The Spider-Man sequel from Insomniac Games has been a big hit, smashing a massive PlayStation sales record and receiving nearly universal praise from fans and critics.
The Hollywood Reporter recently spoke with Peter Parker/Spider-Man voice actor Yuri Lowenthal about the success of the game and his long career voicing the wall-crawler, which began in 2017 with the Disney XD animated series Spider-Man.
Since then, he's voiced the web-slinger in several high-profile projects, including Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order, Marvel's Midnight Suns, and even had a brief but memorable appearance in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.
In Spider-Man 2, Lowenthal's performance evolved as Peter Parker became a mentor to Miles Morale; a development that echoed Lowenthal's real-life relationship with Nadji Jeter.
"My real-life relationship with Nadji, at various times, would echo the relationship that we have in the game," said Lowenthal. "I think that just comes from me being a lot older than him and maybe having acted longer. But it just started to grow that way with us in real life, too."
"Which is fun! I’ve also become a father in real life since the first game. In no way is Peter trying to become the father that Miles lost. But he does see that Miles may need some care in the Spider-Man training area."
Lowenthal went on to add that he really enjoyed the process of recording lines in the same room as Nadji, as opposed to everyone recording separately. "I think we naturally would find some of these dynamics in the room. I love that we get to shoot those game cinematics like we’re performing a play or shooting a movie — we get to feed off of things that we couldn’t possibly imagine. I do my preparation, my memorization, all that stuff."
"But then when I show up on the day with Nadji, it never goes exactly the way I think it’s going to go. I love that we get to do it that way. We could do it all solo, and our performances would be fine. Everybody who works on this game is super talented, but if you get us in a room together? It’s like alchemy."
Spider-Man 2 is a direct sequel to Marvel's Spider-Man (released in 2018) and 2020's Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales, and it was released on October 20, 2023 for the PS5.
The game features Peter Parker and Miles Morales as the two playable characters, who will team up to face a new threat: Venom. Other villains that have been confirmed to appear in the game include Kraven the Hunter, The Lizard, Sandman, Black Cat, and more.
When it was released in 2018, the first Spider-Man game received positive reviews from critics as the gameplay, aesthetics, plot, and characterizations all received high marks. Based on 120 reviews, the game had an overall Metacritic score of 91%.
Oddly enough, the sequel also currently has an overall Metacritic score of 91% from 130 reviews.
OFFICAL SYNOPSIS: The Spider-Men, Peter Parker and Miles Morales, enter new chapters in their lives as they balance their responsibilities as protectors of Marvel’s New York. As Harry Osborn, Peter’s best friend, returns into his life, and Miles looks to build his future beyond high school, the relationship between our heroes is tested and strained as the Symbiote appears to threaten them, the city, and the ones they love.
Developed by Insomniac Games in collaboration with Marvel Games and PlayStation, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 continues the saga of the critically acclaimed Marvel’s Spider-Man franchise.