For me it’s that I wish swinging was better, since that’s part of Spider-Man’s identity. Keep the web wings exactly the same, but give a solid reason for web swinging to be used more often. We’re logical creatures, and so even though it’s just a video game and even though swinging may still be an option, a lot of people like myself probably can’t shake the feeling that they’re playing in a way that isn’t optimal if they ignore the web wings and just swing.
Kraven was chosen because Venom is basically like a monster and he is all about the hunting. This feels better to use since if he is hunting peter, it feels better to be hunting a monster. I also believe in the comics Kraven DID hunt the black suit spiderman so it connects well to that
Thank you for always explaining your criticism. As a consumer, I find it really helpful for deciding on what games to buy and which ones to skip. I don't have the same taste in video games as you do, so I don't always skip what you don't recommend, or buy what you do recommend. But your clear explanation on your criticisms has always been a great help in deciding whether I think I'll enjoy the game or not. After watching your review I have a better picture of what Spider-Man 2 is and what's not, and with adjusted expectations I am sure I am going to have a great time! TY!
I feel like the "new locations don't create new gameplay" critique of Queens and Brooklyn has come up in other games that Skill Up has covered recently. But I'm not sure I can think of any examples where this has ever been the case. Novgorod in Witcher 3 is the best example I can think of, but that's a very different type of game. When it comes to open world action games like Spiderman, Assassin's Creed, Horizon, Ghost of Tsushima, Far Cry, GTA, Red Dead etc I'm not sure I can think of a time when the way you played the game changed because you got to a new area.
New movement opportunities usually come from the players' own intrinsic motivations. Like how hack 'n slash games can usually be beaten by playing in a very basic manner. But for those that want to learn and explore its mechanics, there are usually depths beneath the surface level that can be explored should you have the motivation. It's extremely hard to design a game-world that actually forces you to learn different movement types for different areas, because changing things up like that would mean a higher learning curve for the players, which is generally frowned upon by the general gamer population nowadays for accessibility (and ease of play) reason. The last game that specifically designs different areas to require different skill sets to traverse was Assassin's Creed 2, as far as I know, where each new city you visit require you to traverse it differently, like how in Venice for 80% of the time, you HAVE to either stay on rooftops, or find a boat, or else you'll have to swim, which is different than Florence where everything is grounded. Not a lot of games that I know after then, even in the AC franchise, demand that kind of adaptability from the players.
Yeah, I think this is more of a complaint that someone who has to play a ton of open world games is going to have versus a more casual gamer. I get why he says it, but I also don't necessarily hold that against a game either.
i agree. i actually think it would be to games detriment if you were forced to go to queens and brooklyn to do certain activities that are fun. At most there should have been (there still might be but i dont have a review code) queens and brooklyn specific side encounters that are just fun and interesting without providing any type of reward that would incentivize you to only stay in queens and brooklyn. A good example of this is in red dead redemption 2 with how going into the swamp at night you can encounter the night folk, or going into saint denis you can see multiple beggars in the rundown areas, or in rhodes you can go to the fields and see slaves working with the tobaco. I think if spider man2 (again, havent played the game so it might be in there) had encounters that really make you feel like you are in queens or brooklyn it would go a long way. Like seeing kids play in basketball courts and you can play with them in queens, delivery men rushing to deliver food and you can help them, parties on rooftops of brooklyn, or in brooklyn visions you can just straight up take an exam as miles. doesnt have to give a reward but just be a thing that can happen and something you can interact with. obviously this leans more into the rpg side of the game but i think it would be a great addition
I think the different Islands in arkham knight did this pretty well. The completely different layout made you traverse the map differently. Be that relying more on gliding, grappling or the batmobile.
@@gavinderulo12pretty sure in Arkham knight that wasn't the case and you could constantly be gliding everywhere also because people didn't like the overuse of the batmobile/pretty sure gliding was faster to to get around than the batmobile
My only big complaint is the plot armor in this story! Peter was so weakened this time around, just that miles can shine and have his purpose as the rescuer in this story. And then all the lines from Peter that miles is the only spider man that the city needs annoyed me as hell.
It's like the writers' fundamentally changed a core component of Peter's character. Actually, I suppose "with great power comes great responsibility" is not at all what THIS Peter is about.
@@maineman5757 Check the comics. Peter has constantly gone back and forth between shunning his responsibility and embracing it. It's a constant joke that Peter keeps quitting being Spiderman every other week. And hey, given events like Gwen Stacey's death, two clone sagas, Civil War, One More Day, and Maximum Carnage, it's hard to blame Peter for wanting to just quit.
@@Waliant8349 for me it was when I was so excited for Callisto Protocol, saw the title and my heart broke 💔 (I have too much trust in this man and his opinions.)
@SkillUp Small correction, Vulture wasn't MJ's dad in the Holland Spider-Man trilogy, it was Liz's father - the girl he was crushing on hard and took to homecoming.
Familiar and comfortable? 100% fine with that. They have a good thing, and I'm glad they aren't try to change things that worked for the sake of being different. I've played SM and MM, and SM2 is looking like more fun.
@@grahamkelly8662 I hope so! I want more Spider-Man 2's, Baldur Gate 3's, and Elden Rings. That you think those who disagree with me are far weaker than me and those like me is nice to hear. Thanks for the encouragement!
@@jasonlotito you go enjoy copy and paste. I have a brain and there’s nothing I’d want to do, any less then play this rubbish Spider-Man game. You’re being ripped off by the developers and you don’t even care. I pity you.
Skill ups review of Kraven is exactly spot on to his actual character in comics/the 90s show, and yet he was always my favorite villian in spiderman....cant explain it
I still can't get over the complete character model changes from spiderman 1 to miles morales. It feels like I dont know these characters and seeing them again in spiderman 2 is still giving me that unfamiliar uncanny valley feeling.
I wish to know how many ppl works at Insomniac because has been 2 decades that this studio releases a game every year, staggering output and with good games
Looks amazing, but I feel like the industry/market is hitting a point where $70 for a 20 hour game (or 30 hour platinum trophy) isn’t really making sense. Meanwhile we get anywhere from 50-100 hours from current gen releases like Elden Ring and Baldur’s Gate 3 for the same price (to name just two). Idk. I get that some games are becoming story- and experience-centric, and are not just about hours and bloated content, and I’m not saying the value of a game only correlates to hours played. But despite how amazing this game looks, I’m finding myself feeling like taking a pass on this, because of how short-lived my experience playing Miles Morales was. Maybe that’s just me. Would love to hear your views on this in future vids!
I gotta say that after completing the game I disagree with the wingsuit take, I think I was balanced just fine. And I do think they activities were varied enough to be interesting, even if the variation didn't come with location. I do agree that the final story beats didn't hit me as hard as the first game, but they still hit. If they do make a third one I think they can get away with just more of the same as long as the story keeps hitting
I thing the third one will be more emotional than venom even I loved Spiderman 2! But having Otto and Green goblin in one game! Dude that could be ultimate spidy game.
It's feel that lately there haven't been many mind-blowing sequels. With the exception of Baldur's Gate 3, I feel like most sequels, though most of them were awesome (GoW, Horizon, Zelda, etc.), few brought an unexpected level of awe. Just my opinion, of course. Still, I'm pretty hyped for this one!
I'm starting to genuinely despise the number of reviews opening qith "You're not here to find out if the game is good or not". Not all of us loved the first one. It got a fair number of 7 out of 10s. Miles' game was an improvement but I'm not automatically assuming just because Sony threw a metric Spiderverse worth of money at Insomniac that the experience is going to be my cup of tea. I'm glad you enjoyed it but seriously, that kind of an opening instantly made me just want to look for another review.
even if the story will be expectable (like sadly most spider-man stories nowadays because of how much time this character has existed) I'm sure it will one of the greatest spider-man stories
BIG thumbs up for recommending listening rather than watching - not because I care that much about spoilers but because MOST of my youtube consumption is through audio while I do boring busy work and it's really nice when the content is boosted by visuals, but doesn't necessarily rely on them.
20:35 As Josh Strife Hayes has said many times on similar matters to this, "Willpower is a limited resource. If you know there is a more efficient way to do something, even if you don't enjoy it as much, a button press away, you're going to eventually end up doing it after you run out of willpower." (Paraphrased)
I absolutely hated the challenges in the first game but wanted the suits so I did them. It's a bit of a bummer those have returned without much change.
Big bummer unless they're designed better. Besides those MJ/Miles civilian stealth segments, several of the Taskmaster challenges and some of the Screwball DLC challenges are the only thing between the 1st game, the DLC & Miles Morales that I do not enjoy playing at all. The design & scoring of some of the challenges is extremely lame (like the "stealth" challenges that are just about kicking dudes in the face one after another as rapidly as possible) and a few of them were also very demanding, requiring basically absolute perfection to reach the top score thus making them incredibly tedious. In all my years of video gaming the thing I consistently find is that gamey timed & scored challenges added to an immersive narrative experience are always the least entertaining (and often the most frustrating) part of a game. The Batman Arkham games handled these kinds of challenges much better imo, having an optional challenge mode outside of the main campaign that entices you to play it by letting you try different characters with unique playstyles.
Agree I felt like a delivery guy going from place to place taking photos and looking for cats and shit like that. Total snooze fest. I might not even buy this now.
They’re definitely worth your time, even if you’re not a total spider-man shill like I am. In a way, they’re like the Arkham games, you need to experience them at least once.
@Newbyrock23 agreed, the only two superhero games I've ever finished are the Arkham Series and the Spider-Man Series so far, will definitely enjoy the Spiderman games wether you're a big fan or not.
It still amazes me how little people credit the Arkham series games for how well this game’s combat is. It’s basically the same just more “Marvel”, the duo finishers bring back memories from Arkham Knight. As good as Insomniac did at bringing this to Marvel games, Rocksteady really did have it perfected and laid a great foundation for others to build on
It sounds to me that now that the game is more polished and the gameplay is familiar, your brain is able to focus more on other things like the story and characters which allows you to see its shortcomings more clearly. I think that's basically what happened to Starfield too (not saying this game is like Starfield but more the reaction to it).
I think Ralph’s take on the wing suit is at least partly affected by the time constraints any reviewer has to deal with. I just beat this recently, and I took the time to do A LOT of the side activities. This means I ended up going from one end of the map to the other quite a bit, and the wing suit makes this so much more enjoyable. I love the web swinging - and still mixed that in - but it’s nice to have a quicker means of travel.
I found this to be the only spiderman with alot of bugs for me. I had to restart missions twice because enemies went through the walls and the final power for miles would not let me activate the attack when the prompt came up unless I restarted the game 3 times. Apart from that though I did love this game and you can excuse the bugs when a game has so much going for it.
Just a heads up. You reported no technical issues, but I've had the game crash 4 times, and once it shut down my PlayStation completely. Maybe I've been unlucky, but it's something to keep in mind. EDIT: I don't think I've ever had a PS5 game turn off my console before. So maybe it was just a fluke? It's switched off once before because it was too hot, but this time was definitely the game. It froze just as I was transitioning into a mission and got stuck like that. So after waiting a minute I went to dashboard and close the game, which turned off the console like the plug had been pulled. Very odd.
Genuine question, in regards to ability dumping in combat, why does Spider-Man get a pass with saying “you can do it but if you take the time to understand what these abilities do and the proper combination, you’re going to be a lot more effective,” but in other games, it’s simply just “you can ability dump, so bad combat.” To be clear, I’m not saying that Spider-Man should be included in the “ability dump = bad combat” dialogue, I’m saying that other games get unfairly written off
I need to say thank you for this. Having a spoiler free review is so nice since I have preordered the game. This is the first video I have found that hasn’t opened with either a spoiler warning or in game footage.
I found the first game to be decent enough in terms of swinging around, but the combat eventually became kind of boring. I didn't like the open world design, nor did I like the story. It was just too much chasing down minimap icons to get random tokens for upgrades and new suits. Web swinging was great and I thought that overall they got Peter Parker right, but aside from that I wasn't a huge fan. Here is to hoping that 2 will fix some of those issues!
its a playstation game so any of the video gamey stuff gets ignored so that the circle jerk can commence. im saying this as someone that enjoyed the first spiderman on pc but the hypocrisy and elitism of playstation stans can be annoying. its like they dont want anyone else and particularly xbox owners to enjoy a good game.
This game has its hits and misses. The gameplay and traversal is solid as is Peter’s story. The game fails with Miles’ story and outside of Kraven and Venom the villains are laughably bad. I mean WTF bad. Every other Spider-Man villain in the game is either reformed, misunderstood, or a cameo. It’s absurd. Especially Tombstone, who literally crushed a dude’s skull into jelly in the first game, is out of prison a couple of years later and working at an amusement park. I busted out laughing so hard see that. Peter had one of the greatest rogue’s galleries in all of comics and and unlike the villains in the first game we a bunch of “they served their time and are good now” bullshit. Good lord. Bad guys aren’t really that bad apparently is the message of this game. And Miles Morales is a zilch of a superhero. He has no villains of his own apparently, has to fight classic SM foes, and I don’t give two shits about his mom, his diverse community, nor Harlem’s music history. Cut Miles out of the game and it would be better for it.
I think Skillups reviews are amazing! Something a lot of people misunderstand about these reviews are while they contain criticism, it’s constructive criticism. He’s not saying this game is bad or don’t buy it, he’s giving the creators insight on things that could make the game go from a 10 to an unforgettable experience that will evolve the industry. This review tells me the game is a 10 but it’s not a game that changes how we think of a Spider-Man game. BUT THATS OK! Sometimes I just want a safe enjoyable game. I’m glad we have reviewers like skill up because while I like being told I made a good purchase, I like being told what I could have, what could be better.
This sounds like a chore and boring. Yes, high production value and perfectly executed but ultimately boring. Welp, I guess it will land on ps plus in a few years, maybe by then I'll be itchin for a gta superman.. excuse me, flying spider-man
2023 is going to be looked at as one of the best years in gaming history. It feels like post Covid everything crazy dropped throughout the whole year, probably almost no months without a major release and the amount of GOTY contenders might be one of the tightest jam packed years ever
I like the story, but I really miss all the other gadgets. It doesn't feel like it encourages combat creativity as much, and it completely reduces stealth encounters just press square to stealth
2018 Spider-Man’s one actual innovation was the web swinging. Everything else was basically just Arkham with a brighter color palette and if Batman always rolled a natural 20 on dexterity checks. Just getting around the city by swinging was delightful. There was skill in it. You had to learn how to maximize horizontal speed by feel. Being able to fly with the wing suit seems like a weird choice. It would make sense if it worked as a SUPPLEMENT to swinging, like a real wing suit. It lets you continue your glide, keep altitude between buildings. But being genuinely able to just fly, and it’s faster and more efficient than swinging? I don’t think I like that.
Another one of these silly comments. The 2018 game isnt 'just batman with a police car color palette'. The web swinging is vastly different, and the combat takes inspiration more from DMC with its emphasis on aerial combat. Ill reserve judgement until after Ive played the game, but from the footage the wing suit is only faster in wind tunnels and high above ground where there's nothing to swing from. When there are actual buildings around web swinging is faster.
@@Jerry-dx3cb rofl devil may cry? because you can air juggle enemies? what a load of crap. The combat was clearly inspired directly by arkham. It felt like arkham but with spiderman's moveset, which of course includes aerial attacks.
@@johnwrath3612 Because it's much safer to fight in the air? Because there are flying enemies and enemies that explicitly limit your aerial movement? Yes Im bringing up DMC as an example and Im right to do so. Mad max's combat for example is a direct copy of Arkham's, spiderman's on the other hand does enough things differently that it'd be incredibly reductive to call it 'just Arkham'.
I actually saw some people in Kinda Funny's review, complaining about it being shorter, wanting it to be even longer. The platinum for the original game wasn't much different, and Miles ofc is a shorter game, so it's even less time to platinum it. After putting 182 hrs into my first BG3 playthrough, a 30 hr game sounds perfect to me.
My biggest worry about this game was that the wingsuit would trivialise web-slinging. Then again, it says something about my esteem for Insomniac's Spidey games when THAT'S my "biggest worry".
it does Don't Buy This Game people so many issues in it: - Spanish language completely butchered for "inclusion" - ESG company blackrock has 7% of sony stocks and it shows its influence - performative pandering that they can't even get right - like the flag in Mile's room or taiyaki stand that can't even figure out Taiyaki isn't a pretzel - Mary Jowl face and androgynous body type cause femininity is seen as bad these days - Peter Parker emasculated constantly to push up Miles and Mary Jowl - Miles literally has no reason to exist - All they do with miles is remove Peter's agency in his own story, - Peter gets beat up then Miles saves him to show he's "important" when really its just devaluing Peter's ability to make miles look better - MJ stealth sections ridiculously overpowered to make her sections seem good when really its laughable - Black cat doesn't get missions, neither does wraith as playable but time for terrible MJ sections - Black cat retcon to bi and having a gf so the entire time she's manipulating Peter and causing stress in his home life for no good reason, also devaluing her care to her supposed GF they made up just now, legitimately makes her a terrible character now - Kraven and venom wasted to push more time to ESG and social politics - Mile's side missions are mediocre from helping someone ask someone out for prom to graffiti art, one is with two gay guys and the other with a deaf girl cause "inclusion over storytelling" and its so telling - fight club girl beating up a guy twice her size while he begs, just misandry in a nutshell - museum mission only there to say the funding gets taken away by EVIL WHITE GUY BUSINESS OWNER cause that's all they always do white = bad always to these writers and of course Scream fight of Peter being emasculated, insulted, while he begs for forgiveness from his "queen" (second sony game to emphasize that idea, other was GoW Ragnarok Freya speech) and she saves HERSELF cause she's a STRONG FEMALE CHARACTER if u ever wonder why it feels so padded so irrelevant to what u do, remember what htey make u do and the social politics to why and it is obvious just another product that kicks Peter's teeth in to push identity and social doctrine onto people
@@marcusclark1339 Cry harder Xbot🥱🥱🥱🤣🤣 "Miles literally has no reason to exist?" Same goes for you because your existence too because you came that night by my mistake🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
I say this as someone who has been primarily a Spidey fan for most of my life - when I see that wingsuit in action I wish Insomniac had made a Superman game instead. I'm getting old, the world is going to hell in a handbasket. I may never get to see proper justice done to him and only these guys seem capable.
>found a way to make this game look this good and run this well Welcome to engines utilizing hardware capability from 10 years ago. Consoles will forever hold the industry back. Fight me.
If the wing suit behaved like the glider in Zelda TotK, more of a descent control mechanism, less of a traversal tool, it would've been a better implementation.
But fall damage is automatically turned off, plus Web swinging would probably save you from any fall. A better change would be a tweak to deceleration and altitude drop, plus more wind tunnels in queens and Brooklyn and less in manhattan. That way, you could still glide over buildings and maintain height from a slingshot, but you can't really ride it for more than a few blocks before getting slow.
sorta already said this in a reply, but my personal opinion on the wingsuit is that they should have made the wingsuit very risky and unsafe, sort of like Just Cause but the risk is turned up. I think they should have made the gliding have a good speed but at the cost of being crap for gaining altitude and even worse for turning around. You shouldn't be able to make sharp turns with perfect accuracy, it should be really hard to wingsuit around buildings. Add onto this a thing where if you hit a building while wingsuiting, instead of being able to wallrun, you get stunned for a sort second, and the wingsuit gets locked out for a few seconds, and you have to webswing to use the wingsuit right. This would integrate webswinging and zip to point into the wingsuit dramatically, the wingsuit would change from a convenient all-purpose flight tool to a short-term speed booster. You could thus get a lot of extra distance in the air, but you would have to use swinging to make tighter turns, gain altitude, and prevent dangerous collisions.
More and more I am happy to only agree with about 2/3 of what skillup review thesis statments put forward; as while spiderman 2 does feel "familliar" enough for me to hold my moveset knowledge over from the first two; this game -absolutely- knocked me on my ass with how spectacular it is
Can we talk about how Peter is basically "Sorry-man" rather than a seasoned hero? Or how Miles' powers can do anything? Or how ridiculously OP any 100lbs woman is? Or how much Peter gets has ass kicked and needs saving? Or how selfish MJ is at the end? Honestly, I'm now very nervous for a woke, whiney Wolverine 😅
Imagine expanding the size of the city, increasing traveling time, giving you a wingsuit to make up for it and then say "its not a problem just webswing". The whole time youre webswinging you know you could just go faster. You are wasting time traveling in the back of your mind constantly. So yes it matters duh! Its called human psychology, path of least resistance will always be more tempting meaning if the wingsuit is objectively better its a problem.
I feel like I'll just use the wings when I need to get somewhere quickly, cross the water, or if for whatever reason I'm losing the car in a chase. Other than that, I'll stick to web swinging. Gotta keep that Spider-Man feel going.
We just had a movie with three Spider-Men who looked NOTHING alike, so it makes no difference to me at all. He isn’t drawn the same as Steve Ditko’s version these days either.
Thank you Eureka Ergonomic for sponsoring this video. Click eurekaergonomic.com/skillup and use code SkillUp for 12% OFF on Standing Desks, Ergonomic Chairs, and storage accessories. Available for 1 month.
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So this game is "Comfortable Spiderman" than "Amazing or Spectacular" ? ~ lol
That smart table is genius 👌
As a new homeowner, that coffee table is shockingly affordable for what it is.
I've seen many coffee tables from brick and mortar stores and online that are more expensive for less.
How’s the boss fights? I hope it’s not QTE again. Great review.
To be honest, it’s just nice to hear that a AAA experience has released completely finished and polished in current year.
Insomniac is an anomaly in modern gaming
This statement would have been relatable at the beginning of last year
first Baldur's gate then starfield and now Spider-Man 2 i think we are slowly getting to the good ole days
It’s Sony first party, they usually are.
@@WillemDafoeOfficialbro you forgot fromsoft?
Something I haven't really seen reviewers mention all that much is the traffic density in this game. It honestly makes such an insane difference in terms of immersion, like the original and miles feel so empty compared to watching videos of this game. So hyped
This! I was happy to see the difference in traffic density while watching the Digital Foundry review that they posted today. I highly suggest their tech review, it's excellent.
It feels to me like they were able to reach the PC versione level of density plus better RT and make it work on a PS5, which is insane. It makes me wonder where Insomniac might push a PC version, if they’ll make one.
Please, read it with an awe of wonder. I am not criticizing! In this day and age it’s better clarify in advance 😂
That's actually a really good point. Hope more city-based open worlds take note of that
@@navyhusky2020cp2077 raised the bar on city density.
The problem with Kraven is that he's really only memorable in one story, and that's in Kraven's Last Hunt. Basically he's Spider-man"s Bane.
Show up out of nowhere to Hunt the Hero, beat the living crap out of him, Leave him in a grave, have someone else take up the mantle in the meantime but theyre super aggressive & damage the heroes rep, the Hero comes back better & Beats the bad guy.
Yup Kraven = Bane checks out.
Also Hush
Yeah, that's true. His best rendition I think is in spectacular spiderman, where he literally undergoes changes to become a monster just to maintain his status of apex predator in a superpowered world. Otherwise the guy really is just a rich dude with money to burn.
@@Nemesis_T-TypeHeart of Hush is good! That’s about it for Hush though. He hasn’t been effective ever since
That and because that one story was so inarguably definitive for the character, they keep trying to find narrative contrivances for bringing him back just to redo that plot in some form
Much like Lizard, he's kind of stuck in arrested development
My ONLY issue with the game, that completely gutted the stealth in this game for some reason. You have no tools for silently taking out a room full of enemies, no traps, no web bombs, nothing, all you can do is shoot web to get enemies to move so you can do perch/silent takedowns making attempting to clear a room silently take FOREVER. It’s really weird how that whole element was all but almost removed when it was so well implemented in the first but aside from that one thing, phenomenal game.
Exactly. It would have made a lot of sense to build on it considering there's such an emphasis on hunting in this game
Nah, I'll take the weblines any day.
I'm not saying take them away I'm saying wouldn't you rather more to play with? Essentially the web line just allows you to perch takedown wherever you want, got a little stale pretty quickly for me. .@@Dr._Mantis_Toboggan_Md.
@Dr._Mantis_Toboggan_Md. Web lined are cool but extremely op which made it boring after awhile.
If I'm bring real the crack really start to show when you compare this game to Arkham Knight's stealth. Basically Spider-Man 2 plays it extremely safe.
Ralph really hit us with the "amazing or spectacular" with a straight face
i was looking to see if anyone else commented on this... i stopped for a second, like..really and started lmaoo
I strongly recommend: Skill Up
Agreed!
Amen
It's better when the other guy does reviews
Sometimes 😝
Reviews you can trust.
I really appreciate how this channel puts the concluding take in the title, was slightly worried about this game but didnt want to spoil any of my experience by watching a full review, this is the kind of video I'll come back to after I've played the game myself
Watching Skill Up talk about Spiderman really makes you feel the exaggerated swagger of a black teen
Bro you're fucking quick
exaggerated swagger of an australian youtuber
Peter gunna have all the swagger of Tobey Maguire with his bangs down.
That Insomniac can, in 5 years, put out three Spidey Games, plus R&C:RA, plus some small stuff, and it's all polished and good, is truly a shining example for developers.
Well the ports were done by Nixxes Software another Sony 1st party dev team
But your point still stands
it shows that some other devs and publishers, especially ones catering to investors first, are just lazy and expect to make a lot of money with minimal work done.
@@chriscollins3225Derp, you're right, corrected. Dunno who I was thinking of, who does do their own good ports.
If we count from after Ratchet 2016's release, that's some 7+ years.
Still impressive tho.
@@raresmacovei8382 You'll note I specified Rift Apart, which was 2021.
I thought the wingsuit would've only been available for a couple of seconds as a burst of speed and then kinda throw you off control or something and automatically get you out of it, only being extendable by the wind tunnels.
Imo if they had gone the only accessible sometimes route y'all would complain about player agency, or it being limited didn't feel realistic enough to be warranted
Yup - exactly.. best to give all the functions and make it limitless and let the players decide how much or how less they want to use it. I think the game had fast travel as well.. think of that - how meaningless fast travel is to spideman games, but the devs still gave the features.. so I appreciate that approach here.
Breath of the wild and tears of the kingdom limit everything and those genes are better.
Lol no. When my flying bird fucking disappeared mid flight I wanted to drop the game @@RubenRodriguez-fp8di
@@Icemanz666i love fast travel. I haven't the time or patience to go from 1 end of the map to the other to get a goal or mission from just swinging or gliding
“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” I feel like everyone knows this game will feel similar to 2018 but I think that’s a good thing. Just keep building on an amazing foundation. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel every release.
I have heard that side events aren’t that much improved which is “fine”. I would care more about the story of these side missions
@@superjlk_9538I've also heard that the side missions are some of the best parts of the game according to some reviewers like Caboose.
@@FlashingFireGamesThat TH-camr really stole his name from a Red vs Blue character huh?
@@proggz39There are plenty of reasons for him to pick that name. Maybe he likes trains? Maybe he likes ass
The first one was safe, formulaic and boring. You'd expect them to be more innovative now that they have people's trust, not just release what is essentially 70% the same product as last time.
20:00
I think the feeling you're getting at is that, in a game, it usually feels bad to deliberately do something sub optimal. Sometimes its best not to have the option at all (outside of accessibility options) (e.g. Auto-battle systems in rpgs etc)
Since web slinging is so core to the identity of Spider-Man, that aspect needed to feel more mobile or have a system in place where the wing suit cant be abused (e.g. have the wing suit really slow, but can be boosted temporarily if used after a web sling)
Some people can't help but meta the fun out of games. Kind of on them honestly.
@@skyblue2708 Because it's the developer's responsibility to make sure the player doesn't optimize the fun out of the core game unless they're straight up using cheats/mods.
@@skyblue2708🤓
@@skyblue2708 I think it's in our nature too. It's like the loot cave in Destiny, or finding an absurdly easy power leveling spot early on in a game. People aren't incentivised by what they *should* do but by what works.
This is the reason why balance teams exist in the first place because people will abuse things, even in single player games when there isn't a (online) competitive advantage
@@skyblue2708It's literally human nature to try and get the most returns out of the least amount of effort. That's why game developers try to make the more fun ways to play (feel) at least equal to if not more effective than other options.
Just a little correction. Based on how you phrased things, it sounded like you thought MJ having a stun gun was new to this game, and that made those missions less believable. But she gets a stun gun towards the end of the first game as well. I haven't played spiderman 2 but based on the footage, that element looks roughly the same as the previous game.
She also went to a literal war with Peter in Symkaria after the first game, so Id believe she picked up a couple of things that make her more competent in the field lol
She only used the stun gun in like 2 levels.
Time stamp the Mj part
@@lucaleone4331Ah yes ever reporter that journalizes a war enters combat
@@tiegideon9816about 23 minutes in :)
Schill Up really sold us a Smart Fridge Coffee table in a Spider-Man 2 review this man knows no bounds
it's crazy how when a game actually works at launch now we are in shock.
What sinle player games that have launched in this past year hasn't worked at launch?
@@TheRustyLampPost cyberpunk, starfield, Gotham Knights, Saints Row, Gollum, I could keep going, what world do you live in, Weirdo?
@@IknowIamkindagreat what YEAR are you living in? I said this past YEAR. Cyberpunk came out in 2020, starfield is bethesda most feature complete and technically sound game launch to date (the game sucks, but it works and is finished), Saints Row came out last year, and yeh gollum sucks and isn’t finished but that’s an outlier. Even just mainstream games from this year alone have been consistent finished and high quality in terms of technical performance and features. Street Fighter 6, RE4Make, tears of the kingdom, FF16, Pikmin 4, dead space, baldurs gate 3, fire emblem engage, hi-fi rush, octopath traveller. Even going back to last year Ragnarok and Elden ring came out, the narrative of most games coming out broken and unfinished is just a lie.
Did you not experience any of the bugs? Game crashed with 2 of my friends and it also happened with me at the end during a climactic scene. Whole playthrough for me was riddled with glitches, pop ins , and mission bugs.
@@TheRustyLampPostjedi survivor had big issues and starfield crashes every 2-3 hours. also multiple glitches
This is the type of game where everyone already knew it was going to be a banger
It’s glorified DLC from the looks and sounds of it. Could be fine with some people but I hated the outdated combat system in the first one so if it’s basically untouched there no way I’m playing through this even if the story is good it’s gameplay first for me
It's called confirmation bias.
@@jacobross735 aaand there it is! First contrarian I saw today.
Where did I leave that "Congratulations! You're now SpECiaL!" award?
its mid
@@jacobross735 Wow be careful not to cut your self on that edge.
Love your comment about framing and cinematography in games, it's something I bang on about all the time. The way the Mass Effect trilogy, Cyberpunk, Uncharted, TLoU, Spider-Man, Arkham Knight etc. actually visually present their stories is an absolute marvel (no pun intended) and it becomes very stark when you see how flat and uninspired something like Starfield is.
Honestly can't wait to see what these guys do with wolverine
They're the best there is at what they do and what they do is very nice
Honestly very excited for that as well you already know it's gonna be a banger
They got the guy who wrote spec ops writing that game. If this is good story wise, i can’t imagine what Wolverine will be
@@ilory169 really? I did not know that. Now I'm hyped as hell
I’m hoping that’s early 2025. It would be awesome to have it here soon
Watching this review footage, I immediately thought the same thing about the wing suit. I'm glad you said it. I think you nailed the point. Looks like a really cool, polished mechanic that seems super out of place in a Spider-Man game. Still looking forward to trying it, getting hooked and then deciding to stop using it, just like you did lol
Yeah looks like for the wingsuit insomniac didn't restrain themselves enough. Or at the very least, they didn't balance out queens and brooklyn to keep the wingsuit from being OP
They knew they couldn’t give us physics based web-slinging so they had to create something new
@@superjlk_9538They've made an entire setting about how much physics affect web swinging. You can complain about a feature without makinh a whole conspiracy about it.
Spider-Man has always had a wing suit since the beginning, we just never see him use it much in the comics and other media. I like that it was added, but I feel like it's going to become like the Batmobile in Arkham Knight, a cool, but over-used mechanic.
@@GoliathWarfare Although he's always had it, they were definitely not as strong as the one in the game seems to be. They were basically a way to get him to control himself a bit better while in the air rather than actually gliding through it. Don't remember them actually calling it a Wing suit either, but I could be wrong.
Well, you can say that the wingsuit is like an ability similar to the flying spiders that release strands of silk to catch wind and can "fly" like that for thousands of miles :)
I was going to play this anyways but getting Tony Todd to voice Venom was the thing that reminded me that these people know what they're doing.
You've just re-affirmed my original thoughts on seeing Spidey in a wingsuit... I totally get it, it's not an issue, but it kinda is. It's Spiderman!
Yeah,reminds me of the batmobile in arkham knight. It was cool at first but then it was overused. Don't know what they were thinking there tbf.
How is a completely optional mechanic an issue at all? And it’s not even remotely like the Batmobile lol wtf
Sounds like it more like the Detective Mode problem. Some people will never turn it off because keeping the wall hack on is more effective, even if it means playing in a blue world of skeletons 24/7.
People with that mind set are going to use whats more effective over what's more fun.
The Deathstroke Fight sealed my Favor in Orings rather than Knight. There, I said it@liquidsword601
Yup, his take on that was spot on.
(Who believes a wingsuit without legwing can fly fast anyhow lol)
It looks like the Wingsuit should have been created to be more like Batman's cape in the Arkham series. Batman can GLIDE for limited distances, but he has to actually be at a decent height or use grapnel boosts to maintain the glide. The wingsuit here looks almost like flight you can use at any time, which is more effective but also too easy.
Agreed, i hope thats the first mod when it comes on pc
It’s more like just cause 3 wing suit not Arkham gliding
yeah like why didn't they make it so you can wing suit for a spell then have to use web sling to regain altitude making them compliment eachother. Either way the game looks the tits
So basically the assassin's creed syndicate problem that had with the grappling hook why parkour everywhere when I can just use the grapple gun
The hell are you on about?! You can use the dive and grapple to "glide" forever...🤡🤡🤡
Congrats to Skill up for playing a 3rd person action game and not calling it a "soulslike" for the first time!
They made peter look like the most generic white dude they could
Still makes no sense they changed the model from the 2018 game. That looked perfectly fine.
The wingsuit thing is the exact same thing that happened with Saints Row. Once you could jump up buildings Crackdown-style in the later games, you rarely got into a car anymore...which is one of the biggest parts of Saints Row.
ehh i actually enjoyed getting good at the movement system in Saint Row 4 the most. its a super hero game, maybe you wanted the hood and car driving but imo SR4 was way more fun than the other games. but i also didnt expect anything from it.
@@Senumunuyeah. It was way more fun than the mediocre driving.
Some spiders can glide though so I don’t mind Peter eventually using wing suits . Realistically speaking I would imagine superheroes improving their abilities all the time. Same with spiders being able to water skate . Why wouldn’t Peter invent something that would help him not just end up plopping in the water which ruins all your momentum if you happen to fall there
You gotta mix both of them ,liek are you really gonna stop swinging jusy cause the wing suit is faster? Like swinging is the best part of the agme
@@oof8888 the wing suit and the swinging is so good . I love both
The wing suit problem sounds a lot like the grappling hook problem that assassin's creed syndicate had. Why parkour around a city when you can just grapple hook everywhere?
Because it's fun. Why stealth your way through something like Cyberpunk when you can slow time and use a Shotgun?
The addition of a newer way to play, on top of already existing ways to play, isn't really that big an issue tbh.
@@Existential_Robotthe thing is, V is not defined by the tools or weapons she/he uses.
Swinging arround like a spider is one of the key elements of Spider-Man, and it seems it gets toss aside because how good the wing suit is.
Have you never heard of fast travel? Check points? They are options to save time meaning you don’t have to use them. What a stupid ass comment lmao stop complaining about dumb stuff
@liquidsword601For me it’s that I wish swinging was better, since that’s part of Spider-Man’s identity. Keep the web wings exactly the same, but give a solid reason for web swinging to be used more often. We’re logical creatures, and so even though it’s just a video game and even though swinging may still be an option, a lot of people like myself probably can’t shake the feeling that they’re playing in a way that isn’t optimal if they ignore the web wings and just swing.
It's just another option.
Kraven was chosen because Venom is basically like a monster and he is all about the hunting. This feels better to use since if he is hunting peter, it feels better to be hunting a monster. I also believe in the comics Kraven DID hunt the black suit spiderman so it connects well to that
Kravens Last Hunt is the storyline and it is PHENOMENAL. They couldn't have chosen a better rogue from SMs gallery for this one.
it probably played a part to the movie coming out tho lets be real
Spider Man even recognizes in the comics that Kraven has a sense of honor, and berates (then knocks out) Kraven's son for not having such honor.
He didn't hunt venom Peter, Peter just wore a cloth black suit
@@anotherhappylanding4746yeah it was just a regular one.
Kraven was so good especially if you read the notes in his lodge/manor thing
Thank you for always explaining your criticism. As a consumer, I find it really helpful for deciding on what games to buy and which ones to skip. I don't have the same taste in video games as you do, so I don't always skip what you don't recommend, or buy what you do recommend. But your clear explanation on your criticisms has always been a great help in deciding whether I think I'll enjoy the game or not.
After watching your review I have a better picture of what Spider-Man 2 is and what's not, and with adjusted expectations I am sure I am going to have a great time! TY!
The moment I saw the Amazing Spider-Man 2 suit I was hyped even more
Sick as hell 🔥
Bro the toby suit has me bricked I hope there's a symbiote version too
@@buser99there is bro!
I feel like the "new locations don't create new gameplay" critique of Queens and Brooklyn has come up in other games that Skill Up has covered recently. But I'm not sure I can think of any examples where this has ever been the case. Novgorod in Witcher 3 is the best example I can think of, but that's a very different type of game.
When it comes to open world action games like Spiderman, Assassin's Creed, Horizon, Ghost of Tsushima, Far Cry, GTA, Red Dead etc I'm not sure I can think of a time when the way you played the game changed because you got to a new area.
New movement opportunities usually come from the players' own intrinsic motivations. Like how hack 'n slash games can usually be beaten by playing in a very basic manner. But for those that want to learn and explore its mechanics, there are usually depths beneath the surface level that can be explored should you have the motivation. It's extremely hard to design a game-world that actually forces you to learn different movement types for different areas, because changing things up like that would mean a higher learning curve for the players, which is generally frowned upon by the general gamer population nowadays for accessibility (and ease of play) reason. The last game that specifically designs different areas to require different skill sets to traverse was Assassin's Creed 2, as far as I know, where each new city you visit require you to traverse it differently, like how in Venice for 80% of the time, you HAVE to either stay on rooftops, or find a boat, or else you'll have to swim, which is different than Florence where everything is grounded. Not a lot of games that I know after then, even in the AC franchise, demand that kind of adaptability from the players.
Yeah, I think this is more of a complaint that someone who has to play a ton of open world games is going to have versus a more casual gamer. I get why he says it, but I also don't necessarily hold that against a game either.
i agree. i actually think it would be to games detriment if you were forced to go to queens and brooklyn to do certain activities that are fun. At most there should have been (there still might be but i dont have a review code) queens and brooklyn specific side encounters that are just fun and interesting without providing any type of reward that would incentivize you to only stay in queens and brooklyn. A good example of this is in red dead redemption 2 with how going into the swamp at night you can encounter the night folk, or going into saint denis you can see multiple beggars in the rundown areas, or in rhodes you can go to the fields and see slaves working with the tobaco. I think if spider man2 (again, havent played the game so it might be in there) had encounters that really make you feel like you are in queens or brooklyn it would go a long way. Like seeing kids play in basketball courts and you can play with them in queens, delivery men rushing to deliver food and you can help them, parties on rooftops of brooklyn, or in brooklyn visions you can just straight up take an exam as miles. doesnt have to give a reward but just be a thing that can happen and something you can interact with. obviously this leans more into the rpg side of the game but i think it would be a great addition
I think the different Islands in arkham knight did this pretty well. The completely different layout made you traverse the map differently. Be that relying more on gliding, grappling or the batmobile.
@@gavinderulo12pretty sure in Arkham knight that wasn't the case and you could constantly be gliding everywhere also because people didn't like the overuse of the batmobile/pretty sure gliding was faster to to get around than the batmobile
Been waiting for this. Always looking forward to your in-depth reviews. They're on a league of their own.
Same
Glazing
My only big complaint is the plot armor in this story!
Peter was so weakened this time around, just that miles can shine and have his purpose as the rescuer in this story.
And then all the lines from Peter that miles is the only spider man that the city needs annoyed me as hell.
It's like the writers' fundamentally changed a core component of Peter's character. Actually, I suppose "with great power comes great responsibility" is not at all what THIS Peter is about.
@@maineman5757 Check the comics. Peter has constantly gone back and forth between shunning his responsibility and embracing it. It's a constant joke that Peter keeps quitting being Spiderman every other week. And hey, given events like Gwen Stacey's death, two clone sagas, Civil War, One More Day, and Maximum Carnage, it's hard to blame Peter for wanting to just quit.
I do like that outside of wind tunnels, you were moving noticeably slower while using the wingsuit than you would if you had just web slinged.
Great review. It’s nice to hear a review without giving too much away.
I was terrified for a ‘I do not recommend’ so this is a HUGE relief for me 😂
He would have another huge backlash like FF16 if he did that. 😂
He's not one to change his opinion to please the public. That's what makes this channel amazing.@@Waliant8349
@@Waliant8349 for me it was when I was so excited for Callisto Protocol, saw the title and my heart broke 💔 (I have too much trust in this man and his opinions.)
Skillup gives his honest opinion. He don't care about no backlash
facts broooo this guy art as hell
The Vulture is not MJ's dad, he was his first love interest's dad.
Yeah that one girl lol
@@ThePokestopPapiLiz
@@negley22 Yes, I couldn't remember her name thank you
As much as I am looking forward to Spider-Man 2 this honestly makes me really want Wolverine, like now. Time to board the hype train.
@SkillUp Small correction, Vulture wasn't MJ's dad in the Holland Spider-Man trilogy, it was Liz's father - the girl he was crushing on hard and took to homecoming.
Great review, Spider-Man 2 looks stunning, Insomniac Games never disappoints :)
Thanks Skill Up for all your hard work and fantastic, detailed reviews. Love ya work buddy!!
Hard work lol
Familiar and comfortable? 100% fine with that. They have a good thing, and I'm glad they aren't try to change things that worked for the sake of being different. I've played SM and MM, and SM2 is looking like more fun.
You guys are really bringing gaming down to a low level with your primitive views.
Agreed. Everything I’ve heard I’m hyped for. Nothing at all sounds disappointing to me.
@@grahamkelly8662 I hope so! I want more Spider-Man 2's, Baldur Gate 3's, and Elden Rings. That you think those who disagree with me are far weaker than me and those like me is nice to hear. Thanks for the encouragement!
@@jasonlotito what the f?
@@jasonlotito you go enjoy copy and paste. I have a brain and there’s nothing I’d want to do, any less then play this rubbish Spider-Man game. You’re being ripped off by the developers and you don’t even care. I pity you.
Skill ups review of Kraven is exactly spot on to his actual character in comics/the 90s show, and yet he was always my favorite villian in spiderman....cant explain it
I still can't get over the complete character model changes from spiderman 1 to miles morales. It feels like I dont know these characters and seeing them again in spiderman 2 is still giving me that unfamiliar uncanny valley feeling.
I wish to know how many ppl works at Insomniac because has been 2 decades that this studio releases a game every year, staggering output and with good games
They are wizards
They have over 500 workers according to LinkedIn. Theyve been growing since Sony bought them
Looks amazing, but I feel like the industry/market is hitting a point where $70 for a 20 hour game (or 30 hour platinum trophy) isn’t really making sense. Meanwhile we get anywhere from 50-100 hours from current gen releases like Elden Ring and Baldur’s Gate 3 for the same price (to name just two). Idk.
I get that some games are becoming story- and experience-centric, and are not just about hours and bloated content, and I’m not saying the value of a game only correlates to hours played. But despite how amazing this game looks, I’m finding myself feeling like taking a pass on this, because of how short-lived my experience playing Miles Morales was. Maybe that’s just me.
Would love to hear your views on this in future vids!
I gotta say that after completing the game I disagree with the wingsuit take, I think I was balanced just fine. And I do think they activities were varied enough to be interesting, even if the variation didn't come with location.
I do agree that the final story beats didn't hit me as hard as the first game, but they still hit.
If they do make a third one I think they can get away with just more of the same as long as the story keeps hitting
I thing the third one will be more emotional than venom even I loved Spiderman 2! But having Otto and Green goblin in one game! Dude that could be ultimate spidy game.
It's feel that lately there haven't been many mind-blowing sequels. With the exception of Baldur's Gate 3, I feel like most sequels, though most of them were awesome (GoW, Horizon, Zelda, etc.), few brought an unexpected level of awe. Just my opinion, of course.
Still, I'm pretty hyped for this one!
I'm starting to genuinely despise the number of reviews opening qith "You're not here to find out if the game is good or not". Not all of us loved the first one. It got a fair number of 7 out of 10s. Miles' game was an improvement but I'm not automatically assuming just because Sony threw a metric Spiderverse worth of money at Insomniac that the experience is going to be my cup of tea. I'm glad you enjoyed it but seriously, that kind of an opening instantly made me just want to look for another review.
even if the story will be expectable (like sadly most spider-man stories nowadays because of how much time this character has existed) I'm sure it will one of the greatest spider-man stories
*predictable
Spiderverse is the only spider story that flips the concept on its head.
@@Treck533 being about the spiderverse helps, but making a game about it would be really hard I feel like
@@ender_z4nd3r83...shattered dimensions is a thing
Arkham games had predictable storylines too if you know the characters
Finally some popular media highlighting a proper best friend relationship and how important it is, and not just focusing on the love interests.
BIG thumbs up for recommending listening rather than watching - not because I care that much about spoilers but because MOST of my youtube consumption is through audio while I do boring busy work and it's really nice when the content is boosted by visuals, but doesn't necessarily rely on them.
20:35 As Josh Strife Hayes has said many times on similar matters to this, "Willpower is a limited resource. If you know there is a more efficient way to do something, even if you don't enjoy it as much, a button press away, you're going to eventually end up doing it after you run out of willpower." (Paraphrased)
I absolutely hated the challenges in the first game but wanted the suits so I did them. It's a bit of a bummer those have returned without much change.
I personally don’t think it’s a bummer at all, I very much so enjoyed those challenges.
Big bummer unless they're designed better. Besides those MJ/Miles civilian stealth segments, several of the Taskmaster challenges and some of the Screwball DLC challenges are the only thing between the 1st game, the DLC & Miles Morales that I do not enjoy playing at all.
The design & scoring of some of the challenges is extremely lame (like the "stealth" challenges that are just about kicking dudes in the face one after another as rapidly as possible) and a few of them were also very demanding, requiring basically absolute perfection to reach the top score thus making them incredibly tedious.
In all my years of video gaming the thing I consistently find is that gamey timed & scored challenges added to an immersive narrative experience are always the least entertaining (and often the most frustrating) part of a game.
The Batman Arkham games handled these kinds of challenges much better imo, having an optional challenge mode outside of the main campaign that entices you to play it by letting you try different characters with unique playstyles.
I only hated the Screwball ones, those were so unfun
Agree I felt like a delivery guy going from place to place taking photos and looking for cats and shit like that. Total snooze fest. I might not even buy this now.
Vulture wasn’t MJ’s dad in Homecoming. He was Liz’s (the popular girl who he takes to homecoming) dad.
Just goes to show how actually forgettable the disney spider man is
I’m not surprised but I’m very glad to see. Can’t wait to play this game
Your reviews are phenomenal.
What i love about skill up, is that he says petah, like the iconic lois, from the hit tv show: "family guy"
This looks truly incredibly. I wasn’t much looking forward to this but I think I’ll give this and the first games a try
Just don't expect too much greatness of the first one. It's horribly repetetive
Go for Miles Morales. It’s shorter but that makes it better. Good 20hrs plus.
@@Exel3nce dude just shut the h up…. Beside the side quests everything else was great in first one…
They’re definitely worth your time, even if you’re not a total spider-man shill like I am.
In a way, they’re like the Arkham games, you need to experience them at least once.
@Newbyrock23 agreed, the only two superhero games I've ever finished are the Arkham Series and the Spider-Man Series so far, will definitely enjoy the Spiderman games wether you're a big fan or not.
Hyped beyond imaginable!
It still amazes me how little people credit the Arkham series games for how well this game’s combat is. It’s basically the same just more “Marvel”, the duo finishers bring back memories from Arkham Knight. As good as Insomniac did at bringing this to Marvel games, Rocksteady really did have it perfected and laid a great foundation for others to build on
It sounds to me that now that the game is more polished and the gameplay is familiar, your brain is able to focus more on other things like the story and characters which allows you to see its shortcomings more clearly. I think that's basically what happened to Starfield too (not saying this game is like Starfield but more the reaction to it).
I think Ralph’s take on the wing suit is at least partly affected by the time constraints any reviewer has to deal with. I just beat this recently, and I took the time to do A LOT of the side activities. This means I ended up going from one end of the map to the other quite a bit, and the wing suit makes this so much more enjoyable. I love the web swinging - and still mixed that in - but it’s nice to have a quicker means of travel.
The game is ready to be released...that's a win on its own.
I love how Spiderman is one of the only franchises on earth that consistently pumps out Ws, across all of its digital and physical mediums.
Modern 616 Spider-Man would like a word
Amazing review dude! You've no idea how hyped you've made me for a game I was already crazy hyped for.
Insomniac shouldn't be condemned to making a million sequels to a hot franchise, i want them to make more creative ventures too
Came here for SM2 Review stayed for the coffee table. Wow Skill Up....
-AND A COOLER INSIDE!?
UGH, BEAUTIFUL.
Actually im here because i wanted to know if Miles still had the exaggerated swagger of a black teen.
I found this to be the only spiderman with alot of bugs for me. I had to restart missions twice because enemies went through the walls and the final power for miles would not let me activate the attack when the prompt came up unless I restarted the game 3 times. Apart from that though I did love this game and you can excuse the bugs when a game has so much going for it.
Skill Up loves to ride the wave as usual
Just a heads up. You reported no technical issues, but I've had the game crash 4 times, and once it shut down my PlayStation completely. Maybe I've been unlucky, but it's something to keep in mind.
EDIT: I don't think I've ever had a PS5 game turn off my console before. So maybe it was just a fluke? It's switched off once before because it was too hot, but this time was definitely the game. It froze just as I was transitioning into a mission and got stuck like that. So after waiting a minute I went to dashboard and close the game, which turned off the console like the plug had been pulled. Very odd.
Genuine question, in regards to ability dumping in combat, why does Spider-Man get a pass with saying “you can do it but if you take the time to understand what these abilities do and the proper combination, you’re going to be a lot more effective,” but in other games, it’s simply just “you can ability dump, so bad combat.” To be clear, I’m not saying that Spider-Man should be included in the “ability dump = bad combat” dialogue, I’m saying that other games get unfairly written off
I need to say thank you for this. Having a spoiler free review is so nice since I have preordered the game. This is the first video I have found that hasn’t opened with either a spoiler warning or in game footage.
I found the first game to be decent enough in terms of swinging around, but the combat eventually became kind of boring. I didn't like the open world design, nor did I like the story. It was just too much chasing down minimap icons to get random tokens for upgrades and new suits. Web swinging was great and I thought that overall they got Peter Parker right, but aside from that I wasn't a huge fan. Here is to hoping that 2 will fix some of those issues!
Same here but I kind of doubt it. They even brought the freakin' stealth sections back.
its a playstation game so any of the video gamey stuff gets ignored so that the circle jerk can commence. im saying this as someone that enjoyed the first spiderman on pc but the hypocrisy and elitism of playstation stans can be annoying. its like they dont want anyone else and particularly xbox owners to enjoy a good game.
@@zorastinnah. I love sony exclusives and I own both a ps5 and highend pc. Imo they really just are that good overall.
This game has its hits and misses. The gameplay and traversal is solid as is Peter’s story. The game fails with Miles’ story and outside of Kraven and Venom the villains are laughably bad. I mean WTF bad. Every other Spider-Man villain in the game is either reformed, misunderstood, or a cameo. It’s absurd. Especially Tombstone, who literally crushed a dude’s skull into jelly in the first game, is out of prison a couple of years later and working at an amusement park. I busted out laughing so hard see that. Peter had one of the greatest rogue’s galleries in all of comics and and unlike the villains in the first game we a bunch of “they served their time and are good now” bullshit. Good lord. Bad guys aren’t really that bad apparently is the message of this game. And Miles Morales is a zilch of a superhero. He has no villains of his own apparently, has to fight classic SM foes, and I don’t give two shits about his mom, his diverse community, nor Harlem’s music history. Cut Miles out of the game and it would be better for it.
I think Skillups reviews are amazing! Something a lot of people misunderstand about these reviews are while they contain criticism, it’s constructive criticism. He’s not saying this game is bad or don’t buy it, he’s giving the creators insight on things that could make the game go from a 10 to an unforgettable experience that will evolve the industry. This review tells me the game is a 10 but it’s not a game that changes how we think of a Spider-Man game. BUT THATS OK! Sometimes I just want a safe enjoyable game. I’m glad we have reviewers like skill up because while I like being told I made a good purchase, I like being told what I could have, what could be better.
Peter looks like he's the same age as Miles, and looks like his friend more than mentor.
This sounds like a chore and boring. Yes, high production value and perfectly executed but ultimately boring. Welp, I guess it will land on ps plus in a few years, maybe by then I'll be itchin for a gta superman.. excuse me, flying spider-man
Yep I look a this and feel zero pull to play it, totally meh !
2023 is going to be looked at as one of the best years in gaming history. It feels like post Covid everything crazy dropped throughout the whole year, probably almost no months without a major release and the amount of GOTY contenders might be one of the tightest jam packed years ever
I like the story, but I really miss all the other gadgets. It doesn't feel like it encourages combat creativity as much, and it completely reduces stealth encounters just press square to stealth
3 mins in and you said all you needed to. Thanks for the review
2018 Spider-Man’s one actual innovation was the web swinging. Everything else was basically just Arkham with a brighter color palette and if Batman always rolled a natural 20 on dexterity checks. Just getting around the city by swinging was delightful. There was skill in it. You had to learn how to maximize horizontal speed by feel. Being able to fly with the wing suit seems like a weird choice.
It would make sense if it worked as a SUPPLEMENT to swinging, like a real wing suit. It lets you continue your glide, keep altitude between buildings. But being genuinely able to just fly, and it’s faster and more efficient than swinging? I don’t think I like that.
Another one of these silly comments. The 2018 game isnt 'just batman with a police car color palette'. The web swinging is vastly different, and the combat takes inspiration more from DMC with its emphasis on aerial combat.
Ill reserve judgement until after Ive played the game, but from the footage the wing suit is only faster in wind tunnels and high above ground where there's nothing to swing from. When there are actual buildings around web swinging is faster.
@@Jerry-dx3cb rofl devil may cry? because you can air juggle enemies? what a load of crap. The combat was clearly inspired directly by arkham. It felt like arkham but with spiderman's moveset, which of course includes aerial attacks.
@@johnwrath3612 Because it's much safer to fight in the air? Because there are flying enemies and enemies that explicitly limit your aerial movement? Yes Im bringing up DMC as an example and Im right to do so. Mad max's combat for example is a direct copy of Arkham's, spiderman's on the other hand does enough things differently that it'd be incredibly reductive to call it 'just Arkham'.
A 30 hour platinum trophy sounds incredible 👌
Agreed, not so short that you feel short changed, but not so long that you feel like they're taking advantage of your time, an excellent balance.
I actually saw some people in Kinda Funny's review, complaining about it being shorter, wanting it to be even longer. The platinum for the original game wasn't much different, and Miles ofc is a shorter game, so it's even less time to platinum it. After putting 182 hrs into my first BG3 playthrough, a 30 hr game sounds perfect to me.
@@War624yeah there are some people complaining that they wanted a 50 hour story lmao
My biggest worry about this game was that the wingsuit would trivialise web-slinging. Then again, it says something about my esteem for Insomniac's Spidey games when THAT'S my "biggest worry".
it does
Don't Buy This Game people
so many issues in it:
- Spanish language completely butchered for "inclusion"
- ESG company blackrock has 7% of sony stocks and it shows its influence
- performative pandering that they can't even get right
- like the flag in Mile's room or taiyaki stand that can't even figure out Taiyaki isn't a pretzel
- Mary Jowl face and androgynous body type cause femininity is seen as bad these days
- Peter Parker emasculated constantly to push up Miles and Mary Jowl
- Miles literally has no reason to exist
- All they do with miles is remove Peter's agency in his own story, - Peter gets beat up then Miles saves him to show he's "important" when really its just devaluing Peter's ability to make miles look better
- MJ stealth sections ridiculously overpowered to make her sections seem good when really its laughable
- Black cat doesn't get missions, neither does wraith as playable but time for terrible MJ sections
- Black cat retcon to bi and having a gf so the entire time she's manipulating Peter and causing stress in his home life for no good reason, also devaluing her care to her supposed GF they made up just now, legitimately makes her a terrible character now
- Kraven and venom wasted to push more time to ESG and social politics
- Mile's side missions are mediocre from helping someone ask someone out for prom to graffiti art, one is with two gay guys and the other with a deaf girl cause "inclusion over storytelling" and its so telling
- fight club girl beating up a guy twice her size while he begs, just misandry in a nutshell
- museum mission only there to say the funding gets taken away by EVIL WHITE GUY BUSINESS OWNER cause that's all they always do white = bad always to these writers
and of course Scream fight of Peter being emasculated, insulted, while he begs for forgiveness from his "queen" (second sony game to emphasize that idea, other was GoW Ragnarok Freya speech) and she saves HERSELF cause she's a STRONG FEMALE CHARACTER
if u ever wonder why it feels so padded so irrelevant to what u do, remember what htey make u do and the social politics to why and it is obvious
just another product that kicks Peter's teeth in to push identity and social doctrine onto people
@@marcusclark1339wtf lol
@@marcusclark1339 Cry harder Xbot🥱🥱🥱🤣🤣
"Miles literally has no reason to exist?"
Same goes for you because your existence too because you came that night by my mistake🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
I say this as someone who has been primarily a Spidey fan for most of my life - when I see that wingsuit in action I wish Insomniac had made a Superman game instead. I'm getting old, the world is going to hell in a handbasket. I may never get to see proper justice done to him and only these guys seem capable.
>found a way to make this game look this good and run this well
Welcome to engines utilizing hardware capability from 10 years ago. Consoles will forever hold the industry back. Fight me.
1:57 Dude so you really experienced no bugs? Not sure I can fully trust your reviews anymore.
23:30 great.. more MJ stealth missions smh 🤦🏼♂️
they will sink the whole studio before they admit that no one wants the MJ sections.
If the wing suit behaved like the glider in Zelda TotK, more of a descent control mechanism, less of a traversal tool, it would've been a better implementation.
But fall damage is automatically turned off, plus Web swinging would probably save you from any fall. A better change would be a tweak to deceleration and altitude drop, plus more wind tunnels in queens and Brooklyn and less in manhattan. That way, you could still glide over buildings and maintain height from a slingshot, but you can't really ride it for more than a few blocks before getting slow.
sorta already said this in a reply, but
my personal opinion on the wingsuit is that they should have made the wingsuit very risky and unsafe, sort of like Just Cause but the risk is turned up. I think they should have made the gliding have a good speed but at the cost of being crap for gaining altitude and even worse for turning around. You shouldn't be able to make sharp turns with perfect accuracy, it should be really hard to wingsuit around buildings. Add onto this a thing where if you hit a building while wingsuiting, instead of being able to wallrun, you get stunned for a sort second, and the wingsuit gets locked out for a few seconds, and you have to webswing to use the wingsuit right. This would integrate webswinging and zip to point into the wingsuit dramatically, the wingsuit would change from a convenient all-purpose flight tool to a short-term speed booster. You could thus get a lot of extra distance in the air, but you would have to use swinging to make tighter turns, gain altitude, and prevent dangerous collisions.
More and more I am happy to only agree with about 2/3 of what skillup review thesis statments put forward; as while spiderman 2 does feel "familliar" enough for me to hold my moveset knowledge over from the first two; this game -absolutely- knocked me on my ass with how spectacular it is
19 inches have led to this! Spot on timing with the review drop, can’t wait for this game!
So many inches
A nice balance to the wing suit would have been to need to use webs to propel you to gain height. Anyways looking forward to try this
That concept was used in Just Cause 3 and 4. It would have been neat here too.
Can we talk about how Peter is basically "Sorry-man" rather than a seasoned hero? Or how Miles' powers can do anything? Or how ridiculously OP any 100lbs woman is? Or how much Peter gets has ass kicked and needs saving? Or how selfish MJ is at the end?
Honestly, I'm now very nervous for a woke, whiney Wolverine 😅
This guy probably got paid by Sony with the way he sucks up everything they did in this game
stfu and go back to bed its ur bedtime
Imagine expanding the size of the city, increasing traveling time, giving you a wingsuit to make up for it and then say "its not a problem just webswing". The whole time youre webswinging you know you could just go faster. You are wasting time traveling in the back of your mind constantly. So yes it matters duh! Its called human psychology, path of least resistance will always be more tempting meaning if the wingsuit is objectively better its a problem.
I'll probably pick it up on PC and get a mod that increases the web-swinging speed to Web of Shadows levels
I feel like I'll just use the wings when I need to get somewhere quickly, cross the water, or if for whatever reason I'm losing the car in a chase.
Other than that, I'll stick to web swinging. Gotta keep that Spider-Man feel going.
Man i still hate how they changed peters face from the Original game i hope there is an option to select the face for peter you prefer haha
Yeah that's not gonna happen. I do agree with you though.
Nah time to move on.
We just had a movie with three Spider-Men who looked NOTHING alike, so it makes no difference to me at all. He isn’t drawn the same as Steve Ditko’s version these days either.