Highlights

  • Marvel's Spider-Man 2 successfully integrates a variety of villains in a nuanced way, with surprises like Mysterio's boss fight being more complex than expected.
  • The game's most engaging antagonists can be found in side quests, such as the Chameleon's connection to Kraven and the exciting tease of Carnage with the Flame's side quest.
  • Sandman, teased in the original game, makes a huge impact as a set-piece opener for the sequel, providing a thrilling tutorial boss battle and an engaging side quest.

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 had a tall order in delivering fun villains after the original game had already debuted the Sinister Six, which included Doctor Octopus, Mr. Negative, Electro, Vulture, Scorpion, and Rhino. Of course, the first game had other villains as well, such as Kingpin, Tombstone, and Shocker, and somehow Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 was able to keep up with its quantity while also integrating each villain in a surprisingly nuanced way. Mysterio’s boss fight isn’t as straightforward as Quentin Beck being evil, for instance, and the Lizard is only an antagonist as Peter attempts to subdue and cure the wildly evolving creature.

Indeed, some of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2’s most engaging antagonists are found in side quests that are only marginally related to the main story. It is neat to learn the Chameleon’s lore-accurate connection to Kraven; the reveal that the Flame is Cletus Kasady is exciting as it hints at Carnage down the line; and Sandman makes a huge splash as the gigantic set-piece opener for the sequel. Sandman in particular was teased in the original game in a backpack collectible, and his appearance in the sequel doesn’t disappoint.

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Marvel’s Spider-Man 2’s Sandman is More Than a Stunning Tutorial Boss

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2’s Sandman Could’ve Simply Been a Terrific Tutorial Boss

There wasn’t a stronger way Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 could’ve opened than with a gargantuan Sandman tutorial boss, and all the events preceding and during it all work in harmony to make it a phenomenal and informative ride. First, players are reintroduced to open-world web-swinging, this time with an exhilarating helping of web-wing gliding. Players then swing and glide from island to island toward a whirling sandstorm that, when close enough, reveals itself to be Sandman himself towering high above nearby buildings as his boss health bar appears.

The spectacle of Sandman as a set-piece is outstanding on its own, but it also introduces players to a sand minion enemy type. The entire boss battle and tutorial sequence is tremendously long, lasting ~20 minutes as it teaches players basic mechanics and debuts Peter and Miles’ default abilities all while looking spectacular.

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2’s Sandman Side Quest is Surprisingly Engaging Thereafter

However, when the sand settles, the aftermath of this epic battle is felt immediately with Spider-Man making his way through sand-blanketed streets with the FDNY rescuing civilians. Players hear Flint Marko tease that Kraven is hunting him as he’s incarcerated, and though that easily could’ve been the last that players hear of Sandman, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2’s Marko’s Memories side quest follows an empathetic narrative for the character.

Revolving around Marko’s love for his daughter, Marko’s mind is fragmented and his memories are scattered in amber crystal deposits throughout the open-world New York City. Players can find these crystals by traversing the city and happening upon plumes of sand particles where groups of sand minions must first be defeated.

These enemy types don’t appear anywhere else outside the tutorial sequence and Marko’s Memories encounters, making them that much more fun to come across. Players learn that Marko hopes to keep his daughter safe, and Spider-Man later ensures that she is by the end of the quest.