Teen-friendly superhero game is exciting and inclusive.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 13+?
Any Positive Content?
Violence & Scariness
some
Players use their fists, feet, web shooters, gadgets, and the environment to take out enemies, while said enemies use guns, their fists and feet, as well as explosives to stop you. This results in some bloodshed. There are illustrated images of a dead body, and someone being choked to death. Themes of dealing with grief.
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One of the two playable characters, Miles Morales, is Black and Puerto Rican American; he and his mom speak English and Spanish. Miles' best friend is Asian, while another good friend is a woman of color who's deaf, and she, Miles, and other characters converse using sign language. Miles also helps a South Asian male classmate ask a Black male classmate to the dance (he says yes!). One of Peter's ex-girlfriends mentions her new girlfriend. The game shows off the ethnic and cultural diversity of New York City in various ways. The game offers a wide variety of options for gamers who are disabled.
Sometimes you have to put yourself at risk for the greater good, or put other people's needs before your own. Sometimes, teamwork, and relying on someone else, is better than going it alone. Dealing with grief is also an important theme. Both Peter Parker and Miles Morales are still struggling with the deaths of people they loved, and they turn to other people for support.
Positive Role Models
some
The heroes of this game repeatedly put their lives on the line to save other people, while also helping those in need. Sometimes this requires them to inflict violence upon other people. The game features two versions of Spider-Man, they sometimes work together and are also there for each other emotionally.
Ease of Play
some
The game's controls will be familiar to people who played the previous games, while the opening scene serves as a comprehensive training exercise. The game has four difficulty options: "Friendly Neighborhood" (a.k.a. super easy), "Friendly" (easy), "Amazing" (normal), and "Spectacular" (hard).
Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know thatMarvel's Spider-Man 2 is the second in the action/adventure game series for PlayStation 5. The game is most suitable for teens and older as it includes violence, fighting and some language and drug-reference. Using his fists, feet, spider webs, gadgets, and the environment, Spider-Man beats up his enemies, who use guns, explosives, and their fists and feet to attack him. This sometimes results in light bloodshed, while the cutscenes show a dead body, and someone being choked to death. The dialog includes some swearing, like "ass" and "pr--k." Some enemies are shown with drugs in the trunk of their car, and trading drugs for guns. Overall, the game ranks high in diverse representation and inclusivity, with significant characters of different race and ethnicities, queer characters, and characters with disabilities.
Game includes stuff you would see in a Spider-Man game (punching, kicking, ect.) One of the crime missions shows people selling drugs. One cutscene features one of the main villains, Kraven The Hunter, getting his head bitten off by Venom, with some mild blood. The game also includes some swearing, with characters in the game using words such as ass, damn, and prick. This game features the 2 main protagonists (Miles Morales and Peter Parker) facing off famous Spider-Man villains such as Venom, Kraven The Hunter, The Lizard, Mysterio, ect. The appearance of Venom and The Lizard may scare some younger audiences. This game includes mentions of death, Peter Parker lost his Aunt May due to the Devil's Breath bioweapon (if you don't know what this is, play the first game.) Miles Morales also lost his father in a terrorist attack in City Hall. To sum it up: This game is a great game for your Marvel loving kids. If they have a PS5 and they love Marvel, you should get them this game.
What’s It About?
A sequel to both 2018's Marvel's Spider-Man and 2020's Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales, MARVEL'S SPIDER-MAN 2 has both of the friendly neighborhood wall-crawlers -- Peter Parker and Miles Morales -- fighting crime in New York City. When some new bad guys come to town, Peter and Miles have to combine forces to save the city. For players this involves swinging from skyscrapers, smacking tons of bad guys, solving situational problems, and using superpowers to save the day.
By keeping things close to what they did in the previous installments, this superhero action/adventure game ends up being just as much fun. A direct sequel to 2018's Marvel's Spider-Man and 2020's Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Marvel's Spider-Man 2 finds the original wall-crawler, Peter Parker, still mentoring his protégé, Miles Morales (the star of both his titular game and those Spider-Verse movies). When some iconic bad guys come to New York City -- and not to visit the city's many fine bookstores -- Peter and Miles must team up to save the city. Which they do by stopping crime, taking out bad guys, and helping those in need, even if they're pigeons.
What's different this time around is that you play as both Peter and Miles, who have the same basic abilities but some unique skills as well, including some ones that are helpful and fun to use. The action has also expanded from Manhattan into Queens and Brooklyn. While the core of this game -- swinging through the streets, and using acrobatics, your web shooters, and gadgets to defeat gangs of criminals -- feels the same as it did in the previous games, the expanded city and cool new moves make the fisticuffs feel fresh. It's why Marvel's Spider-Man 2 is yet another great adventure for our favorite wall-crawler (or should we say crawlers).
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about violence in Marvel's Spider-Man 2. Is the impact of the violence inthe game affected by the exaggerated comic book-styled visuals? Would a more realistic portrayal of action intensify the violence being shown? How can the violence in video games and comic books affect a younger audience?
Families can talk about teamwork. At various points in Marvel's Spider-Man 2, the original Spider-Man, Peter Parker, helps or mentors his protégé, Miles Morales. But Miles also sometimes helps Peter. Why is it important to offer help to people, and to accept help when it's offered? Why is teamwork an important character strength?
Families can talk about dealing with grief. In Marvel's Spider-Man 2, both Peter Parker and Miles Morales are still struggling with the deaths of people they loved, and they turn to other people for support. Why is it important to ask for help even when that help is emotional?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
suggesting a diversity update.
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
By Paul Semel
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
