Much to everyone's surprise, Sony's latest State of Play event unveiled an exciting gameplay trailer for Marvel's Spider-Man 2, the only first-party exclusive that's headed to the PlayStation 5 this holiday season - unless, of course, Sony shadow drops Horizon Forbidden West for the PS5.

Insomniac Games' much-anticipated sequel is the third installment in their best-selling Spider-Man series following the success of 2018's Marvel's Spider-Man and 2020's Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales.

Marvel's Spider-Man 2's latest trailer teased a plethora of new features and story elements. The vast open world of New York City, a fan-favorite, is now more than double its original size as it expands its boundaries to include both Brooklyn and Queens. This expansive cityscape will offer more room for web-swinging, an essential gameplay mechanic. All-new activities, storylines, and mission markers will be introduced organically, eliminating the need to constantly refer to the minimap. Fans of the series will appreciate this immersive upgrade, making the experience of web-swinging through the city streets and soaring between skyscrapers even more thrilling. But, perhaps most important of all is the inclusion of several more different Spider suits for players to choose from.

With a whopping 65 different Spider suits available, Marvel's Spider-Man 2 will spoil players for choice. These selections range from suits seen in comics and movies to original designs crafted by Insomniac Games. If we delve deeper into the customization, the all-new Suit Style system allows for alternate color styles for these suits. Combined with other tweaks and personal touches, players can craft over 200 unique looks for their Spider-Men.

Furthermore, the digital deluxe edition offers ten additional outfits. Peter gets the 25th Century, Apunkalyptic, Tactical, Aurantia, and Stone Monkey suits, while Miles will have access to the Tokusatsu, Encoded, Agimat, Red Spectre, and the Biomechanical designs. These exclusive suits, coupled with extra photo mode items, early unlocks, and the web grabber gadget, add value to the digital deluxe edition.

One of the game's standout suits, the black symbiote version, which has its roots in the Sam Raimi-directed Spider-Man 2, is set to play a significant role. Peter's experience with this black symbiote suit introduces new abilities and gameplay dynamics, creating a narrative parallel to his struggle with Venom, the alien parasite.

Finally, another impressive reveal is the game's enhanced character-switching system. Drawing inspiration from Grand Theft Auto V, players can now seamlessly toggle between the two protagonists, Peter Parker and Miles Morales, utilizing the PS5's ultra-fast SSD. This almost instantaneous switch ensures that players get a balanced experience of both Spider-Men and their unique abilities.

Narratively, Marvel's Spider-Man 2 promises to delve deeper into Spider-Man lore, introducing new villains along with a handful of fan favorites like Venom and Kraven the Hunter. There's even a tease for the appearance of Mysterio, adding another layer of intrigue. Additionally, other references, such as Jackson Weele's Big Wheel and the return of J. Jonah Jameson to The Daily Bugle, deepen the narrative roots of this sequel.

As the only first-party PS5 exclusive that's coming out this year - the oft-scapegoated Final Fantasy 16 doesn't count, in case you're wondering - Marvel's Spider-Man 2 carries a ton of expectations with it. But, from the earlier looks we've gotten so far, the mentor-mentee duo of Peter Parker and Miles Morales are more than up to the task. 

Whether it's because of its expansive open-world, dual-character gameplay dynamics, or the extensive customization options, Marvel's Spider-Man 2 seems poised to exceed fan expectations. 

With its upcoming release scheduled for October 20, Spider-Man fans won't have to wait too long to swing into action and dive into this epic superhero adventure. 

It's unclear if Marvel's Spider-Man 2 will still get a solo State of Play showcase ahead of its release. In any case, we do hope Sony will start restocking the Marvel's Spider-Man 2 themed consoles and DualSense controllers, which were immediately targeted by scalpers after being made available.

Aside from Marvel's Spider-Man 2, Sony used the September 2023 State of Play to shine the spotlight on Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, which now has an official release date and teased for an official PC port.