***Review contains a few minor spoilers for this game and the first “Spider-Man”***

Watch the SPOILER review on YouTube

Starting off not too long after the first game, “Spider-Man 2” feels like stepping right back into that world as a direct continuation. While that original game was extremely well-done, returning to the streets (and rooftops) of New York quickly starts to feel redundant and uninspired.

What worked in “Spider-Man” works here, and if anything, it’s all a bit smoother. The combat is still solid and now there’s plenty of gadgets and abilities to keep things varied. On top of that, outside of character-specific missions, players can switch between Peter and Miles and gain access to unique attacks that each of them possesses. While there are missions where stealth can make your life a lot easier, this time around the game seems to lean towards taking out the bad guys with combat. (The first game had a few missions with side characters that were so focused on stealth that they ended immediately if you got caught, but here there’s more flexibility as you have to ability to run or fight if you get busted.)

Another improvement is the side-quests. Whether you’re trying to unlock suits or gadgets, or just going for trophies, the side quests are much less of a chore this time. First of all, they’re a bit more varied and nowhere near as frustrating as some of the previous game’s challenges. Plus, they’re spread out across the main story so that you can tackle them in smaller chunks rather than having an overwhelming to-do list dropped on you. (On the flip side, a few of the challenges are way too easy, and that’s without the hints the game automatically gives you. Challenges involving using mirrors to reflect light and cracking security codes are child’s play compared to stuff games like “Zelda” throws at you.)

The story is solid, and like the first “Spider-Man,” things start off one direction before shifting to higher-stakes, more emotionally complex story arcs. As a fan of Spider-Man, the story can get a bit confusing trying to figure out which characters fit in where in the continuity. For example, Doctor Octopus was established previously as a new villain, but Kraven is unknown to all the main characters even though comic fans might feel frustration knowing who he is while waiting for Spidey and friends connect the dots. (Not to mention throwing characters in like Curt Conners and wondering if you missed something as he’s a new character to the series but the game treats him like he’s well-established as a scientist and the former Lizard.)

The game looks good, improving graphically from the PS4 game. While characters still look somewhat cartoony, there’s enough realism in their faces to sell the emotional moments. New York itself is massive, and while it’s still fun traveling through the skies on web-lines (or the new web wings,) things start to get pretty monotonous. Luckily, once unlocked, the fast travel feature will get you just about any spot on the map in seconds. The voice acting is excellent, and so is the soundtrack. From a technical standpoint, the biggest disappointment is the glitches. Music cutting out, prompts not appearing that allow you to advance in you mission and flat-out crashes can derail your experience…not to mention having to restart whatever quest you were in the middle of.

Taking everything that worked from the first game, adding some cool new stuff and tweaking some things that weren’t so great, “Spider-Man 2’ is another solid game. A great story and compelling characters keep you invested. However, if you’ve played the last game, the feeling of “been there, done that” creeps in pretty quickly and knocks things down a peg.

***1/2 out of *****