By Michael Bald
Entertainment Editor

Graphic by Michael Bald

Have you ever gone on a vacation with people you love and had so much fun that you decided to do it again the next year and recapture the same magic? Well, that’s what the new PS5 video game “Spider-Man: Miles Morales,” attempted to do. Did they do it? For the most part, yes, yes they did.
The story takes place a couple months after the previous game, “Spider-Man PS4,” and Miles Morales teams up with Peter Parker to help take care of crime around the city. When Peter leaves New York for a while, it’s up to Miles to keep the city safe from a new threat.
When I say Insomniac Games captures the magic of the first game, that’s not without its faults. The game story borrows heavily from the first one. There are similar plot twists and overall story structure, too. It was easy to see where the story was headed, and I was shocked at how fast I finished the story considering I only owned it for a day and spent little time on it.
It could be argued the first game had a predictable story, but since it relies on you knowing Spider-Man’s canon, you were more emotionally invested because you knew what was to become of certain characters. Since Miles Morales is a newer character to many, his storyline, while well done, didn’t have the same investment quality the first did.
Not only did it borrow story elements from the first game, but also the game play and the map. Miles has different abilities from Peter, of course, but the map has nothing new. That may be why I beat it so quickly. The only difference being it takes place around Christmas with snow everywhere.
However, since the last game was essentially a perfect game, why wouldn’t you copy its success? It’s like getting a cinnamon roll from Cinnabon. You know it’s going to be great every time you go, so why try some place new? While it’s the same controls and could come across as lazy on the developers, it’s still a blast to play. I could spend hours swinging around New York alone.
Miles Morales is also an extremely lovable character. He had an underdog feel to him with the voice actor’s talents and the details the developers added to him. For example, whenever he swings around New York, he is sometimes spinning around because he lost momentum swinging. Or whenever he lands somewhere, he can sometimes face plant; lose his balance and gain it back; or perfectly stick the landing. It does a great job of showing Miles as a vulnerable hero.
The powers given to Miles are also something to behold. He has an ability to control electricity and that lends itself to awesome capabilities such as electrical punches, shocks and explosions. Capable of knocking out enemies in a matter of seconds.
Side missions that are included are also very fun and could lead to possible stories in future installments.
“Spider-Man: Miles Morales,” while clunky in some aspects, is a testament to Insomniac Games and their respect for the character and world of Spider-Man. Let’s hope they can top themselves with the next one because I need a sequel!