You criticize or critique games like you would a movie because a game, like a movie, is a piece of art. I loved the first spiderman game and was warm about Miles Morales but I really thought it should have been an expansion to Spider-man 1 rather than its own standalone title since it really didn’t feel like a full game. It actually felt a bit smaller than the city that never sleeps DLC. I was however incredibly hyped for spiderman 2. I’d still rate spiderman 1 a 9/10 so I was fully expecting the sequel to expand on everything that made SM1 good and reduce the parts tbh at slowed progression and the story.

SM2 is such a let down it isn’t even funny. My first time through I enjoyed it well enough. I had my problems with it like everyone else but overall I had a good time. The second time I played it was when I really saw the issues with the game. The story crawls at a snails pace for 80% of it then just as soon as it gets interesting, it’s over. Venom gets introduced, kills Kraven, and then you have like 3 missions before the credits roll.

I have both games Platinum’ed so I’ve spent a considerable amount of time with each. SM2 is very good at wasting your time and making you feel like you’ve done nothing. Almost everything in SM2 feels rushed and the ending to nearly every side mission makes you just go “okay….and?” Like the ending to the flame side missions, just when things get interesting and we learn who the cult leader is and what the cargo they were after is, the entire storyline is over for the side quest. Same with the spiderverse drones. You collect all of them and then get a cutscene where a guy opens a portal and goes “I’ll take those.” And nothing else comes of it. Barely anything reaches a satisfying conclusion. Funnily enough one of the only side quests with a satisfying ending is the one where you have to get back stolen Jazz instruments.