The release date of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 (2023) is finally on the horizon and fans couldn’t be more excited. This game is slated to come with a whole batch of new features, with brand-new villains and even more areas to explore.
Despite a new Spidey game coming to the market, we must remember what started this all in the first place: Marvel’s Spider-Man (2018), which first launched on the PS4.
We will be running through all the critical differences between these two games. It’s important to note that we haven’t yet reviewed Spider-Man 2, and so we have used the promotional videos and releases from Sony to glean some key information and find out how it stacks up against its predecessors.
Spider-Man 2 is currently available for pre-order from the PlayStation website, among some other third-party sites. It will launch on 20th October 2023 and the standard edition starts at £69.99/$69.99, and the deluxe version at £79.99/$79.99.
Each game was built for a different platform
The first Spider-Man game was released in 2018 and, at the time, exclusive to the PS4 platform. It was a crowning achievement for the console and allowed the web-slinger to seamlessly swing through the city of New York.
In the same vein as its predecessor, Spider-Man 2 has been developed for the PS5 and will be exclusive to the platform, meaning that PS4 owners won’t be able to get in on the fun. While we can’t comment on the performance of this game just yet, Sony claims that the PS5 has allowed for a more expansive map and even faster loading times.
We also expect Spider-Man 2 to make use of the haptic feedback of the DualSense controller, just as Spider-Man: Miles Morales did back in 2020. Sony has also confirmed that Spider-Man 2 will be playable in 4K at 60fps with ray tracing activated, resulting in far better visuals than its predecessor.
Play as Peter Parker or Miles Morales in Spider-Man 2
We’ve been able to explore Manhattan as both Peter Parker and Miles Morales in Marvel’s Spider-Man and Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales, respectively. Now, this new title brings both of these heroes together, giving players the ability to switch between characters at will.
Sony claims that some storylines and side missions will be exclusive to each character, with some parts of the story allowing players to take the helm and pick which Spider-Man they want to play with. As many dedicated fans will know, Peter and Miles both come with their own special abilities and moves, so the ability to switch between the two should give players a lot more flexibility.
The new map has doubled in size
Sony’s promotional video on Spider-Man 2 revealed a new map, which has nearly doubled in size since the last game, according to Insomniac Games. This new map will open up Queens, Brooklyn and the East River, with the new web wings making it even easier to get around.
The first Spider-Man takes place primarily in New York City. Peter Parker can take on villains and pick up side-quests from friends and strangers alike. We expect that the larger map in Spider-Man 2 should make the game more versatile and captivating overall, with more motivation to explore every nook and cranny that Insomniac Games has created.
Web Wings feature in the latest Spider-Man
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 comes with a brand-new feature: Web Wings. Thanks to the updated Spidey suits that feature in this title, players will be able to traverse the city in a whole new way, with Sony claiming that it will provide faster speeds than ever before.
The first Spider-Man game doesn’t have this feature. Players can move throughout the city via intricate web-swinging – which we felt was a massively rewarding experience – as well as fast travel, although our reviewer found that the latter was a lot less interesting. Web wings should make the newest title feel a lot more versatile and engaging to play over time and create a whole new way to interact with the landscape.
More villains to take down in the latest game
The first Spider-Man game comes with a wide array of villains for players to take on, from Kingpin, Norman Osbourn and even fan-favourite Doctor Octopus. Some of these villains take on larger roles within the story, but the massive variety of characters gives players a lot to work with over the course of the game.
It’s no surprise to hear that Spider-Man 2 is adding even more villains into the mix. A couple of major villains have already been confirmed, which include the iconic Venom, Kraven the Hunter, Lizard, Grizzly and Mr Negative, who appeared in the previous game.
We can’t say for sure how these villains will affect the story – or how often you will be seeing them throughout the game – but they should make Spider-Man 2 feel a lot different than its predecessor.
Even more Spider-Man suits to unlock
One of the most rewarding aspects of Marvel’s Spider-Man (2018) was the ability to unlock and wear numerous suits inspired by both the comic and movie adaptations. There were initially 28 suits available to unlock in Marvel’s Spider-Man, although that number eventually rose to 47 following numerous updates and DLC.
In comparison, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 will feature more than 65 suits at launch, with unique costumes for both Peter and Miles. Sony hasn’t revealed all of the new suits just yet, but there looks to be some new symbiote suits as well as those inspired by the recent Across the Spider-Verse movie.
