In Aug. 1962, comic book artist Stan Lee was thinking of a superhero to pitch to his coworkers when he saw a fly on the wall. This butterfly effect would lead to one of, if not the most, iconic fictional characters ever: Spider-Man. Spider-Man has remained in popularity ever since his first comic was published and has moved from comics, to movies, to video games. The most recent video game is “Spider-Man 2” by Insomniac games.

I had been waiting for this game to come out ever since I beat the first one in 2018, and Insomniac did not disappoint. In the latest addition, you play as both Peter Parker and Miles Morales as they face a new threat, the symbiotic alien from outer space that calls themself Venom. Because this is a sequel, the gameplay and overall experience was expected to improve, but no one expected the game to change as much as it did.

In the first game, Spider-Man would use his webs to swing around the city, and that was pretty much it. In the second game however, the mechanics have improved greatly. New mechanics introduced Spider-Man’s iconic web wings. Another addition is the slingshot mechanic that has been absent from Spider-Man games ever since Spider-Man 3 (2007). The game also introduces Peter’s iconic black suit that he first donned in the Secret Wars comic.

Overall, I think the 48 hours of sleep I lost on Oct. 27-28 was worth it. If you are a Spider-Man fan, this is a must have. I rate this game 5 out of 5 cardinal heads.