“Marvel’s Spider-Man 2” is an open-world game developed by Insomniac Games that follows the story of two of Marvel’s Spiderman characters, Miles Morales and Peter Parker. This game is a sequel to “Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered” and “Spider-Man: Miles Morales.” Peter, voiced by Yuri Lowenthal, is the original Spider-Man who must work together with Miles, voiced by Nadji Jeter, to first stop Kraven the Hunter and then, later on, Venom. All the while, Miles struggles to show his real self on his college application while Peter contemplates passing on Spider-Man’s mantle to Miles. 

The game’s map is almost twice as big as its predecessors, adding Queens and Brooklyn to the familiar Manhattan from the previous game. In the game, you can travel from Manhattan to parts of Queens and Brooklyn. But you may be wondering, if there is such a drastic increase in the size of the map, shouldn’t there be a way to travel quicker? That is precisely why, with the addition of this game to the series, Insomniac Games added web wings and an unlockable quick travel method for each district of New York. 

During my play-through of the game, I really enjoyed using the web wings to soar through small gaps between buildings and travel quickly through wind tunnels. The combination of webwings and the traditional web-swinging adds variety to the game’s traversal, making it more enjoyable. The fast travel method is also very smooth, as there is practically no delay, and the transitions are flawless, the camera zooming in on Spider-Man already swinging in the new area. 

The freedom in this game is not only in the movement but also in your ability to choose your objective. From playing a side quest to investing in the main story or simply exploring and enjoying the view of New York, Spider-Man 2 is truly the definition of an open-world game. On the other side of the spectrum, the combat has been vastly improved with a new focus on unlockable special abilities for both Miles and Peter. Whether you are playing as the Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, stopping a robbery, or saving the whole world as an Avenger, I really enjoyed that there is a challenge in every fight to keep you on your toes. 

Even though the combat, story, and traversal are all very fun on their own, I think that the combination of the two makes this game a true masterpiece. I believe that this game is worth playing for anyone who is interested in action-adventure, open-world superhero games.