Spider-Man 2's Best Side Mission Has Been Nominated for an Award

Bravo to Insomniac.

Honestly? I thought this mission was dreadfully boring. 😅

However I respect what they were going for with it. It wasn't the worst side quest in the game and it was a neat idea. It just wasn't executed in a very interesting way to me. Still congrats on the nomination.

I liked it, but it wasn't the best IMO. Howard or Grandpa Earl ftw

Probably about the worst side quest in the game. Don't get me wrong, as a 5-10 minute long optional activity it hardly "ruins" the game by any stretch of the imagination, but it's the one time I kinda felt like the studio's desire to be inclusive kinda got in the way of being a "Spider-Man" game (for the record, I thought the Visions Academy & Museum quest lines were much better at melding inclusive elements to IP relevant gameplay).

The biggest issue is that it's simply boring, given it's literally just the most basic iteration of "Sony Cinematic Ledge Platforming™" possible interspersed with an occasional "mini game" segment which barely counts as such (I remember the graffiti segments in InFamous Second Son to be more involved?). Elsewhere it seems pretty much completely removed from the IP. Hailey isn't historically relevant to the IP like MJ (IIRC she was invented for this universe), and it doesn't lead into Miles having to do anything as Spider-Man, so it just feels so removed from the IP, even as far as side content goes.

Again, it hardly ruins the game though, as it's only a 10 minute commitment at most in a near 20 hour game (I actually think I took closer to 30, lol).

I enjoyed the uniqueness of the side quest, but sadly my memory goes to taking 15 minutes to figure out I need to stand on an elevator and throw a rock at a button to proceed.

Just off to go write a 900 word essay on why actually this is bad instead of touching grass.

@nessisonett that's the (internet) spirit!

It's cool and all for it's representation, but it definitely wasn't 'the best mission'. It was incredibly boring for the same reason that the MJ missions were boring. It's a Spiderman game. Who actually wants to get taken away from being Spiderman to walk around being bored.

I understand its importance for representation but the quest itself was probably the most boring out of the whole game.

I liked the side quest, it was neat little distraction from everything else in the game.

It was a fine side quest. But for me, the best was by far the Howard mission. We all knew how it would end, but it didn't make it any less beautiful. The music as I was flying through New York with the birds. I absolutely teared up at the end.

@heyalright Yeah they were far better when it was only just straight white dudes and girls with big boobs who look like anime dolls 🙄🙄🙄

Absolutely loved that she was included in the main cast and that they used sign language numerous times for dialogue, but that mission was so unnecessary and boring.

The Flame, Missing Grandpa and Howard were three of my favourites.

Graffiti In Trouble was a nice/different addition, but I don’t think it would even make my top 10.

In my opinion, the side quest where you had to lead the pigeons to a new home in Queens was the best - easily a tearjerker

@DennisReynolds Big boobs make everything better though.

I take it back. I totally agree. This is the best mission in the game. Actually, this is my favourite mission in any game. Ever. It should win every single award. Anybody who loves this mission has perfect taste.

@Texan_Survivor very well said. I agree 100 percent

Not the "best side quest in the game" but I like what they did with it. Also, I just came here for the comments lol.

@Texan_Survivor I mean, you could've skipped it if this is how you feel. And if this is how you feel and you didn't skip it then that's on you lol.

It's funny, I was literally playing through this mission, bored out of my mind, and thought to myself "well, this mission exists solely to boost ESG scores" And here we are where it's literally winning awards lol.

This might sound a little blackpilled but I genuinely don't believe stuff like this gets added for "representation". And if it does it's merely an afterthought. No, it primarily gets added to look good to the right people. Case in point. Because we all know that actual gamers don't want to sit through boring, mind numbing "gameplay" sections such as these. They just don't

Thought this was a genuinely great mission that provided intrigue and value, rather then trying ram something down the player's throat, or fit a square peg in a round hole.

Think it deserves the recognition, even it wasn't the "best" from a gameplay perspective.

There were a couple missions in the game that were award-bait.

no offense but this mission was terrible like all missions where you take it slow as a normal human doing mundane things (which this game had waay too much of) the only mission that did it right (as far as i can remember) is the miles side mission of helping the blind lady find out what was haunting her backyard - i still got to be spider-man.

way to chug at peoples emotions though insomniac

I didnt love it but I hear where they are coming from.................................................................

@RR529 I think you and the others that are commenting it wasn't that good are missing the point of the nominations. It's not saying it was the best side quest of the game. Its for what it represents.

Interesting not heard of this one as someone that hasn't played it but didn't come across it with those that are playing it. I mean for a small segment of the game sure..... Infamous Second Son's use of the Dualshock 4 for spray paint missions were great to use the gyro for. Also Insomniac can do it for Spiderman 2 (if that's how it works, it may be different and just the Haptics/Triggers not gyro who knows) but not Rift Apart weapon aiming? WTF?

I don't care for emotion/whatever situations as much. Audio wise/more it's cool but I mean themes/'actually' doing something I mean it's hard to agree on the gameplay front it being exciting besides the themes/story aspects of it being the focus. It's always story/themes but when better dialogue or moments I assume exist in the game they will likely overshadow this side missions for others with more exciting characters, funny moments and more not always touching ones getting awards.

I mean inclusion is fine but I can play the Quiet Man (oops can't talk about that game that flopped can I? Did it get a representation award Journos? Or was it too early for that award to be a thing which if it was then understandable but still, hmmmmmmmmmmm) as well too and that's a whole game about being deaf, or Infamous Second Son's spray paint missions or maybe some OG Xbox games with some graffiti or other culture.

I have no issue with representation especially for the deaf/motor unable and more but a side mission getting an award for this brief moment while it's cool, still I mean like come on.

I always thought a book about someone deaf/someone using headphones with music a lot or some sort of dynamic (not defined it much yet it was only an idea I had and never much more) and whatever events from there would be cool whether action or slice of life focused not sure but I wouldn't make it a big deal of 'look inclusion' just I think the dynamic is cool besides the well interesting character perspectives to cover. Not to push messages, emotion or other things people like to do. I like characters with interesting quirks, games with interesting gameplay. That's it. Just like any superhero comic likely has different character's powers let alone location/whatever other differences for their regular life.

I only liked the Radar, ground pound and laser missions in SM2018, besides the lab puzzles, the rest were pretty gameplay and otherwise average at best. Yes I'm a gameplay person and if the gameplay is fun and the themes are fine sure. I don't need gameplay matches story, that doesn't matter to me.

This spray paint thing gives me Infamous Second Son vibes and I loved those side missions (they were fun, actually made me go oh this feels more like Delsin then the story missions did and I only cared to play it for the side missions spray paint, camera hiding and more, Spiderman I got bored with more than Infamous Second Son where I finished it, I haven't Spiderman 2018) but seeing as Journos will go the emotional/themes/other factors not surprised.

Like being Spiderman is more exciting, the 'relatable' human stuff is fine but even still eh. Power fulfillment isn't everything I get that but I mean I already don't care about open worlds as it is because of boring missions 'any character' could do so when a game has stand out stuff I care. Let alone generic characters/college dropout looking character designs (paraphrasing/quoting Scott the Woz).

Aka why the Sunset Overdrive tower defence areas were more exciting, towers, shooting and grinding on rails. Yes the areas don't move or do much but I don't expect that really here even if it would have been cool but they aren't moving landmass.

I'd do them over and over then outposts because the 'towers' are more fun then stealth/whatever take downs and waves the outpost way, it's 'different' it's not playable anywhere else, doing the Spiderman like moveset stuff is exciting then whatever stealth/walking around doing things any other game can/any other character can gameplay wise, similar idea, more exciting.

Also as not all have a Far Cry use an animal or other exciting methods, many outposts aren't the most fun combat puzzles ever.

Great stuff, easily a top 5 non story mission for me.

Really? The best? People buy spider-man games to play as spider-man, not play as some random guys or girls I think.

This is why gamers are leaving gaming website and goes to youtube for their gaming news.

I loved this mission, one of the side missions that were a step above the first game's. It caught me by surprise and I was humbled by the way it gave me a glimpse of how the world is perceived as a deaf person. Plus we got to play as one of the coolest characters for me, Hailey!

I thought giving the lonely blind old lady a violently dangerous, reprogrammed robot dog was pretty cool.

Clickbaiting title at it's finest. Good side mission? Yes. The best? Far from it.

@RR529 I agree and loving the inuyasha and kagome profile pic 😉

@Discol76 So you all only read headlines and move on. The amount of people doing this without reading the actual article is well.......disappointing lol

@Skeletor85 Read the article🙈

Edited to appease the heavy handed mods...

This mission was far from the best as the headline states. From a gameplay and story perspective, IMO, it was poor. Same goes for most of the Vision Academy missions. Other than The Flame and the Howard mission, I think the majority of side missions in this game were pretty poor. Sprinkling forced OTT positivity (Hailey becoming BFFs with the graffiti artist / vandal), representation and Change the World guff in amongst missions just made them woefully cringey. This messaging could have been interwoven more effectively rather than the missions exisiting purely to communicate a social message with minimal effort put into gameplay and story.