I've been playing the PC version of this Spider-Man game for almost a month now, and despite the fact that the web-slinging has gotten a lot more impressive thanks to the new animations, it's been a real struggle for me to get through the game.

Not to mention, the game's New York City is now several blocks bigger, so they've had to introduce web-slinging wings just to get across the river.

Overall, the gameplay component of the battles has remained pretty much the same, except now players rely more on their regenerating abilities, so the number of gadgets has decreased significantly, and costumes no longer have their own abilities.

To mix things up, mostly in battles with bosses, the game has introduced a parrying system.

And now we get to the not-so-sweet part – the storyline. I'll be honest, I'm one of those people who was waiting for the game specifically because of Venom, since the alien symbiote raises some dark questions about Peter's personality. Given the dark ending of the first part, I was curious to see how the moral dilemma would play out, considering who's carrying the symbiote and the fact that without it, he can't survive.

But let's not forget, this is a story about two spiders, and we've got Miles, who saves the day at the right moment, and from his few problems, there's his college essay, his mom, and her new husband.

Let's be real, the only time I'd have liked to see Martin Lee show up was in the background, but he's front and center at the start and middle of the game, and he's got it in for Miles, saying Morales isn't worthy of being Spider-Man. But Miles already solved that problem in his own game, so...

The rest of his story missions are pretty secondary, and even Peter's whole 'educating the next generation of superheroes' thing is more about his friend Harry Osborn than Miles. It's the second game in a row that Peter's ignored Miles' Spider-Man, by the way.

I've got different answers to the question of why Miles is even in the game, but the most obvious one is just 'it's a plot point.' But there are other reasons, like how it lets Peter just be Peter, and that's actually pretty cool when it comes to the MJ date scene. But then there's the way they handled it in the final scene...

And let's not forget Mary Jane, who the internet had a field day with, design-wise. I'm not exactly thrilled with Peter's design either, but I didn't hate MJ's like I did in the first game. And remember how everyone hated her stealth missions in the first game? Well, they're back, but now with the web-shooter, they're way more mobile. But why give the standard enemy 10 webs when you could just use MJ's gun?

I've got to say, the symbiote costume looks pretty sweet, and it's hilarious to see how it affects Peter. Sometimes his lines come out pretty comical, even though the creators were trying to show off his new personality.

I've gotta say, the real game-changer here is how the costume levels the playing field between Peter and Miles. At the start of the game, Miles' electric powers are way more effective, like when we're taking down the sand people, while Peter's mechanical arms are just okay.

To be honest, the storyline in the second Spider-Man game is a bit of a mixed bag, and the gameplay, in my opinion, is better in this one. But I'd rather play the first game, even if it's not perfect, than deal with the face-palming moments from the storyline in the second one, getting distracted by the web-slinging and combat. Spider-Man (2018)

Spider-Man: Miles Morales