Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 PC Review – A Web-Slinging Spectacle Worth the Wait

When a beloved PlayStation exclusive swings its way to PC, expectations soar as high as our friendly neighborhood Spider-Men. Following the successful PC ports of its predecessors, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 lands on our desktops with the promise of enhanced visuals and uncapped performance. But does this latest adventure stick the landing? Let’s dive into this review of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 PC to find out .

Story and Gameplay

The narrative weaves an engaging tale that follows both Peter Parker and Miles Morales as they navigate their dual lives. Peter takes on a new role as a physics teacher at Brooklyn Visions Academy, where Miles sits among his students. Their relatively peaceful routine is shattered when Sandman’s rampage through New York City kicks off a series of events that introduces formidable threats, including the calculating Kraven the Hunter and the mysterious return of Harry Osborn.

The story takes a darker turn when Peter encounters an alien symbiote that enhances his abilities but begins to corrupt him from within. This development strains his relationship with Miles and eventually leads to a confrontation with Venom, as Harry Osborn succumbs to the symbiote’s influence. Throughout it all, both Spider-Men must balance personal challenges with their duty to protect New York City.

Spider-Man 2’s gameplay builds upon an already rock-solid foundation, refining and expanding what made its predecessors great. The game doesn’t attempt to revolutionize its core mechanics, instead opting to perfect them. The signature web-swinging through New York’s sprawling cityscape remains as exhilarating as ever, while the combat system retains its fluid, intuitive nature that makes every encounter feel dynamic and engaging.

The masterful implementation of dual protagonists adds a refreshing layer of variety to the experience. Players alternate between Peter and Miles, each bringing their unique abilities to the table. Miles’ bio-electricity powers offer spectacular visual displays and tactical advantages, while Peter’s symbiote abilities provide a darker, more aggressive approach to combat. This duality in playable characters keeps the gameplay fresh throughout the adventure, offering players different strategies and play styles to master.

Technical Performance

After a rocky launch period, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2’s PC port has evolved into a technically impressive experience. Testing on a system equipped with a Ryzen 5 3600, 32GB RAM, and an AMD Radeon RX 6800 at 1440p resolution reveals remarkable performance potential. Running at Very High settings without any upscaling technology, the game maintains a steady 60 FPS, demonstrating excellent optimization.

AMD’s FSR technology provides additional performance headroom for those seeking higher framerates. The Quality preset delivers 68 FPS, while Balanced and Ultra Performance modes push this further to 70 and 73 FPS respectively. The real game-changer comes with Frame Generation enabled, boosting performance to 110 FPS in Quality mode. Ray tracing implementation shows impressive efficiency, with the Very High preset only reducing performance from 63 to 59 FPS.

The addition of AMD Anti-Lag feature marks a notable improvement over previous Nixxes ports, reducing input latency for a more responsive gaming experience. However, some technical issues persist, such as occasional stuttering during scene transitions and lengthy shader compilation when initially enabling ray tracing. These minor drawbacks are expected to be addressed in future patches, but they don’t significantly detract from the overall experience.

Controls and Features

The PC port excels in its control implementation, offering excellent support for both traditional and modern input methods. The DualSense controller integration stands out as a particular highlight, bringing the full suite of PS5-specific features to PC players. The haptic feedback system provides nuanced vibrations that change based on different actions, from the impact of punches to the tension of web-swinging. Adaptive triggers add physical resistance that varies depending on the action being performed, while the controller’s built-in speaker delivers atmospheric sound effects that enhance immersion.

For keyboard and mouse users, the control scheme has been thoughtfully adapted to PC standards. The default key bindings feel natural and intuitive, making the transition from controller to keyboard seamless for those who prefer traditional PC controls. This attention to detail in control options ensures that players can enjoy the game regardless of their preferred input method.

Verdict

Despite its rocky launch, our review of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 on PC is that it has evolved into an exceptional port that does justice to the original release. The combination of an engaging narrative, refined gameplay mechanics, and strong technical performance makes it a standout action-adventure title. While some minor technical issues remain, they don’t significantly detract from what is otherwise a polished and immersive Spider-Man experience. For both newcomers and series veterans, this PC version offers the definitive way to experience Peter and Miles’ latest adventure.

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