4.5/5 ★ – blaze6106's review of Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales.

Insomniac's Spider-Man just slighlty edged out my personal game of the year award for 2018, narrowly beating out God of War. The story, visuals, characters, and most importantly combat, were all beyond my expectations. So it's no surprise that I was particularly excited for the new sequel/spin off Miles Morales. Picking up almost immediately after the end of the previous game, Miles Morales sees you swinging around the city as the titular character, Peter Parker by your side, attempting to escort a mysterious prisoner to The Raft. After a quick tutorial on basic combat, which feels almost identical to the previous game, you face off against this prisoner and are introduced to one of the main two new mechanics of the game, Venom Attacks. Miles' Spider-Man is none for his unique additional abilities, Bio-Electricty and Cloaking. Early in the game you can harness this Bio-Electricty into Venom Attacks that full Miles' fist with electricity, stunning foes and exposing certain enemy types. These attacks aren't particularly numerous, but they do add some variety to a combat system that was already pretty varied. Gadgets, suit mods, and visor mods all also make returns. There are fewer gadgets this time around, but the new Holo drone on remote gadgets got more use from me than many of the gadgets on the first game. Mods this time around seem to favor Venom or Cloaking upgrades, which makes sense considering these new abilities are often at the forefront of the game. Speaking of Cloaking, it's inclusion makes stealth more viable and more fun. With a simple button press Miles can instantly disappear for a short time, leaving enemies confused as you dispatch them one by one. Web striking in front of a group of guards and then darting away to the rafters with them none the wiser is an incredible feeling. Using remote mines and holo drones to amplify your stealth scenarios make each encounter unique and exciting, even if you aren't partaking in the main combat system. Combat is far from the only hook of Miles Morales though. The characters of this world are just as richly detailed as the ones from the first one, and often times even more so. From the inclusions of a deaf girl speaking to Miles in sign language to a heavy emphasis on Puerta Rican culture, Miles Morales delivers wonderful characters and moments for all types of people. The two leads, Miles and Phin, often steal the show. There's a plot twist set up very early on that seems like it could drag a long mystery our for a while, but thankfully it is revealed quickly and we get to see the dynamics of these two characters play out throughout the course of the game. Great performances from both of them add believability and empathy to their stories and history. Even supporting characters like Ganke and Miles' Uncle Aaron Davis get some nice character moments. The story itself is never particularly shocking or surprising and much like it's predecessor, the real draw is in the character drama and relationships. None of these are quite as strong as the relationships between Otto and Peter or Peter and MJ from the first game, but they work well enough to carry the story through. It's never bad, just a serviceable Spider-Man story saying the things that these stories always say. On a technical level, Miles Morales looks and sounds outstanding. The lightning is gorgeous, character models are well detailed, and the sounds of New York come to life like never before. It's so easy to get lost in just swinging and enjoying the sights. More people than ever flood the streets and reflections shine in the buildings. Load times are unbelievable, with fast travel points having no load screen at all. The game never stutters no matter how much is happening or how crazy it gets. I can't even imagine how developers will push this generation in the future. Miles Morales is a perfect continuation of Insomniac's work in the Spider-Man universe. While it's not nearly as long as the first game, it's packed with great characters, an improved combat system, and sights and sounds to show off that true next gen tech. I loved my time swinging around New York and honestly can't wait to get back to it to clean up the remaining side missions (which feel much more "neighborhood" than before). If Miles Morales is and indication of the future of PS5 and Insomniac's Marvel universe, then we have a lot to look forward to.