Cost vs length: All you need to know about Marvel's Spider-Man 2 debate

Marvel's Spider-Man 2 is easily the hottest release of 2023, especially for PlayStation users. However, as is the case with any major AAA games, Insomniac Games' latest open-world superhero title has become a massive topic of discussion among players, especially due to its runtime with respect to the asking price.

Even before the title's review embargo, rumors and leaks online suggested that the sequel to Marvel's Spider-Man (and Marvel's Spider-Man Miles Morales) isn't going to be a 100+ hours-long epic. Instead, it'll be a more condensed and focused experience, clocking in at roughly 15-17 hours.

Upon the game's recent release, players eventually found that to be true, with the main story taking around 15 to 20 hours to finish and a completionist run (getting the Platinum trophy) taking about 30 to 35 hours at best.

This sparked some controversy ahead of launch, especially due to the title's $70 asking price, which, for some, isn't justified for a game that lasts only 15 to 20 hours for a casual playthrough.

However, is Marvel's Spider-Man 2's short runtime really a bad thing, considering its premium asking price?

Note: This article is subjective and reflects the author's opinions.

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Marvel's Spider-Man 2's premium asking price, short runtime, and the debate surrounding it

The whole debate surrounding Marvel's Spider-Man 2's runtime started with online rumors that seemed to confirm that the highly anticipated sequel was going to be roughly 15 hours long. To put it into context, 15 hours is basically the same amount of time players took to complete the first Marvel's Spider-Man game's main story.

The rumors of the sequel's "brief" runtime were further cemented by a leaker on Reddit, who claimed that someone who got early access to the game was able to get the Platinum trophy for the title in about 30 hours of playtime. This was in line with the amount of playtime the Platinum trophy demanded for the previous two titles in the series.

However, if you just think for a split second, 30 hours for 100% completion of what is essentially a linear action-adventure game isn't too bad. In fact, many players like me would take a title that's filled with brief but quality content over a bloated open-world "grindfest."

Being someone who's currently working his way to the Platinum trophy for Marvel's Spider-Man 2 and has been playing the game on the hardest "Spectacular" difficulty, I can confirm that the game does offer plenty of content to justify its $70 price tag. So far, I've clocked in 40 hours in the game, with around 1/3rd of the time being spent simply just exploring the open world.

40 hours in, I'm having a great time simply exploring New York and collecting the final few trophies in Marvel's Spider-Man 2 (Image via Insomniac Games, PlayStation 5, Sportskeeda)

Similar to games like Red Dead Redemption 2, God of War (2018), Elden Ring, and even Final Fantasy 16, the fun of playing Marvel's Spider-Man 2 lies in the journey rather than the destination itself. Sure, you can crank the difficulty to the easiest preset, enable all the gameplay assists, and get through the entire story in less than 15 hours.

However, playing like that (unless you're a reviewer and are under very strict deadlines) isn't how the developers intended the game to be experienced. Naturally, it isn't a realistic benchmark for the gameplay experience of all players. While I personally don't like the $70 pricing of AAA games, there are a few exceptions that I'll happily let pass.

Much like God of War Ragnarok, The Legend of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom, and Final Fantasy 16 before it, Marvel's Spider-Man 2 is one such exceptional title. Yes, I would've preferred a slightly meatier story, but as it is, the sequel to Marvel's Spider-Man is a really well-written and engaging game, one that I, alongside many other players, am having a blast experiencing.

It might not be the next 100 hours-long role-playing epic, but Marvel's Spider-Man 2 is an excellent superhero action-adventure game, one that stands toe-to-toe with some of the greatest within the same genre.