If Marvel's Spider-Man (2016) innovated the formula and Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales (2018) refined it, then Marvel's Spider-Man 2, out now on PS5, surely perfected it. As stated in our review, the game is cut from the same stencil as its predecessors, but that's not a flaw; that's just a statement on how good the first game has been to begin with.
The best parts of Spider-Man 2 are self-evident: the tight controls, the feel of the web-swinging, the visceral feel of the combat—you can almost see the "THWACK" that would accompany each hit if this were a comic book. But the fan service, from the numerous Easter eggs to the callbacks and inside jokes for die-hard Spidey fans to pore over, is also on point and ensures that you feel like Spider-Man in addition to moving like him.
We platinumed the game and found the 21 best Easter eggs and references for gamers to enjoy. We’ve also broken down those mid- and end credit sequences. It goes without saying: Spoilers ahead! You've been warned.
1. Man of the People
When you're surrounded by enemies, you press SQUARE to attack. But if you're surrounded by civilians, SQUARE is how you say hello and greet people (Miles will even salsa dance!). New Yorkers will take notice and interact with you in interesting ways. Give it a try.
2. Pointing Meme
Sometimes, when you're fighting a street-level crime, the other Spider-Man will swing in and help you out. And if you go up to him after the fight is over, you can re-enact the Spidey pointing meme.
3. Sanctum Sanctorum
You can visit Dr. Strange and Wong's Sanctum Sanctorum. It's located in Greenwich, a few clicks southeast of Washington Square Park.
4. Wolverine Costume
One of the unlockable costumes in Spider-Man 2 lets Miles Morales dress up as Wolverine, with the classic yellow tights and everything. To access it, you first have to reach Level 52 Experience. Then, you can unlock it using City Tokens and Tech Parts. Insomniac Games is currently developing Marvel's Wolverine for the PS5 console.
5. Wakanda Forever
If you visit the Wakanda embassy (southeast of Central Park), you can stand at the front door and give a 'Wakanda Forever' salute. RIP to the incomparable Chadwick Boseman.
6. Forever Costume
Speaking of Black Panther, Miles can also wear a Panther suit while slinging through the city. It unlocks at Level 26 experience.
7. Fantastic Four
At the southwestern corner of Central Park, you'll find the Baxter Building, the headquarters of the Fantastic Four. If you go on the roof, the iconic symbol is partially painted on. Does this foreshadow a future game in development?
8. Stan Lee Statue
In the first Spider-Man game, Mick's Diner was a key location where MJ and Peter talked out their relationship. It also featured one of Stan Lee's last cameos. In Spider-Man: Miles Morales, the developers changed the front of the store to include a bronze Stan Lee statue. If you go to the same location in Spider-Man 2, the statue is still there.
9. Nathan's Famous
You can now visit Brooklyn and Queens in addition to Manhattan, which means that you can visit new landmarks. Definitely check out the southeast corner of Brooklyn, where you can find the famous Coney Island amusement park rides, including the Cyclone, the Wonder Wheel, and the Parachute Jump Tower. If you explore the nearby area, you can also find the original Nathan's Famous hot dog stand. It's renamed, of course, but you can tell what it is from its design and placement.
10. Run the Bases
South of the amusement park, you can also find the Brooklyn Cyclones' baseball stadium. Get on the field and run the bases to earn a trophy!
11. Visit Phin
If you're in a somber mood, you can go visit the graves of your loved ones. They're all buried in the cemetery north of Harlem. First up is Phin Mason, aka The Tinkerer from the second game, and her father, Rick Mason. Appropriately, their graves look fresher than the surrounding ones.
12. Visit Jefferson
You can also visit Jefferson Davis, Miles' father, in the same cemetery. His headstone reads, "Beloved husband and father."
13. Visit May
Lastly, you can visit Peter's Uncle Ben and Aunt May. Try visiting the different graves as both Miles and Peter; you'll get unique dialogue depending on who you're controlling.
14. The Trickiest Trophy
The most difficult-to-earn trophy is "Don't Let Go," which requires you to find the science trophy that Miles and Phin won together. It's still where you last left it at the end of Spider-Man: Miles Morales, on the roof of the Trinity Church. It's in the Financial District, in the bottom-middle of the map.
15. Scream
The symbiote hybrid that MJ transforms into near the end of the game is Scream. In the comics, Scream is one of the Venom symbiote's offspring, which most notably bonded with Donna Diego, a mercenary. The Venom symbiote has multiple offspring, which in addition to Scream also includes Agony, Phage, Riot, Lasher, and Carnage (more on that in a bit), just to name a few.
16. Delilah
The Spiderbot collection mission ends with Delilah taking all the bots through a portal. Delilah is a cut character from the Spider-Verse films. In the comics, she's a high-level assassin that was going to be a bartender at a supervillain hangout. The "Miguel" that she namedrops is Miguel O'Hara, also known as Spider-Man 2099.
17. Chameleon
The Chameleon is Kraven's half-brother, and we get a brief glimpse of him spying on Spider-Man from a nearby rooftop. A possible tease for an upcoming DLC, perhaps?
18. Cletus Kasady
The cult leader of "The Flame" turns out to be a redheaded man with a very infamous alias: Cletus Kasady. In the comics, Kasady is an insane criminal who bonds with Venom's offspring to become Carnage. Since Kasady absconds with a Symbiote at the end of his sidequest, it's pretty clear where this plot thread is leading.
19. Get the G-Serum Ready
When Harry ends up in a vegetative state at the end of the game, Norman Osborn gets on his phone and yells, "Get the G-Serum ready." This is a shorthand reference to the Goblin Serum, which gives the powers of Green Goblin to Norman Osborn in the comics. So we could be getting Norman Osborn as the Goblin, or Harry Osborn as the Goblin, or both.
20. The Final Chapter
In the mid-credits sequence, Norman visits Otto in jail, and Otto says that he's working on "The Final Chapter." If that isn't the indication of a third Spider-Man game on the way, then I don't know what is. The developers have confirmed as much; Bryan Intihar said in an interview with Skill Up: "If Spider-Man 1 was like our Iron Man, and Spider-Man 2 was like a Civil War… where logically do we go from there? I think it would be pretty epic."
21. Cindy Moon
The end credits scene shows that Miles' mom Rio is dating a man named Albert Moon, and he also brought his daughter with him: a girl named Cindy. In the comics, Cindy Moon is better known as Silk, another spider-powered superhero who was bitten by the same radioactive spider that bit Peter.
