Can we also mention just how good Yuri Lowenthal is at voicing Peter and Spider-Man and their different range of emotions, especially when losing in battle? You’re so pulled in by Peter’s screams of pain and suffering in scenes like the Raft rooftop battle.
@@totallytravicious For me homie is the quintessential voice of anything hot and spicy with a cool character. Bro is the epitome of cool, so much that it's ironic and non-ironic simultaneously. Not only is he Sauske, he's so many background characters spread out through various anime and nerd universe alike. Comics? Check, Anime? Check. KIDS TV SHOWS? CHECK. HE MAN SHOW? CHECK. This mf was in Minecraft Story mode Season 2. MF NINJA TURTLES? FIRE EMBLEM? STAR WARS? UNCHARTED LOST LEGACY? HARVY DENT IN A BATMAN MOVIE? ROBIN IN A BATMAN MOVIE? THE COOL EDGY GUY IN GENSHIN IMPACT? ADDITIONAL NPC IN CRASH BANIDOOT 4? WOW? SHAZAM IN INJUSTICE? FLASH IN INJUSTICE? DIABLO IMMPORTAL? FRODO IN LEGO LORD OF THE RINGS? ADDITIONAL VOICE IN HALO 4???? FRIGHT RIDER IN SKYLANDERS GIANTS? DRAKENGUARD GAMES (ALONG SIDE HIS CO VA WHO PLAYS ENGLISH DUB OF TAMARI IN NARUTO SHIPPUDEN BTW)? PERSONA 4 ARENA? A MF MARVEL PINBALL GAME SPIDERMAN? DIABLO 3? DRAGONS DOGMA? SILENT HILL? NINJA GAIDEN 3 XB360? ADDITIONAL VA IN PROTOTYPE 2? SOULCALIBUR V? STAR WARS THE OLD REPUBLIC NPCS????? DEAD ISLAND? GEARS OF WAR 3? RED FACTION GURILLA? UNCREDITED AS OLD MAN IN THE BOONDOCKS? POWER RANGERS SUPER LEGENDS? ALL GROWN UP? DUDE IS IN SO MANY DIFFERENT ROLES AND DOES NOT MISS. EVER... (Sorry I am indeed bricked up after thinking about his massive career, dudes just that cool.)
@LazerzZ he will smoosh my face against the cement underneath a web I can barely breathe under, roast my ass, and then disappear as I hear the NYPD sirens on their way to make sure I never see a PS5 or a PS3 ever again.
Glad you covered this before Spiderman 2. Watching rn and one thing: MJ in the penthouse mission notes that Harry never responded to any calls or texts. So they did call him, they never heard back
NGL I really like the side content. Unlike every game now they are actually side content and not things you have to do to progress. Plus they aren't long and tedious
One of my favorite little details is in the lab you can see Otto planning the prison escape even before the neural web affects his mind. There are schematics in the lab as well as some equipment that the sinister six end up using, such as Electro's vest.
Your video is phenomaenal as always! At 1:02:00 you talk about how Martin Li's reveal was sort of lackluster and I agree! I think a big part of that is that he was pulled out of the E3 2018 sequence. I think they couldve found a way to make that work and just change the ending when Li chokes Spidey.
Got to this a little late just due to being busy but banger vid as always james, makes me even more excited to replay this and finally play miles morales ahead of eventually getting to spiderman 2
you know even though the scene where peter accepts the money from may is more powerful idk why the "i know, i want to" gets me everytime, it's like that simple phrase encapsulates in a way so good
He created the octopus arms because at that point, his goal wasn't to replace but to enhance. To go beyond the limits of the human body. Their size wouldn't be a problem either because he can retract them into his suit or where ever he was keeping them. You can't see how those would be useful somewhere?
With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility but Peter needs to learn that he is not all powerful and thus does not need to carry all the responsibility. This is such an important theme throughout the game and a lot of the instances shown are things in Story Streets video. Him not being so protective over MJ and him choosing not to save May because he can't save everyone. Him choosing not to listen to Ock and understanding that he has fallen so far showcases how he is not going to take all the responsibility. "Its the best any of us can do. Even when it hurts like hell" Favorite game of all time.
Norman is not a GOOD guy, but he is not yet a bad guy either. He has made horrible decisions and done awful things but all in the hope of doing something genuinely good. It is why he makes a good mirror to Otto, he does something horrible in the hope of a genuine "good" of stopping Norman. Otto is more evil because he chooses to infect and kill the mass innocents to take down Norman while Norman hurt a small number of people in hope of doing something good. Neither are moral, but one has lost his mind and his moral compass while the other has a moral compass he breaks occasionally. Otto becomes what he thinks Norman already is out of a long grudge. The symmetry of the story is that both Otto and Osborn, the two Os as they reference are the same in a way even when at odds. The entire story leaves it up to interpretation who you think is worse, Norman for his morally wrong experiments, or Otto for his terrorism to ruin who he feels the bigger villain.
As always, a really great video that really shows how good the narrative of this game (in particular) is, despite the fact that it's not one of my personal favourites. Any update on the RDR2 video? You say that you probably won't put out any more big projects this year so does that mean it'll be delayed to next year? Either way, as long as you're taking care of yourself and doing what you want to do, I'm happy! Wishing all the best mate
Honestly after the side by side of the old face and the new, I completely understand the change. Old Peter almost has a Miguel O'Hara vibe going on compared to new Peter
Insomniac is the one developer that, no matter what, I trust the quality of their games. Loved this game, loved Miles Morales, am 100 percent positive I will love Spider-Man 2 just as much.
Please make a video on the second game, its just as amazing for me with the story and miles better in gameplay, best harry I've ever seen in Spiderman media
Having just beaten Spider-Man 2 I'm keen to go back to the humble beginnings of the first game. I think Spider-Man 2 is the superior game by a landslide but I think I prefer the story and the boss battles in the first game ever so marginally.
Same, same, and same dude, the new game was great and pretty much better in every other way, but why did every boss fight feel like i was fighting the same character evrytime? The first game felt a bit more creative in that one aspect
@@Willz828 the first game has a better story and pacing. It was very emotional too. Peter was so op in the game and now they weakened him to make miles the "better" one
There's this quote I forgot who said it, but I think it applies here: "A hero would sacrifice you for the world. A villain would sacrifice the world for you."
Hot take, but spider-man has a better story than the sequel. It doesn't have a rushed story(specifically the 3rd act) and was more emotional and the final boss fight was more impactfull than spider-man 2
I don't think it was rushed however I do agree the final boss had more impact cause of Otto and Peter. Having Harry not die was a cop out to me but I get why they did it and it still got Norman to finally lose his mind so we can defeat him for essentially causing almost every single major problem for Peter and Miles
What you talked about relatively early, witht he audio log of Dock Ock expressing disapointment about Peter always being really shows the missed potential of this and every other open world Spider-man game imo. Imagine a Spider-man game that keeps track of how much time you spend on Spider-man stuff and Peter Parker stuff, lets say you even got a schedule of missions for each in game day or week, both for Peter and for Spidey, if you are really good at the game, capacle of maximizing the effectiveness of traversal and also dispatch enemies quickly you will have more time for Peter's obligations, and that could be reflected in the story and in the ending. Perhaps Peter and MJ only end up together if you manage to devote enough time for their relationship, on the other hand if you are not as skilled at being Spider-man you will have even less time for Peter's stuff and the people in his life will get more disapointed in him as the game progresses. I think something like this would be really cool and immersive but will also provide a reason to actually get better at the game, right now there is no real reason to master web swinging but this way it will have more stakes, and a game like that will actually make us "feel like Spider-man" because Spidey has stuff like this to worry about all the time, instead of Peter in game being worried but this has no effect on the player, gameplay or story
The way this game and SM:MM handle Peter and Miles friendship and Miles origin is truly brilliant, it takes a character I am not the biggest fan of due to how the comics handled his origin and tend to handle him and makes him part of the Spidey family rather than just "another guy with the same name who sometimes teams up with him". They also make MJ a much more involved character than she would usually be in a game setting. Making her a reporter is very Lois Lane, but without that she would have no tie to the story other than "the girlfriend". I hope with SM2 that the game has as many of the same small scale character beats as the first 2 games did and isn't overloaded by having two separate lead characters.
Based off Marvel’s Spider Man 2 and how the symbiote operates (no spoilers don’t worry), it’s hard not to see the connection between Otto’s arms and the symbiote. Seeing the arms in this review after playing the sequel made me see a connection I didn’t see before. It makes me feel Otto saw the symbiote when it initially came down to earth (not a spoiler it was in the story trailer), and subconsciously formulated the arms based off of it without necessarily thinking of it since the symbiote was probably what separated the both of them. Seeing how much more powerful the symbiote is and how in a way it being superior to an external prosthesis by symbiotically bonding and enhancing the host in ways beyond its natural limits, it’s so clear to see this being a metaphor between the two games that Normon was always 1 step ahead of Otto, even from the beginning.
20:37 I think from a narrative context, it would be weird for Spiderman to be failing web-swinging at this stage in his life. Also, from a gameplay perspective, if they didn't have a lot of these "safety nets" with the traversal as you call them, I feel like there would be more mechanical problems. It's hard to explain what exactly the mechanical problems would be, but like you said, it's better if it's an option you can turn on or off, rather than a standard. If we're talking about traversal in the older Assassin's Creed games and the feeling of precision and the potential to fail, then I could understand what you were saying, but Spiderman isn't structured in that same manner as the old Assassin's Creed games. It's also important to realize in Spiderman 2, there weren't many moments where you had to dodge or avoid danger while you were web-swinging, so the prioritization of player autonomy was different, whereas in Marvel Spiderman, there were moments where you had to dodge shots, make quick turns, web swing in specific ways, etc., so the "safety nets" were needed in certain parts.
Something random but You can actually win the first taskmaster fight. I even got specific dialogue where Peter calls him out saying something like “I beat you and you ran off” or something like that. I think that it was cool that there was dialogue either way
Not my thought as I remember seeing it on a comment or tweet years ago, but it nevertheless remains true if Ben died because of Peter’s selfishness, then May’s death in this game was brought about by Peter’s selflessness. What makes Spider-Man such an enduring character and why he’s always stood out among his costumed contemporaries is due to his witty banter, his memorable stories and his lovable, relatable personality, that’s all true. But what also makes Spider-Man stand out is that even in spite of the fact that he always wins, Peter Parker nearly always loses. Right from the inception of the character, he was defined by the fact that Spider-Man can be there to stop the bad guys, but it means Peter Parker isn’t there to make that date with Gwen Stacy, or what have you. Relatively small stakes, yes, but as the character grew more and more popular, the stakes grew larger and larger too. Yet no matter what harm that brought to Peter, he always made the decision to be the hero that Spider-Man was supposed to be. He didn’t forsake his duties or responsibilities because he was defined by that one day where he chose to be selfish and it cost him his uncle. Spider-Man is relatable in so many ways but oddly enough, his most enduring character trait is the one that most people can’t relate to - that when it comes down to it, he will always choose what’s right over what he wants. It’s why he is that unique mix of relatable struggles while also being an icon to look up to and emulate. And that’s all true of pretty much any incarnation of the character, and they all handle it in various ways. You could even make the argument that Aunt May’s death being due to Peter’s selflessness isn’t that unique either, as Peter revealing himself in the Civil War comics sacrificing his identity to help Iron Man’s superhero registration is what leads to May getting shot and also leading to the events of One More Day (which is a comic that doesn’t exist and we don’t talk about but I digress.) Or how Peter’s desire to heal the multiversal villains of their trauma in No Way Home is what directly leads to Goblin killing May. But what this game does that, to my knowledge, no other incarnation does is that it takes the decision from being a two step removed consequence of Peter’s actions and instead makes it something that he is directly responsible for. Peter held the cure in his hand. He knew the consequences of not giving it to May, he knew that without giving it to her immediately, she would die. Comic SM could not have predicted Fisk’s assassin. NWH SM could not have predicted how fast Goblin would turn on him. But 2018 SM knew for a fact that this cure was the only thing that could have saved her life… and he still chose to withhold it, because he knew it’s what she would have wanted. Because it’s what would have helped the most people in the long run. Because it’s the only thing that Spider-Man could, would and should have done in that situation… even if it was the absolute last thing in the world that Peter Parker ever wanted to do. He held true to what it means to be a hero and, in fulfilling his obligations, he comes full circle from the incident that made him Spider-Man to begin with. He held in his hand the power of life - far greater than any of his physical powers, for countless numbers of people who he had never met, and kept his ultimate responsibility anyway. Ben died because he was too careless and self-interested. May died because he cared too much for everyone else outside himself. That, in a nutshell, is why Spider-Man remains one of the most popular heroes of all time and why this game perfectly personified everything that this character is capable of attaining. Needless to say, I loved the story of this one and Im eagerly awaiting to see how the fallout of her death leads into Peter’s use of the venom suit in Spider-Man 2.
On the face swap, the reasoning is that the new face matches Yuri Lowenthals face structure more so in that way it actually increases the artistic fidelity as we get more of the craftsmans work in the finished piece. On the other hand it's not difficult to see, to all those complaining about the new face looking like Tom Holland (Which it doesn't really) that the original face veered more towards Andrew Garfield. Which to me screams as trying to make Peter Parker look like the most... pop-culturally conscious Spider-Man possible. Compounded with the second game where he looks slightly different again and less jarring, while there are flashbacks which make 15 year-old Peter look pretty much 100% comic accurate just at a realistic fidelity.
My only complaint I would say was not mentioning the J. Jona Jameson show for small moments and for just moments to make you laugh at the ridiculousness of the commentary. I loved this Retrospective as always❤🔥💯 Edit: yeah it's small and pretty much has nothing to do with the video or the overarching narrative but still would've love to hear your thoughts on it
Mary Jane is perfect here but Peter isn’t wrong in not wanting her in those situations. She has no training and no superpowers to fall back on to help. Half the time Peter needs to help so that she can survive and the other is on pure luck
Excellent, excellent video. More than anything else it makes me appreciate how effectively this game establishes Peter, Miles and MJ as a true Trinity.
1:39:50, remember last time you said that? That’s how we got a video about AC Altaïr’s Chronicles and Bloodlines. All I’m saying is we will be here for that video about that SM2 scene.
In the part were he says he helps her I didn’t know this till recently and I’ve played the game like 20 times you can actually help aunt may before breaking into the office you clean up messes and stuff for her
33:20 I just started replaying the game again today (partly inspired by this video, so, thanks) and I just finished doing one of the research stations at the time of writing, one to do with monitoring birds in the city for disease, and Peter mentions upon finishing the station that he's tried calling and texting Harry but he's never answered so, from Peter's perspective, Harry is just ghosting everyone while he's in Europe. A bit strange but can easily be written off as someone who's trying to disconnect from their regular life while traveling abroad.
yeah that is a good point, for some reason I totally blanked on that when writing up the script. I think because I was trying to get this done before SM2, I just spaced on a few things I wouldn't have otherwise 😅
@LazerzZ lol no problem, it's honestly such a tiny detail, I 100% completed this game back on launch and didn't remember this either and only really paid attention to it this time because this video was fresh in my mind. Even though the explanation itself is totally reasonable, I'm a little surprised it isn't really addressed outside of this ONE side activity, a little line from MJ asking Peter if he's heard from Harry during the main story would've done wonders. It's implied they haven't spoken for a while and MJ would have definetly tried to get in contact with Harry so it would make sense for her to ask Peter if he's heard anything. Something like a line addressing it during their dinner at Mick's would've been perfect imo
Just a small note, when I first watched a full playthrough of this game, I kinda wondered why the landlord who evicted Peter from his apartment room never suspected that he could be spiderman. Then again, he could probably be excused at thinking Peter as a hardcore Spiderman fan.
I absolutely love Insomniac's take on Peter Parker and his world I loved Spiderman 2 and absolutely excited for DLC and 3. Carnage ( DLC) and the man responsible for essentially the universe's main problems Norman Osborn aka Green Menace
I think my real and only issue with 2018 combat is that the side activity and challenge REALLY want you to use a specific tactic or gadget, something that is exacerbated in the screwball challenges in the DLC. It kind of takes the wind out of your sails of wanting to experiment with the combat and doing things your way, when the game locks additional tokens (which you need usually for gadget upgrades) behind in combat challenges or specific handicaps. This can be good in a way, but they get very repetitive, especially later with the Sable crimes, making you stop engaging with the combat mentally and just opting for efficiency clear by spamming gadgets.
3.7k views and yet 422 likes(at this time). James, you deserve more praise for how much work you put in your vids! Can't wait for when you do Miles Morales! Edit: On note of the side missions being pointless, I will say that does fit with Peter and being the friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man. Sometimes in the comics, he just has to get involved in odd and random things, most importantly if it means helping someone.
37:55 Think of the gadgets as options for controlling the pace of encounters so that they don't drag on for so long. I mean, Spiderman can spend quite a while punching one single guy, for example. The gadgets are also important if you're dealing with a particularly grueling enemy arrangement or if the environment is not set up to accommodate the enemy arrangement present. Also, the gadgets are necessary for bypassing any potential issues or niggles with the combat system. There are definitely moments where the combat system can betray you, similar to the Batman Arkham games in certain cases. And again, from a narrative context, it makes sense for Spiderman to have developed a lot of these gadgets for handling multiple enemies in the 8 years he's been Spiderman. In my case, I don't have a problem with the gadgets on this game. I think they're implemented well. If you play on the harder difficulties, it's a lot easier to grasp the mechanical foundations of the game and the developer's true mentalities with how they implemented the gadgets in this game.
1:16:53 No he didn't. Peter saw a Guy pointing a Gun at MJ in a restricted area full of Mercs that can and will shoot someone for trespassing. Him jumping in to help is the most logical decision to make. MJ is being childish and unreasonable for getting mad at him for it. Yes i know she was trying to help with the case but she doesn't think about the situation at all beyond the fact shes mad about Peter jumping in to save her.
I’m really looking forwards to consume this Video tonight right before playing Spider-Man 2 🙌🙌. Thanks lazerzz this is perfect, I bought a PS5 for the first time back in July. (As a lifelong Xbox player) because I just couldn’t stomach missing out on some of the best story games ever. I instantly played Spider-Man twice through, and moved on to Miles Morales. Has a fucking blast and realised why everyone else did too. Then played God of war for the first time 😍😍😍😍😍 beyond my expectations. Again finally realised why everyone else adored it, did new game plus and then watched your retrospective. Went straight to ragnarok, had a load of fun but definitely let down a bit in terms of story. Watched your review and it embodies 99.9% of my thoughts and feelings. I’m now just replaying the Spider-Man games tk get back in the Flow ready for this release. Loving this video so far 👌
Awesome Video James, I have my issues with the narrative coherence of the game (especially characters) but you pointed out most of the good parts of Marvel's Spider-Man that I really liked first time around. it doesn't connect with me as much as it did the first time around (Other than Miles Morales which was a noticable step up) mostly because of the face change now it feels like a stranger posing as Spider-Man but it is what it is I guess😂.
29:20 Suprisingly this wasnt in the original release of the game (the 1.00 version) it was added via an update I installed the game disc again on my ps5 and this cameo wasnt there at all
So me and my dad recently got a PS5 like early 2023 recently and we got the ps5 version of Spider-Man yet we have the old face 💀 I didn't get the new face until i played Miles Morales but tbh i dont mind the new face its not as bad as the Desmond Miles saga from Assassin's Creed as all the character models from the modern day change drastically from game to game and hell by assassin's creed 3 they aren't even the same characters at that point so tbh id rather have a small face change then every characters entire model ig and the game is still among the greatest superhero games of all time a face dont change that, Spider-Man on ps4 didn't get great scores because of the original face it shouldn't get bad reviews because of the new one
One thing that I feel like always subtracted from the Jefferson Davis story in this game is that you just kind of have to take the game’s (untrustworthy) word for it when it tries to tell you that Davis saved Spider-Man’s life. And the problem there is the same problem with any superhero story really. There just aren’t consistent rules about what may or may not be fatal to them. I really have no reason to think that Spider-Man wouldn’t survive or even brush off a direct hit from a car. The game tries to insinuate it would have been fatal but again I just can’t buy it lol. Superheroes are only truly in mortal danger when their writer demands they be, and those rules seem completely disconnected from any mortal risks real people face. Anyway, not really specific to Davis, other than that trope is played out in this game by him. If a normal person is going to “save” a superhero from mortal harm, the story needs to actually set up clear rules beforehand for what can and can’t kill the hero.
Ok, it could be personal bias, But Advanced suit 1.0 slaps. And I'll tell you why it's Orange. I swear I noticed this on my second playthrough of SM2. The red of Advanced 2 is perfect looks good, chefs kiss. But the orange of 1.0 makes the webs pop more. The red of 2.0 is a rich and dark red, so the webs get lost.
Huh. I only agree with your assessment of Advanced 2.0 only in certain lighting though. I prefer a deeper red on my spidey outfits but I see your point
Only small thing I wasnt a fan of with Miles origin in this game, was him one-punching that ex-con. Sequence should have had him get beat up a bit before pulling something out of his ass or Spidey saving him. Or if it had happened after the spider-bite, it would have at least had an explanation for how he was so strong. Spider-man may have shown him how to punch, but that doesnt mean he should be able to instantly KO an adult ex convict.
Can we also mention just how good Yuri Lowenthal is at voicing Peter and Spider-Man and their different range of emotions, especially when losing in battle? You’re so pulled in by Peter’s screams of pain and suffering in scenes like the Raft rooftop battle.
He is the quintessential spidey voice for any comic I'm reading. He's like the mark Hamill of spiderman. And yes I am biased bc I like ben 10
@@totallytravicious For me homie is the quintessential voice of anything hot and spicy with a cool character. Bro is the epitome of cool, so much that it's ironic and non-ironic simultaneously. Not only is he Sauske, he's so many background characters spread out through various anime and nerd universe alike. Comics? Check, Anime? Check. KIDS TV SHOWS? CHECK. HE MAN SHOW? CHECK. This mf was in Minecraft Story mode Season 2. MF NINJA TURTLES? FIRE EMBLEM? STAR WARS? UNCHARTED LOST LEGACY? HARVY DENT IN A BATMAN MOVIE? ROBIN IN A BATMAN MOVIE? THE COOL EDGY GUY IN GENSHIN IMPACT? ADDITIONAL NPC IN CRASH BANIDOOT 4? WOW? SHAZAM IN INJUSTICE? FLASH IN INJUSTICE? DIABLO IMMPORTAL? FRODO IN LEGO LORD OF THE RINGS? ADDITIONAL VOICE IN HALO 4???? FRIGHT RIDER IN SKYLANDERS GIANTS? DRAKENGUARD GAMES (ALONG SIDE HIS CO VA WHO PLAYS ENGLISH DUB OF TAMARI IN NARUTO SHIPPUDEN BTW)? PERSONA 4 ARENA? A MF MARVEL PINBALL GAME SPIDERMAN? DIABLO 3? DRAGONS DOGMA? SILENT HILL? NINJA GAIDEN 3 XB360? ADDITIONAL VA IN PROTOTYPE 2? SOULCALIBUR V? STAR WARS THE OLD REPUBLIC NPCS????? DEAD ISLAND? GEARS OF WAR 3? RED FACTION GURILLA? UNCREDITED AS OLD MAN IN THE BOONDOCKS? POWER RANGERS SUPER LEGENDS? ALL GROWN UP? DUDE IS IN SO MANY DIFFERENT ROLES AND DOES NOT MISS. EVER... (Sorry I am indeed bricked up after thinking about his massive career, dudes just that cool.)
My deep sorrow is boundless. Oh PS5, why must you be locked behind glass in my local Walmart.
At least Spider-Man can stop you if you decide to steal it irl
@LazerzZ he will smoosh my face against the cement underneath a web I can barely breathe under, roast my ass, and then disappear as I hear the NYPD sirens on their way to make sure I never see a PS5 or a PS3 ever again.
It seems like your problem would be solved if you just found an employee nearby to unlock it for you 😂
Broke ass boy get yo paper up
@@shaneh3109yeah but then the stupid employee takes it to the register…
its not that the new face is bad but i got emotionally invested in the old face so this peter felt like a stranger to me
this is the thing. its just gonna be jarring to play the rest of these games with a different face
LMAO the “exaggerated swagger” reference was beautifully placed 👌
Really stretching out this video to get it past 10 minutes. I love it lol
Glad you covered this before Spiderman 2. Watching rn and one thing: MJ in the penthouse mission notes that Harry never responded to any calls or texts. So they did call him, they never heard back
NGL I really like the side content. Unlike every game now they are actually side content and not things you have to do to progress. Plus they aren't long and tedious
@@sanskarmishra5309We gonna ignore how they splice pointless side content in between story missions?
@@callmepsycho3132 I don't fint it pointless 💯
1:01:55 Peter didn’t lie. You can actually go around the FEAST center and pick up trash for Aunt May
Replayed both games, still amazing. Cannot wait for Spider-Man 2.
The new swing assist system seems to make Spider-Man 2's system a little bit more physics based. So your wish regarding that seems to have come true.
One of my favorite little details is in the lab you can see Otto planning the prison escape even before the neural web affects his mind. There are schematics in the lab as well as some equipment that the sinister six end up using, such as Electro's vest.
I love your 2-5 hour video essays. Probably all I’m gonna watch these next few hours waiting for the game
🙏🏻
it's actually crazy to see how slow it actually was after playing spider-man 2.
Your video is phenomaenal as always! At 1:02:00 you talk about how Martin Li's reveal was sort of lackluster and I agree!
I think a big part of that is that he was pulled out of the E3 2018 sequence. I think they couldve found a way to make that work and just change the ending when Li chokes Spidey.
Also I would love if you made a video on the Backyard scene in SM2!
Got to this a little late just due to being busy but banger vid as always james, makes me even more excited to replay this and finally play miles morales ahead of eventually getting to spiderman 2
you know even though the scene where peter accepts the money from may is more powerful idk why the "i know, i want to" gets me everytime, it's like that simple phrase encapsulates in a way so good
Super excited for this, recently replayed both the games and I'd completely forgotten how brilliant they are.
Best spider man games ever
He created the octopus arms because at that point, his goal wasn't to replace but to enhance. To go beyond the limits of the human body. Their size wouldn't be a problem either because he can retract them into his suit or where ever he was keeping them. You can't see how those would be useful somewhere?
With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility but Peter needs to learn that he is not all powerful and thus does not need to carry all the responsibility. This is such an important theme throughout the game and a lot of the instances shown are things in Story Streets video. Him not being so protective over MJ and him choosing not to save May because he can't save everyone. Him choosing not to listen to Ock and understanding that he has fallen so far showcases how he is not going to take all the responsibility. "Its the best any of us can do. Even when it hurts like hell" Favorite game of all time.
Norman is not a GOOD guy, but he is not yet a bad guy either. He has made horrible decisions and done awful things but all in the hope of doing something genuinely good. It is why he makes a good mirror to Otto, he does something horrible in the hope of a genuine "good" of stopping Norman. Otto is more evil because he chooses to infect and kill the mass innocents to take down Norman while Norman hurt a small number of people in hope of doing something good. Neither are moral, but one has lost his mind and his moral compass while the other has a moral compass he breaks occasionally. Otto becomes what he thinks Norman already is out of a long grudge. The symmetry of the story is that both Otto and Osborn, the two Os as they reference are the same in a way even when at odds. The entire story leaves it up to interpretation who you think is worse, Norman for his morally wrong experiments, or Otto for his terrorism to ruin who he feels the bigger villain.
As always, a really great video that really shows how good the narrative of this game (in particular) is, despite the fact that it's not one of my personal favourites. Any update on the RDR2 video? You say that you probably won't put out any more big projects this year so does that mean it'll be delayed to next year? Either way, as long as you're taking care of yourself and doing what you want to do, I'm happy! Wishing all the best mate
Honestly after the side by side of the old face and the new, I completely understand the change. Old Peter almost has a Miguel O'Hara vibe going on compared to new Peter
Insomniac is the one developer that, no matter what, I trust the quality of their games. Loved this game, loved Miles Morales, am 100 percent positive I will love Spider-Man 2 just as much.
did you?
@@smileysuburban8146 Absolutely. Already 100 percented it twice.
Please make a video on the second game, its just as amazing for me with the story and miles better in gameplay, best harry I've ever seen in Spiderman media
I remember in Spider-Man 2 you could loop onto street light posts to send yourself almost vertical but it’s absent in this game which disappointed me.
only 10 mins in and i can tell this videos gonna be so good omg. Thanks sm james frfr
Having just beaten Spider-Man 2 I'm keen to go back to the humble beginnings of the first game. I think Spider-Man 2 is the superior game by a landslide but I think I prefer the story and the boss battles in the first game ever so marginally.
Same, same, and same dude, the new game was great and pretty much better in every other way, but why did every boss fight feel like i was fighting the same character evrytime? The first game felt a bit more creative in that one aspect
@@Willz828 the first game has a better story and pacing. It was very emotional too. Peter was so op in the game and now they weakened him to make miles the "better" one
There's this quote I forgot who said it, but I think it applies here: "A hero would sacrifice you for the world. A villain would sacrifice the world for you."
Great quote
Hot take, but spider-man has a better story than the sequel. It doesn't have a rushed story(specifically the 3rd act) and was more emotional and the final boss fight was more impactfull than spider-man 2
Agreed
@@HirstMoviesagreed
I don't think it was rushed however I do agree the final boss had more impact cause of Otto and Peter. Having Harry not die was a cop out to me but I get why they did it and it still got Norman to finally lose his mind so we can defeat him for essentially causing almost every single major problem for Peter and Miles
Lmao it's the obvious take. Learn what a hot take means
Gave them a replay a few months ago in anticipation for 2 and they're still great. The finale gets me emotional every time.
Cant wait for Friday. 😭
What you talked about relatively early, witht he audio log of Dock Ock expressing disapointment about Peter always being really shows the missed potential of this and every other open world Spider-man game imo. Imagine a Spider-man game that keeps track of how much time you spend on Spider-man stuff and Peter Parker stuff, lets say you even got a schedule of missions for each in game day or week, both for Peter and for Spidey, if you are really good at the game, capacle of maximizing the effectiveness of traversal and also dispatch enemies quickly you will have more time for Peter's obligations, and that could be reflected in the story and in the ending. Perhaps Peter and MJ only end up together if you manage to devote enough time for their relationship, on the other hand if you are not as skilled at being Spider-man you will have even less time for Peter's stuff and the people in his life will get more disapointed in him as the game progresses. I think something like this would be really cool and immersive but will also provide a reason to actually get better at the game, right now there is no real reason to master web swinging but this way it will have more stakes, and a game like that will actually make us "feel like Spider-man" because Spidey has stuff like this to worry about all the time, instead of Peter in game being worried but this has no effect on the player, gameplay or story
The way this game and SM:MM handle Peter and Miles friendship and Miles origin is truly brilliant, it takes a character I am not the biggest fan of due to how the comics handled his origin and tend to handle him and makes him part of the Spidey family rather than just "another guy with the same name who sometimes teams up with him". They also make MJ a much more involved character than she would usually be in a game setting. Making her a reporter is very Lois Lane, but without that she would have no tie to the story other than "the girlfriend". I hope with SM2 that the game has as many of the same small scale character beats as the first 2 games did and isn't overloaded by having two separate lead characters.
these games are my favourite Spider-man stuff there is
Based off Marvel’s Spider Man 2 and how the symbiote operates (no spoilers don’t worry), it’s hard not to see the connection between Otto’s arms and the symbiote. Seeing the arms in this review after playing the sequel made me see a connection I didn’t see before. It makes me feel Otto saw the symbiote when it initially came down to earth (not a spoiler it was in the story trailer), and subconsciously formulated the arms based off of it without necessarily thinking of it since the symbiote was probably what separated the both of them. Seeing how much more powerful the symbiote is and how in a way it being superior to an external prosthesis by symbiotically bonding and enhancing the host in ways beyond its natural limits, it’s so clear to see this being a metaphor between the two games that Normon was always 1 step ahead of Otto, even from the beginning.
Regarding Fisk, there are prequel novels for both Spider-man 2018 and Miles Morales. Optional but fun content.
22:56 The exaggerated swagger of a 23 year old white man 😂
The fact Otto is played by William Salyers who also voiced Rigby on Regular Show will never not amuse me
20:37 I think from a narrative context, it would be weird for Spiderman to be failing web-swinging at this stage in his life. Also, from a gameplay perspective, if they didn't have a lot of these "safety nets" with the traversal as you call them, I feel like there would be more mechanical problems. It's hard to explain what exactly the mechanical problems would be, but like you said, it's better if it's an option you can turn on or off, rather than a standard. If we're talking about traversal in the older Assassin's Creed games and the feeling of precision and the potential to fail, then I could understand what you were saying, but Spiderman isn't structured in that same manner as the old Assassin's Creed games. It's also important to realize in Spiderman 2, there weren't many moments where you had to dodge or avoid danger while you were web-swinging, so the prioritization of player autonomy was different, whereas in Marvel Spiderman, there were moments where you had to dodge shots, make quick turns, web swing in specific ways, etc., so the "safety nets" were needed in certain parts.
Something random but You can actually win the first taskmaster fight. I even got specific dialogue where Peter calls him out saying something like “I beat you and you ran off” or something like that. I think that it was cool that there was dialogue either way
Im very glad you ignored mirage completely im proud of you😘
That opening in his apartment is so effective. In a few seconds you already know this spidey is a seasoned pro.
Nothing better than a James Retrospective
Not my thought as I remember seeing it on a comment or tweet years ago, but it nevertheless remains true if Ben died because of Peter’s selfishness, then May’s death in this game was brought about by Peter’s selflessness.
What makes Spider-Man such an enduring character and why he’s always stood out among his costumed contemporaries is due to his witty banter, his memorable stories and his lovable, relatable personality, that’s all true. But what also makes Spider-Man stand out is that even in spite of the fact that he always wins, Peter Parker nearly always loses. Right from the inception of the character, he was defined by the fact that Spider-Man can be there to stop the bad guys, but it means Peter Parker isn’t there to make that date with Gwen Stacy, or what have you. Relatively small stakes, yes, but as the character grew more and more popular, the stakes grew larger and larger too. Yet no matter what harm that brought to Peter, he always made the decision to be the hero that Spider-Man was supposed to be. He didn’t forsake his duties or responsibilities because he was defined by that one day where he chose to be selfish and it cost him his uncle. Spider-Man is relatable in so many ways but oddly enough, his most enduring character trait is the one that most people can’t relate to - that when it comes down to it, he will always choose what’s right over what he wants. It’s why he is that unique mix of relatable struggles while also being an icon to look up to and emulate.
And that’s all true of pretty much any incarnation of the character, and they all handle it in various ways. You could even make the argument that Aunt May’s death being due to Peter’s selflessness isn’t that unique either, as Peter revealing himself in the Civil War comics sacrificing his identity to help Iron Man’s superhero registration is what leads to May getting shot and also leading to the events of One More Day (which is a comic that doesn’t exist and we don’t talk about but I digress.) Or how Peter’s desire to heal the multiversal villains of their trauma in No Way Home is what directly leads to Goblin killing May.
But what this game does that, to my knowledge, no other incarnation does is that it takes the decision from being a two step removed consequence of Peter’s actions and instead makes it something that he is directly responsible for. Peter held the cure in his hand. He knew the consequences of not giving it to May, he knew that without giving it to her immediately, she would die. Comic SM could not have predicted Fisk’s assassin. NWH SM could not have predicted how fast Goblin would turn on him. But 2018 SM knew for a fact that this cure was the only thing that could have saved her life… and he still chose to withhold it, because he knew it’s what she would have wanted. Because it’s what would have helped the most people in the long run. Because it’s the only thing that Spider-Man could, would and should have done in that situation… even if it was the absolute last thing in the world that Peter Parker ever wanted to do. He held true to what it means to be a hero and, in fulfilling his obligations, he comes full circle from the incident that made him Spider-Man to begin with. He held in his hand the power of life - far greater than any of his physical powers, for countless numbers of people who he had never met, and kept his ultimate responsibility anyway.
Ben died because he was too careless and self-interested. May died because he cared too much for everyone else outside himself. That, in a nutshell, is why Spider-Man remains one of the most popular heroes of all time and why this game perfectly personified everything that this character is capable of attaining.
Needless to say, I loved the story of this one and Im eagerly awaiting to see how the fallout of her death leads into Peter’s use of the venom suit in Spider-Man 2.
On the face swap, the reasoning is that the new face matches Yuri Lowenthals face structure more so in that way it actually increases the artistic fidelity as we get more of the craftsmans work in the finished piece. On the other hand it's not difficult to see, to all those complaining about the new face looking like Tom Holland (Which it doesn't really) that the original face veered more towards Andrew Garfield. Which to me screams as trying to make Peter Parker look like the most... pop-culturally conscious Spider-Man possible. Compounded with the second game where he looks slightly different again and less jarring, while there are flashbacks which make 15 year-old Peter look pretty much 100% comic accurate just at a realistic fidelity.
My only complaint I would say was not mentioning the J. Jona Jameson show for small moments and for just moments to make you laugh at the ridiculousness of the commentary. I loved this Retrospective as always❤🔥💯
Edit: yeah it's small and pretty much has nothing to do with the video or the overarching narrative but still would've love to hear your thoughts on it
Just watched the entire video in one sitting. Already loved the game but after this I have a new found appreciation for this story.
These 3 insomniac spiderman games are so good i cant believe how good they are
Awesome video, and a great way to recap for the new game. My Collectors edition should be arriving in the morning and I am hyyyyped!
I really hope the mcu takes notes and does a year 3 Spider-Man story with at least maturity following him after education
Mary Jane is perfect here but Peter isn’t wrong in not wanting her in those situations. She has no training and no superpowers to fall back on to help. Half the time Peter needs to help so that she can survive and the other is on pure luck
Excellent, excellent video. More than anything else it makes me appreciate how effectively this game establishes Peter, Miles and MJ as a true Trinity.
Great video, man. I love how you make these videos. You can hear how much you really care about this game.
Glad to hear you enjoyed, appreciate the kind words. I really did love putting this together.
Would love to see a Ghost of Tsushima retrospective at some point. Great video!
Another fantastic retrospective video James!!
1:39:50, remember last time you said that? That’s how we got a video about AC Altaïr’s Chronicles and Bloodlines.
All I’m saying is we will be here for that video about that SM2 scene.
You get comments like this all the time but dude this video was immaculate. All of your videos are. I loved this one so much! Great job
So true James you would love Dishonoured… I’m sorry I had to. Great video, another shift at work made easier
2:16:45
Another banger to watch, pleasure as always. Genuinely love watching your vids, easily my favourite youtuber
So sorry that sponsors pulled out. I hope you get what you deserve for your hard work.
10 minutes will never be enough to make me stop crying after watching Aunt May's death in the game.
In the part were he says he helps her I didn’t know this till recently and I’ve played the game like 20 times you can actually help aunt may before breaking into the office you clean up messes and stuff for her
I never realized the parallel between mr.negative and Otto and may and Peter
33:20 I just started replaying the game again today (partly inspired by this video, so, thanks) and I just finished doing one of the research stations at the time of writing, one to do with monitoring birds in the city for disease, and Peter mentions upon finishing the station that he's tried calling and texting Harry but he's never answered so, from Peter's perspective, Harry is just ghosting everyone while he's in Europe. A bit strange but can easily be written off as someone who's trying to disconnect from their regular life while traveling abroad.
yeah that is a good point, for some reason I totally blanked on that when writing up the script. I think because I was trying to get this done before SM2, I just spaced on a few things I wouldn't have otherwise 😅
@LazerzZ lol no problem, it's honestly such a tiny detail, I 100% completed this game back on launch and didn't remember this either and only really paid attention to it this time because this video was fresh in my mind. Even though the explanation itself is totally reasonable, I'm a little surprised it isn't really addressed outside of this ONE side activity, a little line from MJ asking Peter if he's heard from Harry during the main story would've done wonders. It's implied they haven't spoken for a while and MJ would have definetly tried to get in contact with Harry so it would make sense for her to ask Peter if he's heard anything. Something like a line addressing it during their dinner at Mick's would've been perfect imo
Just a small note, when I first watched a full playthrough of this game, I kinda wondered why the landlord who evicted Peter from his apartment room never suspected that he could be spiderman. Then again, he could probably be excused at thinking Peter as a hardcore Spiderman fan.
1:35:55 by this point Otto gave up on selling the arms they were purely for him personally
I absolutely love Insomniac's take on Peter Parker and his world I loved Spiderman 2 and absolutely excited for DLC and 3. Carnage ( DLC) and the man responsible for essentially the universe's main problems Norman Osborn aka Green Menace
This video is absolutely phenomenal, just thank you for making such amazing content
You know exactly what video we are waiting for man...
I think my real and only issue with 2018 combat is that the side activity and challenge REALLY want you to use a specific tactic or gadget, something that is exacerbated in the screwball challenges in the DLC. It kind of takes the wind out of your sails of wanting to experiment with the combat and doing things your way, when the game locks additional tokens (which you need usually for gadget upgrades) behind in combat challenges or specific handicaps. This can be good in a way, but they get very repetitive, especially later with the Sable crimes, making you stop engaging with the combat mentally and just opting for efficiency clear by spamming gadgets.
A new LazerzZ video always has me spraying my shorts
Im kinda glad the sequel is not like night and day better than the first one. Cuz I still wanna replay the game with the remastered version.
Watching this video gave me goosebumps it's so good it tugged on my emotions it's a beautifulfy made spiderman video
3.7k views and yet 422 likes(at this time). James, you deserve more praise for how much work you put in your vids!
Can't wait for when you do Miles Morales!
Edit: On note of the side missions being pointless, I will say that does fit with Peter and being the friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man. Sometimes in the comics, he just has to get involved in odd and random things, most importantly if it means helping someone.
37:55 Think of the gadgets as options for controlling the pace of encounters so that they don't drag on for so long. I mean, Spiderman can spend quite a while punching one single guy, for example. The gadgets are also important if you're dealing with a particularly grueling enemy arrangement or if the environment is not set up to accommodate the enemy arrangement present. Also, the gadgets are necessary for bypassing any potential issues or niggles with the combat system. There are definitely moments where the combat system can betray you, similar to the Batman Arkham games in certain cases. And again, from a narrative context, it makes sense for Spiderman to have developed a lot of these gadgets for handling multiple enemies in the 8 years he's been Spiderman. In my case, I don't have a problem with the gadgets on this game. I think they're implemented well. If you play on the harder difficulties, it's a lot easier to grasp the mechanical foundations of the game and the developer's true mentalities with how they implemented the gadgets in this game.
So so funny that the video on the DLC is in itself payed DLC
1:16:53 No he didn't. Peter saw a Guy pointing a Gun at MJ in a restricted area full of Mercs that can and will shoot someone for trespassing. Him jumping in to help is the most logical decision to make. MJ is being childish and unreasonable for getting mad at him for it. Yes i know she was trying to help with the case but she doesn't think about the situation at all beyond the fact shes mad about Peter jumping in to save her.
1:10:38 i was thinkinG about the villain of watch dogs 2 when i played this game, that was on point xD
The game is still golden the best game of the year
1:46:23 holy crap is that Noshir Dalal? (Charles RDR2, Bode Jedi Survivor, etc)
I’m really looking forwards to consume this
Video tonight right before playing Spider-Man 2 🙌🙌. Thanks lazerzz this is perfect, I bought a PS5 for the first time back in July. (As a lifelong Xbox player) because I just couldn’t stomach missing out on some of the best story games ever. I instantly played Spider-Man twice through, and moved on to Miles Morales. Has a fucking blast and realised why everyone else did too. Then played God of war for the first time 😍😍😍😍😍 beyond my expectations. Again finally realised why everyone else adored it, did new game plus and then watched your retrospective. Went straight to ragnarok, had a load of fun but definitely let down a bit in terms of story. Watched your review and it embodies 99.9% of my thoughts and feelings. I’m now just replaying the Spider-Man games tk get back in the Flow ready for this release. Loving this video so far 👌
48:29 LMAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Awesome Video James, I have my issues with the narrative coherence of the game (especially characters) but you pointed out most of the good parts of Marvel's Spider-Man that I really liked first time around. it doesn't connect with me as much as it did the first time around (Other than Miles Morales which was a noticable step up) mostly because of the face change now it feels like a stranger posing as Spider-Man but it is what it is I guess😂.
29:20
Suprisingly this wasnt in the original release of the game (the 1.00 version) it was added via an update
I installed the game disc again on my ps5 and this cameo wasnt there at all
after playing spiderman 2 and looking at spiderman 1 swinging looks super slow
You know we are gonna start asking for that video on the Aunt May and Peter scene from Spiderman 2 now don't you?
So me and my dad recently got a PS5 like early 2023 recently and we got the ps5 version of Spider-Man yet we have the old face 💀 I didn't get the new face until i played Miles Morales but tbh i dont mind the new face its not as bad as the Desmond Miles saga from Assassin's Creed as all the character models from the modern day change drastically from game to game and hell by assassin's creed 3 they aren't even the same characters at that point so tbh id rather have a small face change then every characters entire model ig and the game is still among the greatest superhero games of all time a face dont change that, Spider-Man on ps4 didn't get great scores because of the original face it shouldn't get bad reviews because of the new one
Great video
Really excited! I just know it's gonna be a banger retrospective like all the others.
Nearly 3 hrs but yeah man this was peak.
Saying Standish looks like a Ubisoft villain then accidentally confusing him with said Ubisoft villain.....
One thing that I feel like always subtracted from the Jefferson Davis story in this game is that you just kind of have to take the game’s (untrustworthy) word for it when it tries to tell you that Davis saved Spider-Man’s life.
And the problem there is the same problem with any superhero story really. There just aren’t consistent rules about what may or may not be fatal to them. I really have no reason to think that Spider-Man wouldn’t survive or even brush off a direct hit from a car.
The game tries to insinuate it would have been fatal but again I just can’t buy it lol. Superheroes are only truly in mortal danger when their writer demands they be, and those rules seem completely disconnected from any mortal risks real people face.
Anyway, not really specific to Davis, other than that trope is played out in this game by him. If a normal person is going to “save” a superhero from mortal harm, the story needs to actually set up clear rules beforehand for what can and can’t kill the hero.
I would KILL to have doc ock arms. SO COOL
Just got done getting platinum on both games and I forgot how good they were
less than 24 hours left
A brilliant video absolutely smashed it James
You could say it was marvellous
Ok, it could be personal bias, But Advanced suit 1.0 slaps. And I'll tell you why it's Orange. I swear I noticed this on my second playthrough of SM2. The red of Advanced 2 is perfect looks good, chefs kiss. But the orange of 1.0 makes the webs pop more. The red of 2.0 is a rich and dark red, so the webs get lost.
Huh. I only agree with your assessment of Advanced 2.0 only in certain lighting though. I prefer a deeper red on my spidey outfits but I see your point
Only small thing I wasnt a fan of with Miles origin in this game, was him one-punching that ex-con. Sequence should have had him get beat up a bit before pulling something out of his ass or Spidey saving him. Or if it had happened after the spider-bite, it would have at least had an explanation for how he was so strong. Spider-man may have shown him how to punch, but that doesnt mean he should be able to instantly KO an adult ex convict.
How long did you have to sleep on the couch for that Rhino comment about your gf? 😂
You should give dishonored a go. Its a fantastic franchise.
this video is PEAK
RE: the character model for Peter, I like the new one better for me at least it better represents Peter Parker
53:12 How do we know Ganke (now idea about the spelling) is Mile's only friend?