Spider-Man 2 (20th October 2023)

[drahkon]

2 hours ago, Julius said:

Which will probably be Performance Mode (shocker)

But which one? 40fps or 60fps?

I'm going with the former first. While my monitor doesn't support VRR it supports 120Hz so it should be fine. But even if it's not, can't go wrong with 60fps.

2 hours ago, Julius said:

Nice! How did you find it?

Aside from MJ's and Miles' stealth sections, it was sublime.
I didn't even get burnt out by the open-world filler stuff. I had a blast with everything.

[Julius]

23 minutes ago, drahkon said:

But which one? 40fps or 60fps?

Oh, 60 fps for sure. My TV doesn't support VRR, but even if it did, I think I'd lean towards 60 fps anyways after experiencing both Spider-Man and Miles Morales at that frame rate, it's just too hard to go back  plus, I use the Photo Mode a whole lot in these games (because they're so darn pretty!) so get to see what things look like in Fidelity Mode quite a bit anyways! 

26 minutes ago, drahkon said:

Aside from MJ's and Miles' stealth sections, it was sublime.
I didn't even get burnt out by the open-world filler stuff. I had a blast with everything.

Great to hear 

Yeah, the stealth sections in that game are funny, because it serves the purpose of slowing down the pace for a bit after/around major story beats and setpieces...which is completely null if the person playing is doing side content, which naturally slows things down anyways, and so getting to those sections just grind things to a halt. 

What's funny is, I've played through the game four times now in total, meaning I've approached it a few different ways at this point, and I'm still undecided about the game's approach to its pacing, because it's basically an either/or. If you play through the game doing everything, everywhere, all at once? I think the pacing tanks at those stealth sections and in the final act following the change in world state (which slows down/changes traversal approach and brings perhaps a bit too much new to the table in terms of open world side content right at the game's apex). If you play focusing purely on the story? The stealth sections are well placed to bring down the game's pace when the story calls for it, and the story's pacing doesn't falter nearly as much in the final act as it would otherwise. Also reminds me of Yakuza a little bit with how short (but epic) that final battle is, but giving the option to get sidetracked before the finale means that some people might go in with higher and lengthier expectations of a final confrontation than plays out. 

It's not an issue, of course, it really depends on how you want to approach the game, but it's something I've definitely noticed happening a lot more over the past few years. The Star Wars Jedi games are another prime example of games with so much side content that the story pacing suffers a bit for it, and so two different playthroughs focusing on either story or completion offers up two very different experiences. 

I've rambled on enough, but I think Miles went a long way to fixing some of those concerns, with a bit of a smarter balance when it comes to side content (the volume as well as being able to trigger certain crimes on a whim) and longer cutscenes making the game a bit leaner and ironing out that pacing. If Spider-Man 2 can get closer to that, retain the emotional resonance of the stories of the two games that came before, and offer some new things up mechanically - all of which it seems to do based on trailers and some of the scores floating around - then I really think we're in for a treat! 

Did you get around to playing the The City That Never Sleeps DLC by any chance? Curious on your thoughts on that if you did, as it's pretty different to the base game in some ways but a nice segue into Miles Morales 

[drahkon]

On 10/17/2023 at 2:43 PM, Julius said:

Did you get around to playing the The City That Never Sleeps DLC by any chance? Curious on your thoughts on that if you did, as it's pretty different to the base game in some ways but a nice segue into Miles Morales 

I did not. Didn't want to burn myself out

I think one story line of the DLCs gets picked up in SM2, so I'll watch a recap video tomorrow. I wanted to do this anyway because I don't really remember much from Miles Morales

Man, I can't wait. My day off on Friday got approved so I'm ready for a good old fashioned midnight gaming session.

[Julius]

4 hours ago, drahkon said:

I did not. Didn't want to burn myself out

I think one story line of the DLCs gets picked up in SM2, so I'll watch a recap video tomorrow. I wanted to do this anyway because I don't really remember much from Miles Morales 

Yeah, that's totally fair  honestly, besides introducing a few threads that they'll pick up in 2 (and the obvious thread that they already picked up in Miles with Miles becoming Spider-Man), I don't think you missed out on anything that I'd say makes it absolutely essential to play through. There are some newly introduced enemy types which shake things up a bit, and one kind of cool boss fight, but otherwise...eh. 

I mean, besides the stuff with Black Cat. As someone who had a crush on the character as a kid thanks to the 90s cartoon...

4 hours ago, drahkon said:

Man, I can't wait. My day off on Friday got approved so I'm ready for a good old fashioned midnight gaming session.

Hell yeah, love a good midnight gaming session – have a good time with it! Look forward to hearing your thoughts  

My copy has now shipped so it's either turning up later today or tomorrow, and I've got next week booked off, so I'm hoping to really dig my teeth into the game (and some others) during that time.

The Friday launch and another of my friends playing the game does mean that it looks like my weekly BG3 co-op sesh is getting pushed to Saturday night, though 

[drahkon]

4 hours ago, Julius said:

I don't think you missed out on anything that I'd say makes it absolutely essential to play through. There are some newly introduced enemy types which shake things up a bit, and one kind of cool boss fight, but otherwise...eh. 

Good

4 hours ago, Julius said:

Hell yeah, love a good midnight gaming session – have a good time with it! Look forward to hearing your thoughts  

Thanks.
Will definitely post some impressions tomorrow.

4 hours ago, Julius said:

My copy has now shipped so it's either turning up later today or tomorrow, and I've got next week booked off, so I'm hoping to really dig my teeth into the game (and some others) during that time.

Nice, hope it'll arrive soon so you can play early and/or download the patch, if anything - dev said on reddit:

Quote

If you get the disc you will 100% want to get that patch before you play the first mission. Lots of polish to that in particular

I went digital, so my game is already updated

4 hours ago, Julius said:

The Friday launch and another of my friends playing the game does mean that it looks like my weekly BG3 co-op sesh is getting pushed to Saturday night, though 

That is a very good reason.
Speaking of BG3...I still haven't continued playing. After I "had to" play Yakuza 5 I just played other stuff and keep doing so. I think I'll probably just wait until Christmas and the holidays to get back to it.

[Julius]

9 minutes ago, drahkon said:

Nice, hope it'll arrive soon so you can play early and/or download the patch, if anything - dev said on reddit:

Thanks, and ah, appreciate the heads-up! Will make sure to download the patch for sure 

9 minutes ago, drahkon said:

Speaking of BG3...I still haven't continued playing. After I "had to" play Yakuza 5 I just played other stuff and keep doing so. I think I'll probably just wait until Christmas and the holidays to get back to it.

Yeah, makes total sense to me - it's such a meaty game, and especially seeing as they like to dole out pretty nice updates on a regular basis, it doesn't seem like holding off does any particular harm!

I'm in a funny spot with BG3 playing co-op exclusively right now I will say, and as much as I'm enjoying it, I have *thoughts* on the co-op mode and how it's played out so far, but I think I'll wait until my next session and Spidey 2 are both dusted off. I've really been enjoying it, as there's enough quality for it to shine through I think regardless of how you approach the game and which mode you play it in...but let's just say that I'm very deeply pondering the possibility of starting a solo playthrough sooner rather than later, and I'd love to do so before the year is up just so that I can fairly consider it for my own, personal GOTY deliberations. 

Like you, though, I think other games are probably going to take priority for me between now and December, as once Spidey 2 is out of the way I'd like to get back to Like A Dragon (which I started last year before Ragnarök cut off that playthrough) and Tears of the Kingdom (which I dropped off of for similar reasons to the first game - had a wonderful time but just found that I'd had my fill and then a shiny new toy in the form of FF XVI came along ), and hopefully round those off so that I don't find myself with two massive, half-completed games in my backlog when next year kicks off 

[Happenstance]

Ok I buckled and preordered as well. Still have a hard time paying £70 for a new game but at least if I use Paypals buy over 3 months then I can trick myself into believing it was cheaper!

[drahkon]

This is insane.

[EEVILMURRAY]

Is it worth getting the first one, or just going straight for 2?

[Happenstance]

I think it's worth starting at the beginning and playing all 3. The (very good) storyling continues throughout all the games and you could start with the cheaper game now then when you get to 2 you might get a better price.

[drahkon]

Gotta agree with @Happenstance, play them all if you got the chance.

Can't wait to hear what @Julius and @Happenstance think of SM2.

The first 3 hours blew me away. It's ridiculous how good this looks and how smooth it runs.
So far, it's more of the same but even better.

[Julius]

1 hour ago, EEVILMURRAY said:

Is it worth getting the first one, or just going straight for 2?

Yeah, I'm also going to agree with @Happenstance and @drahkon that starting from the beginning with these games is what I'd recommend.

None of these games are particularly long (you can 100% the first game in 30 hours at a pretty casual pace), and the story and character development, I find, were half the fun. But perhaps more importantly, because these games are AAA showpieces: I think it would be tough (not impossible, mind you) to start out with 2, a PS5 exclusive, and then go back to the older games, not because of how they look (because the PS5 versions of Spider-Man and Miles Morales both look fantastic), but because of the incremental improvements in design, gameplay, and tech from game to game. 

From what we know of 2 just from the marketing, things like faster traversal thanks to the newly introduced gliding mechanic, near-immediate fast travel to seemingly anywhere on the map, and the parry system are all very small but sizeable changes to the approach in design for the game. 

And, also, yeah - the price. I don't think I've paid a full £70 for any standard version of a AAA game at launch this gen (you'll struggle not to find them whittled down to £60 or a little over that, to be honest), and while the price doesn't bother me too much, I know it's enough of a reason to hold others back, whereas I imagine you could probably get Spider-Man (2018) and Miles Morales combined for less, especially if you dig around a little into the cheapest way to get to the PS5 versions of the games (through upgrades, Ultimate Editions, etc.). 

Would love to read your thoughts if and when you get to it 

Edited October 20, 2023 by Julius

[drahkon]

4 minutes ago, Julius said:

things like faster traversal thanks to the newly introduced gliding mechanic

Yeah, I don't think I could go back to traversal without Web Wings.

[Happenstance]

I actually don't use the web wings all that much, if I wanted to play a character who could fly then I wouldn't be playing a Spider-Man game. Much prefer just swinging around.

As for the game itself I'm enjoying it so far, story seems interesting and is hitting all the right notes. Taking me a while to get back into the feel of the combat, mostly remembering to actually use gadgets etc but I think that was the same in the original games for me as well.

Has anyone else noticed an issue with the subtitles not syncing up with the dialogue though? They keep appearing way too early for me, sometimes a couple of sentences too early, it's weird.

[drahkon]

14 hours ago, Happenstance said:

Has anyone else noticed an issue with the subtitles not syncing up with the dialogue though? They keep appearing way too early for me, sometimes a couple of sentences too early, it's weird.

Once.
Definitely an issue for people relying on subtitles and hope they fix it soon.

Now that Super Mario Bros. Wonder is out of the way, I'll put my focus on Spider-Man 2 (and Diablo IV, and Honkai: Star Rail...). Can't wait to dive back in later

[Happenstance]

I was going to just turn the subtitles off but sometimes Miles talks to his mum in Spanish so I don't want to miss what they're saying.

[Happenstance]

As usual these games are dangerous for my wallet. Just ordered 3 new omnibus' because of it.

[drahkon]

40 minutes ago, Happenstance said:

Teenage @Julius approves

[drahkon]

Just played a series of story missions that made me go from

to

then to

and back to

Hands down, some of the most amazing gaming experiences of my life.

Edited October 21, 2023 by drahkon

[Happenstance]

I’m about 15 hours in so far and the it’s definitely taken an interesting spin on a storyline from the comics that I wasn’t expecting. Looking forward to seeing where this goes. 

[Julius]

I'm at the tail end of the game now after sinking in 20+ hours over the weekend: maxed level, couple of suits left to get, all activities available completed, seen all but two side quest lines through to completion, completed all FNSM quests, and so on - point is I'm in a pretty good spot to talk about the game at length, but don't worry, no spoilers outside of tags to be found here (plus, I'll definitely some time to mull it all over when credits do roll). Got to imagine I'll wrap the story and Plat up in my next session unless something else comes up. 

It's rare that I sink 20+ hours into a game it's launch weekend - but not every game is the type of game you can sit down with for hours on end, constantly finding something new and fun to do or try out, but Spider-Man 2 certainly is. 

First things first: the technical aspect. The game's just so gosh darn purty. I ended up going with the Fidelity Mode, in the end because that's what I would have done with Spider-Man 2018 (if it were possible at launch) and did with Miles Morales; the smoothness of the gameplay can come in the eventual NG+ run, which just seems inevitable seeing as I've played the first game through to completion four times, and the same goes for Miles. It's also the first time I've actually chosen to leave motion blur on - the game's look and feel is perfect, and I know at a locked 30 fps that I'm not in for any surprise headaches, and heck, even chromatic aberration has stuck around for a change! Those are normally the first two things I turn off because any lag in frame rate with those on just makes me wanna hurl, but glad to report, felt nothing of the sort so far. Rays are traced and they're absolutely astonishing, and yes, plenty of screenshots have been taken. Some really nice lighting throughout, but again, nothing too surprising there: Insomniac has put out games at a decent enough clip this gen that it's not a shock that the game that looks as good as it does, even if it is a very noticeable step up from their recent games. The sound design is great. The use of haptics and adaptive triggers are a step up from their use in Miles and Remastered. I can go on and on about how great this game is technically, and the Fast Travel - once you unlock it, boo! - is a delight, as are plenty of transitions throughout the game very reminiscent of the portals we saw in Rift Apart, the most obvious example being the entrance to the Mysteriums (Mysterio's little fun mad house style things). 

Unfortunately, as ever with Insomniac on PS5, I haven't been without issue in this playthrough, so I'll mention it here purely so that it's been said and so that I don't need to talk about it again. I've had two crashes (only today, mind you), and I had crashes in Miles Morales at launch AND when I played through Remastered just a few weeks ago - what's funny is I can't remember 2018 crashing once on PS4, and having just finished replaying Miles for PS4, I didn't encounter anything there. Also had some funny animations, like pressing triangle at a desk to interact and my character deciding to walk in circles, enemies clipping into walls/floors (the funniest of which was one who got his head stuck in a wall and then his body ragdolled...okay it was funny but also kind of legitimately horrifying, and reminds me of some green jelly from Stein's;Gate - iykyk ). Most of this, though, I'd just file under typical open world jank - it's unfortunate, but it does just come with the territory for a game like this, as it hasn't really hindered my enjoyment, and besides, it's far from the worst offender I've played through this year (ahem, Jedi Survivor). 

With the technical stuff out of the way, let's talk about the gameplay! The Web Wings definitely took a minute to get used to, but I love them now as it just makes long distance travel across the map before Fast Travel is unlocked a bit more enjoyable and breezy. The open world itself I'm so glad threw out the Unisoft towers and instead decided to just have the player uncover the map more akin to old school JRPGs like Chrono Trigger - you know, by *actually* going somewhere on a map to fill it in? - and it just helps the pacing so much, and coupled with what I'd describe as a more natural (well, besides the blaring neon signs in some cases!) just makes exploring this New York actually FEEL LIKE EXPLORING. It freshens things up in such a nice way compared to the first two games, though I'm getting towards the end now and I still can't shake this feeling that this NY feels different and I find myself a little scrambled at times trying to get my bearings compared to the first two games - is it the new coat of paint? The faster traversal? The expanded map? It's probably a combination of all three, and it's by no means a bad thing, but it just feels...different. And it's not the super confusing decision to have the FRND drones at the start have standard flight controls when the glide controls of Peter and Miles are inverted by default - anyone else get a little annoyed at that? 

Something I think has been really hit and miss for me has been the inclusion of a Parry in this game, because honestly, it just seems superfluous to me in every case outside of a boss fight. The game seriously didn't need it, and while it can lead to some cool combat moments, this game simply doesn't have the combat mechanical depth of a God of War or a From Software for it to feel completely at home and worth investing time into to start getting it right, and it's not helped by it most commonly being appropriate in battles against brutes and a swarm of grunts who are going to overwhelm you while you wait around a bit to get that Parry off. Also not a fan of the AoE attacks that need you to jump; especially after so long with just dodging in the first two games, while I get that it's something new that allows for fresh ideas, I don't think either were absolutely necessary. 

As for the main story, I've seen things - plenty of things! - but think I'd rather wait until I've completed the game to talk about it, not least so I can hopefully talk to some of you about it. What I will say is that it took me back to the feeling of the Peter Parker I grew up on, and it got me misty-eyed just feeling thrown back through time at points, but this all brings me onto the side quests. The entire thing feels SUPER 90s Spider-Man TAS and Spider-Man for PS1, and I loooooooove it for it. 

This game has the best side quests of the year, and it's not close. No, I haven't played through BG3 all the way, but I've seen enough to know that none of them have anywhere near as immediate a narrative or emotional payoff as some of these do. I don't think any of them have ended without a smile on my face, and yes, two in particular got me to well up a bit, for personal reasons that I won't get into here. Also plenty of surprises for some quest lines, so let's jump into some spoiler tags to talk about these side quests! 

Spoiler

• grandad on the bench and Howard are the ones that got me. Beautifully handled side quests. 

• we knew Wraith was coming from the DLC for the first game, but I got completely blindsided by finding out that The Flame line of quests all led into a tease for Carnage. I mean: holy hot damn. You teases! Think I got too distracted by the dude looking like Jared Leto and thinking  "well, yeah, he looks like Jared Leto, he could totally pass for a cult leader" more than the colour of his hair, which probably should've given it away 

• THE CHAMELEON!!!! That's a name I've not heard in such a long time! 

• I knew those Spider-Bots we're going to be related to Spider-Verse, it was just obvious from the colours emanating from them...but when you complete the quest line, and a portal from the film opens up?! And we get a Miguel name drop?!?! AND the character on the other side is actually a cut character from Across the Spider-Verse?!?!?! Urgh it's so cool! 

This all just adds to this feeling that, much more than the first two games, this world has Peter and Miles really involved in their communities and caring so much for them, it seriously has so much heart and wears it all on its sleeve - IGN might finally be justified in saying that this game really makes you feel like Spider-Man 

On 10/21/2023 at 2:09 PM, drahkon said:

Teenage @Julius approves

Well, more like preschooler Julius, because I was only 3 or 4 when I watched the 90s animated series (in the early 2000s, owning some of it on a VHS and all!) 

Which is clearly to say that my judgement was impeccable if that's anything to go by 

Edited October 23, 2023 by Julius

[drahkon]

Wow, you two have spent the weekend pretty productively

I'm still only 5 hours in and spent most of it just admiring how gorgeous this game is.

[Happenstance]

I've been having a bit of trouble with some of the later enemies this morning so spent some time working on side missions, try and get my stats up a bit.

[Jimbob]

I've hardly touched the main quests, only on mission 4.  Been doing some of the side stuff as it's been popping up, instead of waiting until the end as i did with the 1st game.

[Happenstance]

Just finished the main story myself, 20 hours. Brilliant game and story, probably my GOTY. I really am amazed at everything they packed in. One thing I will say as well as this seems like the most inclusive game I've ever played. I won't start listing everything I mean by that as some are a nice surprise but it was really nice to see.