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[MidGenRefresh]

What part are you on?

It seems with the more people that complete the game the more that agree the final act is the weakest.

Personally my thoughts:
First Act - Good. Sets up the premise for the game well.
Second Act - Great. Story gets interesting, main missions are insane, boss battles are good.
Final Act - Decent to meh. Predictable and boring story, far too big in scope, rushed length wise.

It sort of feels like a repeat of the first game as I felt the story in that went the same way.

Last night I finished on mission that involves MJ escaping a house. If you know, you know. So far I don't feel like this is any improvement story-wise over the first game. They had one more game and 5 years to improve over the formula. I don't think they did.

My biggest disappointment is how under-utilized the two spiders mechanic is. Not even a single mission where you can freely swap between them (like something from GTA V). The entire game should be designed around co-op, how sick it would be to play it with another player.

 

[Fake]

Man. They really just made every single female model uglier, didn’t they?

Is a cannon now. Pay billions to motion capture just to edit the body of the models.

 

[Kindela]

I believe this was already mentioned here, but mocap during cutscenes/dialogues is very weak. The game looks mostly excellent otherwise, but seeing a conversation between Harry and Peter with such stiff animations is really a shame.
I'm still fairly early in, but the traversal mechanics had me grinning quite a few times already, they're really really good.

 

[James Sawyer Ford]

They had one more game and 5 years to improve over the formula. I don't think they did.

Better Combat, better set pieces, better boss battles, better pacing

Game is massively improved but you apparently want an art house style indie SM game that’s co-op focused.

This game isn’t for you and not sure what you expected. We’ve known the type of sequel this is for ages

 

[VenomousCoffee]

Am I the only one who thinks of that game show from Saints Row The Third whenever people in this game say "Genke"?

 

[MidGenRefresh]

Better Combat, better set pieces, better boss battles

Right now I'm playing:

• Miles Morales on my PC as I've never finished it on PS5
• Spider-Man 2 on PS5

Both games play extremely similar. I have 0 problems going back and forward. Core of the combat is exactly the same. To the point where animations are 1:1. It's the same stuff as 5 years ago that already was a copy of the system used in Arkham Asylum back in 2009.

you apparently want an art house style indie

Maybe for someone with absolute 0 appreciation for art it might feel like 'indie' whatever. Into The Spider-Verse won Oscar for Best Animated Feature and countless other awards. But yeah, let's re-use the same exact art-style for the 3rd time along with the same map because that's just cheaper and faster. Insomniac is not talented enough to make believable humans, that art style would suit them better.

co-op focused

Yeah because playing a game like this in co-op would be a bad thing, right?

This game isn’t for you and not sure what you expected. We’ve known the type of sequel this is for ages

Safe ass, graphically inconsistent, bug-ridden sequel. You know what, maybe it really isn't for me.

 

[MidGenRefresh]

Am I the only one who thinks of that game show from Saints Row The Third whenever people in this game say "Genke"?

I think of the Saints Row every time I fight generic looking thugs. Which is often in this game:

 

[Slothbeing1209]

Just finished the game. Now I'm stuck with daytime. Help!!!

I'll give this game an 8. Pretty much the same score with every other super hero game i've played ( Arkham, Sm1,..). I'm not a comic fan. Don't know much about super heroes outside of movies.

For combat , it's better than previous games for sure. I like that they removed all gimmick gadget and choose gadget for combat only instead. Stealth is boring as it is in previous games. Bosses fight is better but it has less bosses.

Still don't know why they still put MJ missions in. Those are the worse shit, TLOU wanna be.

Travelsal, It's the best game no doubt. No other game can come close. The city looks stunning the most while you're swinging, diving.

About story, I like the final act the most, don't know why people don't like it. Some weak pacing here and there but it's alright. Then there's this purple hair bitch doesn't stop blabbering after finish any main story mission.

Side missions are mostly trash. Except Wraith and maybe the blind old lady.
I don't care about Woke or Anti-woke, i don't care and I don't understand most of the things people complain about. But wtf all side missions in this game try to teach me some moral lessons. It's even worse than last games. Mini games aren't fun to play. Why don't let Peter use his strength do some tricks with the bike,..

They could easily put some interesting side missions in final act. Especially when

Spoiler

symbiote city appears

, but they don't. They need to force you to go all in to finish the game?

Activities are the same as last games. They're just reason for you to swing around the city. I don't have any problem with that actually. Most of activites have easter egg ending, that's cool.

Graphic, This game is one of the most inconsistent Sony game I've ever played. Game looks gorgeous when you swinging, flying around. But when you stop, you start notice a lots of it weakness. Daytime looks way worse than other time of day. They even has bad cutscenes and good cutscenes,... Female characters still look bad except for Black Cat.

That's all. I'll wait for the update allow to change time of day to platinum the game.

 

[MidGenRefresh]

Who else thinks that voice actor for Miles does amazing job delivering lines during boss fights? He really sounds like he's there, running, jumping and punching.

 

[Chuck Berry]

We need a spoiler thread so I can dump these pics

 

[3liteDragon]

Spoiler: Story Spoiler Screenshots

They went all out with photo mode too.

 

[Dusktildawn48]

Whoever made the call to add more MJ stealth missions should be canned.

 

[MidGenRefresh]

So how exactly does it work? Canister to contain Symbiote is made out of material so strong that it can't get out but at the same time it's so soft that can be broken with a walking cane?

Yes, I know it's a stupid video game but stuff like this still pisses me off. And there more stuff like this throughout the story...

 

[Chuck Berry]

Whoever made the call to add more MJ stealth missions should be canned.

Nope, they need to be there and she needs to be even more capable than before so the tens of millions of female gamers out there can connect and feel empowered for once yaaaasssssssssss

 

[Thick Thighs Save Lives]

 

[MidGenRefresh]

Hunters are so incredibly lame and their taunts are stupid. They just witnessed a beast killing their entire squad and the last 2 standing idiots are like 'is this the best you can do?' and 'you have nowhere to run'. Lol, okay.

 

[Pilgrimzero]

Thanks to a bug, the Human Torch showed up and took over for Spider-Man.

 

[James Sawyer Ford]

Safe ass, graphically inconsistent, bug-ridden sequel. You know what, maybe it really isn't for me.

Yup. Clearly lacking in genius

Can't wait for more people to play it and experience the absolute genius that this game is.

 

[MidGenRefresh]

Yup. Clearly lacking in genius

Oh, you're making it about your favourite little toy. How cute. And pathetic.

Anyway, I made it to the best time of day yet. Time for manual save.

 

[Slothbeing1209]

Spoiler: End game screenshots

Okay I think this is peak of Spider-Man 2 graphic. We do need a spoiler thread.

 

[Markio128]

I’ve just finished the No Escape mission, and that was pretty intense to say the least!

It’s taken me up until this point to feel a little more comfortable with the parry. It feels awesome when I’ve demolished a small army with pure skillage.

 

[James Sawyer Ford]

I’ve just finished the No Escape mission, and that was pretty intense to say the least!

It’s taken me up until this point to feel a little more comfortable with the parry. It feels awesome when I’ve demolished a small army with pure skillage.

Yeah getting in a flow with the combat is awesome.

Especially once you get the cadence and rhythm down for the parries, specials, and gadgets

Removing the control wheel was a good move, I never have to slow down the combat

 

[Markio128]

Yeah getting in a flow with the combat is awesome.

Especially once you get the cadence and rhythm down for the parries, specials, and gadgets

Removing the control wheel was a good move, I never have to slow down the combat

Yep, I much prefer the combat now that the control wheel has gone. And it’s much harder to keep bumping up your health in this game as well, so you really need to stay on your toes.

 

[James Sawyer Ford]

Yep, I much prefer the combat now that the control wheel has gone. And it’s much harder to keep bumping up your health in this game as well, so you really need to stay on your toes.

Yeah I’ve died way more in this game than the prior titles.

Though I am now getting a bit OP since I’ve done all the side content as soon as it’s available

Really let’s you live out the power fantasy lol

 

[Markio128]

Yeah I’ve died way more in this game than the prior titles.

Though I am now getting a bit OP since I’ve done all the side content as soon as it’s available

Really let’s you live out the power fantasy lol

I haven’t really doubled down on the side content, because I find it too difficult to ignore the main missions. I may need to take a few excursions, but the story really does ramp up, and it’s hard to not want to know what happens next. Also, I genuinely feel guilty if somebody is waiting for help and I’m prancing around doing side jobs haha.

 

[saintjules]

 

[TheRedRiders]

Digital Foundry have an upcoming interview with the technical director over at Insomniac, should be packed with information.

 

[Certinty]

I'm pretty sure the post-story random crimes are broken in the sense there's only 3-4 varieties that show up.

That alongside all the bugs, no new game +, not being able to change the time of day and weather and what not just screams to me this game was rushed to make this year before the holidays.

 

[James Sawyer Ford]

Digital Foundry have an upcoming interview with the technical director over at Insomniac, should be packed with information.

The insomniac engine has to be the cleanest one I’ve seen this gen

It’s so crisp and smooth. With ray tracing as a cherry on top

Very technically talented

 

[TheRedRiders]

The insomniac engine has to be the cleanest one I’ve seen this gen

It’s so crisp and smooth. With ray tracing as a cherry on top

Very technically talented

Character models have been outstanding. Lizard looks insanely good, I wonder how many polygons they're using on his model, looked almost CG like to me.

 

[James Sawyer Ford]

Character models have been outstanding. Lizard looks insanely good, I wonder how many polygons they're using on his model, looked almost CG like to me.

The motion blur is also phenomenal which adds to the CG effect

Interiors in this game are massively improved from 2018 and miles. A lot more detail

I recommend people play this in fidelity if you aren’t a Framerate snob. Insomniac has the smoothest feeling 30fps games

Really great engine

 

[FoxMcChief]

Character models have been outstanding. Lizard looks insanely good, I wonder how many polygons they're using on his model, looked almost CG like to me.

I think outside of Miles and Kraven, most of the faces look off. It’s the “mutant” or masked models that really shine.

 

[James Sawyer Ford]

I think outside of Miles and Kraven, most of the faces look off. It’s the “mutant” or masked models that really shine.

It’s stylized

Only face that seems poor to me is MJ, mainly because she looks so plain more than it looking bad

 

[FoxMcChief]

It’s stylized

Only face that seems poor to me is MJ, mainly because she looks so plain more than it looking bad

I get that. That’s why I only said “look off”. Not bad. But yeah, MJ is a whole other thing. I don’t know what happened there.

 

[HeisenbergFX4]

 

[Thick Thighs Save Lives]

Masahiro Sakurai on SM2 and SMB Wonder:

I finished ``Spider-Man 2'' and ``Super Mario Bros. Wonder'' last night. It's a problem when the release dates of big titles you should watch overlap...! However, I think both are masterpieces that I can recommend to anyone. The new games are amazing, and I'm grateful to them for making them.

 

[SF Kosmo]

Deep into the third act now and I have thoughts.

• This really feels like a direct extension of the previous games, even with the graphical enhancements and bigger map, it feels more like the new season of a show you love than it does a whole new experience.
• I'm not sure that's a bad thing. They've done such a good job of building a full, fleshed out universe and cast over the three previous campaigns (yes City Never Sleeps counts), and I like that this feels consistent and calls back to all those story threads.
• Despite the bigger map, the game feels about the same size and length. But I like the variety of new Burroughs.
• Seems like not as many boss fights? Although there are some incredible set pieces that aren't really bosses.
• Seems a little back loaded. The main story moves real slow in the first half and then starts speeding through story beats in the back half. I would have minded if they moved some beats like Peter getting the symbiote a little early to give it time to breathe.
• This game's main strength is still that it's just stupidly fun to play, from the traversal to the combat to the stealth, it's all great and I just want to keep playing it. Can't decide if I like it more than the first game but it's my favorite superhero series regardless.

 

[SCB3]

And Platinum got! I loved pretty much every second of this game and from playing it all now I have a few predictions

Spoiler: Story Spoilers and future plans

• I think the DLC is going to be a 3 part one again, all about Carnage, in which he kills Aaron and/or Hailey, making Miles suffer a bit more loss - he has too much of a happy life
• The next game will be about the Spider Family - Adding in Silk and Gwen/Ghost Spider as playable characters, speaking of which....
• I think they will be a smaller game ala Miles Morales, which either Miles again or Gwen, explaining why shes alive, hell in this universe maybe Peter never met her

 

[saintjules]

Still having a blast. Just finished Act 1 (The Flames Have Been Lit).

Currently doing those Mysterium Challenges and just finished the Road Rage one. I felt like fidelity @ 40fps really shines here. The animation really feels like watching those story trailers on youtube. Fascinating stuff.

 

[R6Rider]

Whoever made the call to add more MJ stealth missions should be canned.

Sorry, that was me.

 

[adamsapple]

Took a while but my copy is here, let's give it a whirl.

40hz Fidelity here we go.

 

[saintjules]

I'm pretty sure the post-story random crimes are broken in the sense there's only 3-4 varieties that show up.

That alongside all the bugs, no new game +, not being able to change the time of day and weather and what not just screams to me this game was rushed to make this year before the holidays.

I never saw the changing of the time and day to be a big deal/deal breaker personally. It's interesting to see so many people talk about this..

I mean 5 year development cycle seems to be the norm for sequels nowadays right? If they were rushing then I'd love to see what they could make in a 7+ year turnaround.

 

[ChiefDada]

Man, it's tough to decide whether SM2 has dethroned FFXVI as my GOTY. Still gotta sleep some more on it but it is by far the best current gen experience to date.

 

[Power Pro]

Judging by the writing so far, I swear 90% of people in this universe are homosexual. I don't mind "inclusion" but omg, stop shoving this shit down my throat. Most of the time when you rescue an NPC and take them to an ambulance, they say "thank you spider-man" and that's it, but the one piece of extra dialogue I've gotten so far was some guy saying something about his boyfriend. Then there was a side quest for Miles, help a guy ask another guy to homecoming. Black Cat, spider-man's ex gf, has a girlfriend herself now. Enough! WE GET IT!

 

[MasterCornholio]

Currently watching it.

There's some good info in this.

 

[MasterCornholio]

Took a while but my copy is here, let's give it a whirl.

40hz Fidelity here we go.

Yeah you put it in your PS5 and you enjoy it.

 

[arkhamguy123]

Judging by the writing so far, I swear 90% of people in this universe are homosexual. I don't mind "inclusion" but omg, stop shoving this shit down my throat. Most of the time when you rescue an NPC and take them to an ambulance, they say "thank you spider-man" and that's it, but the one piece of extra dialogue I've gotten so far was some guy saying something about his boyfriend. Then there was a side quest for Miles, help a guy ask another guy to homecoming. Black Cat, spider-man's ex gf, has a girlfriend herself now. Enough! WE GET IT!

Check the credits. Look for the writers. It’ll make sense when you find who most of the writing staff was comprised of

 

[Skitso]

Just played the first few hours and stopped at the ship scene. First feelings are a bit... dissapointed maybe? Playing with 77" OLED C1 with 60fps mode and it just doesn't feel as polished as Morales and Remastered. Visuals are remarkably inconsistent and I'm constantly noticing jank that I'm not used to with Sony's 1st party before and had one bug already where slowmotion didn't end.

So far I'd rate this somewhere around 80 but i'm hopeful it'll get better.

Ok, after the rather cumbersome beginning and tutorial, I'm really starting to warm up to this game... It's just so damn fun to play I can't put the controller down.

 

[Sleepwalker]

Man, it's tough to decide whether SM2 has dethroned FFXVI as my GOTY. Still gotta sleep some more on it but it is by far the best current gen experience to date.

For me FFXVI is still firmly in GOTY place, but we shall see, still not done with SM2.

 

[James Sawyer Ford]

Man, it's tough to decide whether SM2 has dethroned FFXVI as my GOTY. Still gotta sleep some more on it but it is by far the best current gen experience to date.

Both easily have the best set pieces, boss battles, and production this year

SM2 is more consistent without as many structural flaws, but still really loved FF16