Insomniac just shipped the most technically impressive PS5 exclusive yet. Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 launches today with a Metacritic score of 90, 2.5 million copies sold in the first 24 hours, and the fastest-selling first-party PlayStation debut in history. Both numbers are deserved. This game is the real deal.
The open world spans two full boroughs now, Manhattan and Brooklyn, with Peter Parker and Miles Morales both playable and switchable in real time. The PS5 SSD makes fast travel effectively instant. The Web Wings movement system adds a third traversal layer on top of web-swinging, and using the two together to cross the skyline is the kind of thing that makes you forget you had somewhere specific to be. The Symbiote suit mechanics fundamentally change Peter’s combat approach, which keeps the gameplay varied across the campaign in a way the first game struggled to do in its second half.
Narratively, Insomniac has done something genuinely hard in superhero games: given both protagonists complete emotional arcs that work independently and alongside each other. Venom, voiced by Tony Todd, has a presence that carries the entire third act. The dual-protagonist structure is not just a gameplay gimmick; it is the story’s spine.
Spider-Man 2 is the definitive PS5 showcase title in 2023. If you own the console, this is not optional.
Source: Insomniac Games