 Hello, I'm Dr. Skipper and I'll be talking about Miles Morales. Before you watch this video, let's set some ground rules. When looking at this video's length, it's pretty obvious I won't be writing a thesis paper but I do take pride in being able to express my feelings in a short amount of time. When it comes to superhero games, Spider-Man 2018 is one of my favorites. I have a strong emotional connection to the game so when I heard the announcement of Miles Morales, I was worried because of my PTSD from Ubisoft. This is most prevalent with the copy-paste Assassin's Creed games. So when I heard that Miles was getting his own game, I was optimistic but nervous. And after playing the game and finishing all his side content, I still remained confident with how Insomnia handles the Spider-Man license. And I could also say that this game doesn't deserve to be uttered in the same sentence with Assassin's Creed. I should also state that I find pride in being truthful. While I have a lot of kind words when it comes to Spider-Man 2018, I could tell you the flaws and criticisms and I'll be doing the same with Miles Morales. Miles Morales is in a sequel to Spider-Man 2018. If you approach the game as a sequel, you're setting yourself up for failure. This isn't Spider-Man 2, this is Spider-Man Miles Morales. When looking at this game, I saw it resembling a lot to the formula of Spider-Man 2018. The resemblance is that both games are sent around a Spider-Man protagonist who has to conquer obstacles on their own journey. In Spider-Man 2018, you follow and experience Peter with Miles as a side character. And in Miles Morales, you follow and adapt Miles with Peter as a side character and mentor. Miles and Peter are two different characters with two different stories. Peter Parker is an experienced Spider-Man that struggles balancing his life and hero work when a danger emerges he's pushed to his limits. Or Miles is an inexperienced rookie that struggles to find his own identity while also having to learn independence. In the first hero, you see these character differences in the swinging animations. Full of the exaggerated swagger of a black team. Yes, I know this is a meme, but Miles' swinging is still pretty kickass. Miles' swinging is fluent in sporadic, solidifying the immersion of an inexperienced Spider-Man while also displaying that Miles is a young teen with flair. Most of the animations have Miles swinging backwards while being confused in his motions where Peter is more tight and confident within his swinging. Since we're on about swinging, I should discuss the technical aspects of the game. I played through Miles Morales on PS4 and it was clear that the game was intended for PS5. Few at some point are planning on getting a PS5 or I recommend you wait until then to play the game. On the PS4, the game is still visually pretty, but it's at its best on the PlayStation 5. For those playing on PS4 though, I'll state you aren't the only one experiencing frame drops and setters time to time. But I wasn't too surprised though since the game was designed for next-gen. And by looking at the PS5 footage, it's really, really pretty. Insomniac's intention was to create individuality between Miles and Peter and this is prevalent in the soundtrack. Where 2018's soundtrack was composed with symphony, Miles Morales' soundtrack is more modern using beats composed of fast hi-hats and kicks that you find in most urban music. Music is subjective of course, but being an American 18-year-old that's into music hearing modern instrumentals was extremely pleasant. Swinging to beats that most cultured young people will find relatable and entertaining. Also, Jane Smith and Kid Cuddy? Nice work Insomniac. Earlier I stated this game isn't a part 2 and that may cause issues for some players. I love Spider-Man 2018 mostly because of how unique it felt. And while I still had a lot of fun playing Miles Morales, I wouldn't disagree if anybody was to state that the game felt repetitive with less content. No matter what, at the end of the day you're still a Spider-Man in New York so I understand why you might be on the fence about spending your own money. Especially spending your own money when you can play its better counterpart that's been out for two years. Like I said, I'm not gonna bullshit. This game doesn't have the same amount of content as Spider-Man 2018. You don't have as many gadgets, customization options, side quests, and the only change of scenery is the environment. This also applies to the combat. At the end of the day you'll be punching and dodging just like the original game but I found handicapping some features to be interesting. Also the animations for the finishers were gorgeous. In Spider-Man 2018 it makes sense that Peter uses gadgets due to him having eight years of experience. And where you can make smart plays with the gadgets it definitely made some encounters easier. Miles doesn't have the same amazing gadgets as Peter and while making sense I also prefer it when playing as Miles. Instead, Miles gets an electricity mechanic called Venom. Venom refills instead of a stamina bar and can be used against weak points on certain enemy types and through the game you learn a variety of tactics that involve Venom. The mechanic is also used for puzzles that involve electricity. But mentioning the enemy types you play against two factions called the Underground and Roxanne. Both factions have unique enemy types and forms of combat. The game also has an interesting spin on side quests. You can do simple things such as collecting time capsules, sampling sounds for beats, doing training missions assigned by Peter, and dominating faction strongholds. But since Miles is a hip hoppy team it also makes sense that he would have his own app for side missions. And when speaking about the side missions I should not talk about the game's story. Other people are beloved due to how much they could vary. Unlike the stands of people who bitch and whine when something isn't copping and paced I find different struggles of Spider-Men to be interesting. Spider-Man 2018 stood out because it was a 24 year old Peter who's been Spider-Man for 8 years and that was a change of pace. And only recently Miles Morales became solidified due to the Spiderverse. And by the titles video you saw this coming but the closest thing relating to Spider-Man Miles Morales is Spider-Man Homecoming. I should state that I like Spider-Man Homecoming but I think Miles Morales does everything better. From the mentor, motivations, character building, and even the fat Asian best friend. For real though, Genki makes technology and helps out where Ned just swatches porn and plays video games. Both Peter and Miles are teenagers who look up to people they admire while also having issues of their own identity. But Miles Morales handles the subject 10 times better. The game starts with Miles making a mistake and having no confidence and after said mistake Peter tells them that it's okay and leaves for two weeks making Miles independent. Off the start, Peter is a better mentor than Iron Man because Peter is forgiving and patient due to him being able to relate to Miles and has trusted him knowing that he needs to make mistakes to become his true self. Iron Man was always a shitty mentor and Homecoming made it seem as if he was in the right and that never sat well with me. Iron Man was controlling and didn't let Peter advance to his true potential also putting everything in his lap. When Peter Parker messes up with good intentions Iron Man scolds him for doing something instead of doing nothing and when Peter expresses that he wanted to be a hero Iron Man takes the suit back. And when Miles messes up Peter tells him that at the end of the day he had good intentions and that it took him eight years to figure things out and gives him a shitty suit with hologram lessons to train and make him better. Instead of just being an asshole he gives Miles space to learn on his own while also showing investment by giving tips and pointers. Miles idolizes Peter because Peter is a great mentor and a great person so when Peter is gone there's a lot of pressure on Miles' shoulders to fill those shoes. But in Homecoming Peter never felt impacted by his mentor because his mentor was a fucking asshole who never called him back or helped him progress. And Iron Man was never pressed or called out in this situation. Peter's constant need of attention from his mentor handicapped his narrative because it felt that being a mentor student movie would also want it to be a let's save the neighborhood movie causing both aspects to be 50%. When Peter leaves New York and Spider-Man Miles Morales a new group of bad guys show up and Miles has to learn to be his own Spider-Man to protect his town. Peter Parker in Homecoming barely give a fuck about his town. He does some swinging in the beginning and his favorite sandwich shot blows up then he just fucks off and still claims that he cares about his town. Through cutscenes and side quests Miles interacts with the people in his community a lot. From saving cats to putting out fires and catching pigeons you could tell that Miles cares about the people on the ground so him taking in a bomb feels genuine or Peter caring about his town just feels like bullshit. Peter's motivations are to prove himself to Tony Stark and all that shows that he could be Spider-Man without a fancy suit. When Miles jumps off the roof in Spider-Verse that represents Miles accepting that he could be a hero. And when Miles makes a suit in this game that represents that he's coming to the acceptance that he's not Peter Parker but he's still Spider-Man. Not only does he have to be greater but he has to also be himself. You gotta be me. Yeah you do. And when Peter lifts the debris off of him it shows that he doesn't need a suit to be Spider-Man but doesn't have the same impact as the other two because the following actions later don't deliver. Peter at the end of the day stops the vulture to prove a point but the events after still don't solidify it. So when Peter goes to space because he wants to save the neighborhood it doesn't feel impactful. Because he did the things he did to prove a point that he doesn't need a fancy suit to be Spider-Man to then just get it in the next movie. And when Far From Home questions who's gonna be the next Iron Man you realize that Peter isn't even fully Spider-Man. And instead of continuing this they just give him a vacation. Miles has to step up to the mantle of Spider-Man by himself while the world compares him to the original. No matter what Miles does he's always immune and vulnerable. And when he's put into a situation of stress and danger he's pressured to quit and hide by his uncle to then remember that he made an oath to Peter to protect his city. And when at a crossroad Miles chooses to be greater than those in his family. Even when his best friend wants justice and has potential to harm others Miles is torn between his family and doing the right thing. Miles cares about his family, he cares about his town, he struggles with exception and confidence, he struggles by wanting to be Peter instead of being himself and when left with a seat in his hands he has to resolve these in order to be greater. Peter Park and the MCU is still Spider-Man but Miles is a better hero and a better person. Making him a better Spider-Man. The pacing of this game is also extremely fast throwing Miles into the fire causing him to adapt and face these challenges quickly. Or some can see this pace as being an issue I enjoyed it due to the game's narrative. Overall Miles Morales is a great expansion to the first game with a great message and purpose. But be aware this game isn't anywhere near as depth or polished to the first game. So if you're hesitant to pay $50 for an expansion I don't blame you. But for what it is, Insomniac you did a great job at making Miles a true Spider-Man for the next game. Having both of them now gone through a journey allowing them to be able to step up to the plate for what's in store for the future. But for real though, thanks to everybody's watching the video. If you had all enjoyed any part of this video it would be helpful to subscribe. I don't know, I'm still kind of in this thing kind of new and any support's good. Also if you liked it, please let me know your thoughts down below. Also like the video, goodbye.