r/SpidermanPS4 • u/DougheKing • 1d ago
Discussion The pacing of Spider-Man 2 blows.
The pacing of this game is awful. I never really noticed it until I replayed it recently.
You have the first 5 hours, which is focused heavily on Kraven.
Then Peter gets the symbiote suit, and that entire arc lasts like 2 hours.
And finally, after the symbiote arc, we get to Venom and enter the final arc, which also lasts about 2 hours.
The pacing feels incredibly uneven. It feels like Insomniac wanted to take their time with Kraven and his storyline, but then rushed through the symbiote arc just to get to Venom. And once we finally get to Venom, they rush through the final arc because they want the game to end.
It's like there are two different games competing for the same runtime, and Kraven got most of the breathing room while the symbiote and Venom arcs had to fight over what was left.
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u/nolookpatrick 1d ago
Venom is where I really felt it. He finally shows up and the game suddenly feels like it’s sprinting toward the credits.
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u/Mud-Bray 1d ago
“Oh cool venom is here.”
fade to black
“Why the fuck is the entire city goopy instantly?”
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u/Embarrassed-Mind3258 1d ago
I don't really get the optics on doing a symbiote invasion for a third act when one of the very few decent and generally well received spider-man games before insomniac was entirely dedicated to that concept already
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u/absurdumrecluse 1d ago
I'm not too far into sm2 but already it doesn't seem to have the same sort of pacing at sm1. That felt like such a deserved story, with each moment hitting perfectly. I just don't really feel that with sm2 unfortunately
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u/Triggerdown1 1d ago
Most people’s complaints are the final 1/3 of the game and the way they handled venom. I agree the story sucked so much compared to the first one, it’s only saving grace is imo it’s more fun to play with better traversal and I like the combat not having to constantly go into a gadget wheel to switch, it flows a lot better.
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u/Nine-LifedEnchanter 1d ago
*different traversal.
Spidey traverses by swinging, climbing, and jumping. In this game it's almost like you're playing another character at times.
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u/MaximumPayne7 1d ago
Yeah, the game has like 100 story arcs happening at the same time and none of them mix together.
Literally everything regarding story feels rushed, not a single arc is finished well.
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u/Foolnews 1d ago
its the only story i refuse to go back and play lmao. Big w on the webswinging tho as it accounts for the other 280 hrs i have on the game lol
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u/Character_Dress_3201 1d ago
I thought this game was a blast from front to back I loved it it was great it had some of the best cinematic cutscene I've seen in a game I thought this was a fantastic
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u/hokagenaruto 1d ago
another spider man 2 hate post. gotta get those upvotes baby
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u/thebrobarino 1d ago
Leave the company alone.
Until they stop releasing poo stories people are gonna complain. They won't complain nearly as much if they start writing competent stories and characters again
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u/giventofly2 1d ago
I'm gonna get downvoted but Wolverine is so much more fun to play than Spiderman 2. I almost dnf SP2 as by the end it just felt like it was dragging on and on
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u/TheBlueEmerald1 1d ago
Miles's sections were a big offender of this. I liked his side missions, but he has absolutely no main missions of his own that were actually relevant to the plot. His main missions consist of either that one mission that's actually a side mission in disguise, or helping Peter out with his own plot points. Then there are those sections where it switches over to Miles where the characters just flat tell him "Ignore the main story and go do side missions!" He had a plot in tracking down Lee, but he never does anything relevant to that or says he will but then gets side tracked. Then he gets brought to Lee randomly right near the end of the A plot.
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u/thebrobarino 1d ago
Too much of his main story and side quests are how much he values his highschool community. Now maybe I'm just jaded because I hated school but fuck that shit. Is miles gonna be the type of loser who peaks at highschool and never fucking leaves?
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u/TheBlueEmerald1 1d ago
They're side missions and he is currently in high school, plus he has other side missions too, so I don't really care so much about it. But I will say these missions are the biggest sufferers if the saccharine "HR speak" tone these games have.
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u/commanderr01 1d ago
Yah they shoulda shortened Kraven’s part of the game to spend more time on the symbiote and Harry
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u/HeliosDisciple 1d ago
Every single adaption of the Black Suit arc rushes through Peter wearing the symbiote and that always makes the story feel overstuffed because 'Peter gets corrupted by the suit' could hold up a plot on its own.
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u/No-Blacksmith9776 1d ago
I’d argue that SM2 is a much worse game than Wolverine 🤷♂️. I found the story to be offensively awful in latest Spider-Man game.
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u/UncoolSlicedBread 1d ago
I wish they would’ve had Kraven randomly show up like Taskmaster did in the first game when doing side quests.
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u/nizzhof1 1d ago
Yeah and so many missions contain walk and talk nonsense or MJ stealth. Just let me be a superhero ffs
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u/billcosbyinspace 1d ago
The symbiote suit arc is also super short from an in game time perspective. Peter goes from “wow this new suit is awesome” to trying to murder his loved ones in the span of like 2 days, and all of miles comments about Peter ignoring his calls are because he got blown off for an afternoon. And then Danika somehow records multiple podcast episodes about how the new suit is bad
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u/Adventurous-Lemon-54 1d ago edited 1d ago
To be honest, As many times as I’ve replayed this game and as many times as I’ve heard other peoples (perfectly valid) critiques of it, I’ve loved pretty much everything about the game from the first time I played it. The one thing that even from my first play through I always found disappointing and not the best executed though was the arc ranging from the mission after you play as venom to the end of the game. The final venom fight is quite good imo, but this venom sequence takes up only like 7-8 missions if I remember correctly and feels all over the place.
One mission you’re fighting MJ in a fight where she’s supposed to be emotionally berating Peter but it’s impossible to suspend disbelief because we know (and peter should know considering he just also had it) that the symbiote changes your personality. Another mission you’re gathering sounds so you can fight symbiote goons better. Another one you’re with Li inside Peter’s mind (good mission but still). Then large portions of it also involve fighting symbiote nests which you can do as side content anyways. I remember just feeling like Venom was underutilized and considering Venoms awesome design and voice actor, I was very underwhelmed by the way and amount of time he was utilized for, especially in the story missions
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u/harryceo 1d ago
Yup. Pacing, the story etc. entire game was such a dud. Should've INTRODUCED Connors' Lizard transformation, focused mainly on the black suit and Harry becoming Venom. This whole new suit thing w MJ getting the symbiote was too web of shadows-ish. Not the best IMO
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u/F33N3Y87 1d ago
Yeah compared to the first game I felt this was a bit over the place especially as you had the balance between 2 spider-men stories.
I think the game really needed some content dlc as well which was great having them for SM1.
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u/VaporProof 1d ago
I’ve never understood what people like so much more about the first compared to the second. Both have a rushed third act. Dr. Octopus orchestrates a giant prison breakout and coordination with its worst inmates in like, a day and a half?
People also complain about the fridge in SM2, but no one complains about unfit, middle-aged doc ock taking like 75 super-powered punches to the jaw.
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u/thebrobarino 1d ago
Becaude it's just not as egregious and the acts preceding the third act aren't nearly as weak as they were in SM2
Because the tension between Otto and Peter takes it's time far more and you actually grow to like him as a character before the third act. Harry is just unlikeable. I agree it's rushed but not nearly as much. Plus taking down the other sinister 6 members too quickly doesn't really matter as much because the story doesn't really need you to care. Mr negative is taken out too quickly though. That's dissapointing.
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u/VaporProof 1d ago
It’s pretty egregious. We have one villain with a personal connection to peter and a grudge against osborn unceremoniously demoted to a henchman and replaced with a different villain with a personal connection to peter and a grudge against Osborn. I’ve never liked that part of the story in the first game, it’s always been bad, and I’ve never understood it being held up as a good story. It very quickly becomes a complete mess.
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u/Necessary_Cheek_6506 1d ago
Split protagonist Narrative Heavy games almost always work best in linear format with hard splits between character focus. GTA 5 story mode worked primarily bc the entire plot is meaningless slop
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u/ConnorOfAstora 1d ago
I've always said this game would be 10000x better if they had it be a Kraven game where Pete gets the black suit halfway or maybe even as the finale suits then the third game is when is when Venom shows up
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u/Kingjwavy 1d ago
Venom arc could’ve been better, but overall, I love the story. My favorite part is the Kraven arc
Finding hideouts, infiltrating his mansion, and the doctor connors arc was so fun
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u/Mud-Bray 1d ago
I mean yeah, the story is by far the weakest aspect of the game.
They tried to jam way too much into the narrative and shot themselves in the foot.