Spider-Man 2 was an incredible game. There’s no doubt about how great a game it was. Everything from the gameplay, the new mechanics, the story, the side quests, and the collectibles was a wonderful experience.
One of the sections where I believe the game was wrong was the imbalance between our two main playable characters. Let’s talk about this for a second.
Peter had two huge transformative moments. The Symbiote suit and then Anti-Venom. Both of these transformations came with an array of overpowered abilities. Don’t get me wrong, I never minded Peter being overpowered; it makes sense. However, it did kind of let Miles down. As the game progressed, it felt underwhelming to play as Miles in certain parts. Peter felt like the main Spider-Man because of it.
These transformative moments weren’t just in terms of abilities, either. It uplifted the story dramatically as Peter had two hugely emotional moments. Miles seemingly was only part of 1 of those when he fought Peter Parker. Miles didn’t have anything that truly raised the stakes against him, not properly anyway, and that’s another thing that was missing.
The ending suggested Miles would become the main Spider-Man, but I don’t believe either of them should be the main unless one of them dies or retires. They should be on equal footing, maybe specialise them a little better. One of the parts Miles can do well is stealth, but the issue is, if you fail at the stealth aspect, you’d much rather be in control of Peter. Each character should have their overpowered aspects.
Miles needs his proper power-up moment. He pretty much had it during his own game, where he discovered new abilities, such as his Venom abilities or invisibility. The thing is, though, more specifically in the game, Miles is young. There’s so much potential for his abilities to develop, to become more powerful. I believe the game needs to give Miles his own Symbiote-style level-up that Peter got.
The goal for me isn’t about nerfing Peter. It’s about uplifting Miles. At least in that way, it doesn’t feel like a chore sometimes to play as Miles Morales, considering how powerful Miles actually is.
I’m also a bit gutted we missed out on proper tag-team combat. Dual finishers, combo finishers, and interchangeable synergy abilities all could’ve worked wonders. I’d love to see this be a proper part of the third game.
It’s not just the abilities either. The suits also need to be discussed. Peter had everything. Granted, Peter’s been around for a lot longer than Miles, but I feel like Miles’ suits weren’t great. It’s another reason why I felt like playing with Peter was much better. Miles deserves a creative team that can build and design new suits. Unfortunately, Miles Morales has only been around since 2011. There hasn’t been enough time for his suits to be built up, and he’s yet to be seen in live-action.
If you look at fan-made versions, they look incredible. It can’t be too difficult to get a good creative team to make suits, even if some of them are just off-design from Peter’s wardrobe. I feel like Miles desperately needs more. When I play with Peter, I’m constantly changing suits. From the Tom Holland movies, Andrew and Tobey’s, the Iron suit, 2099, and others. With Miles, I probably use 2 at most.
A game where both characters can shine just as bright as the others is a pure recipe for a masterpiece. The second one was so damn close, and I can’t see a third being that far off.
It feels like we may have to wait another few years for the third game. Wolverine is the next project on the agenda with a Fall 2026 release. I’m hoping Insomniac is back on track, considering that after the release of Spider-Man 2, it’s been a bit of a letdown. No DLC, a leaked roadmap that halted seemingly everything, studio layoffs, and more. It’s been rough, but I have full faith in Insomniac.
