Spider-Man: Miles Morales accompanied the release of the PlayStation 5 back in November 2020 and has proven to be a huge hit in the short time since. After getting his powers in Sony’s 2018 Spider-Man game, fans are given the chance to step into the character’s iconic black and red suit to battle against formidable foes such as The Tinkerer, The Prowler, The Kingpin and The Rhino — as well as Simon Krieger, CEO of Roxxon.

Both titles have their strengths, but we’ll now look at how Miles Morales’ journey compares to Peter Parker’s. Here are a few ways it’s better, and a few ways it’s worse.

10 Better: New York At Christmas

2020 aside, most people normally like Christmas. And, as New York citizens will testify, the festive season in the Big Apple can be pretty spectacular. The events of Spider-Man: Miles Morales take place during this wonderful time of year, and the developers of Insomniac deserve immense credit for giving it a truly authentic feel.

The lights of New York are vivid, while the snowy conditions make us want to grab a hoodie just playing the game. All of the city’s landmarks are all decorated for the big occasion and, if you’re into the Photo Mode, chances are you’ve taken a few with sparkling lights, Christmas wreaths or red ribbons in the background.

9 Worse: It’s Still The Same Old City

We’ve already mentioned how much we love swinging through New York at Christmas time. But, besides some minor tweaking, it’s still pretty much the same place you roamed around two years previously.

The snow helps make things slightly different but there’s only so much that really adds. If you’ve played the 2018 game to death — and we certainly did that — then free roaming can get pretty dull pretty quick. You can’t help but swing past landmarks and think ‘ah well, been there done that’. We understand Insomniac did this to ensure continuity but we can’t help but feel they missed a trick. Speaking of tricks…

8 Better: More Tricks

You were able to perform a few tricks while swinging around NYC as Peter Parker. However, Insomniac cranked things up several notices for Miles,  and the payoff is remarkable.

While playing as the webhead, you’re able to showcase an array of tricks and flicks that weren’t remotely possible in the first game. It’s good fun reaching a huge height, dropping down and chilling on your phone at the same time, and it’s also enjoyable performing summersaults and acrobatics galore. If you’re to navigate your way around the Big Apple, this is the way to do it.

7 Worse: Less Length

One of the reasons 2018’s Spider-Man game was so well-received because there was plenty of things to do. Sure, you could stick to the main story. But you could also attempt to take down numerous enemy bases, collect backpacks containing Easter eggs galore and undertake numerous challenges to appease the self-indulgent villain Screwball. All in all, you’re looking at over 40 hours of content to get yourself stuck into.

But Miles is far shorter, even if there is still side quests for you to complete. It seems to take roughly 8-10 hours to do the main story but we’d be amazed if, after doing all the collectibles, you’ve clocked up any more than 25 hours of playtime. It’s easy to get distracted while exploring but, even so, we’re scoring it down when it comes to overall length.

6 Better: The Lighting/Ray Tracing

When it comes to lighting, use of HDR and ray tracing, Miles wins hands down. Sony have done a good job at remastering the 2018 game for the PlayStation 5 but it’s not the same as creating a game for a stronger console, with Insomniac blessed with superior technology for the 2020 title.

As a result, the lighting and ray-tracing really stands out - especially when played on a 4K TV. Performance Mode tones this down somewhat so we recommend getting your priorities straight before you begin playing. Switching halfway through may just damage your overall experience…

5 Worse: Less Suits

When Sony’s Spider-Man first came out back in September 2018, there were 28 suits to collect. These ranged from his traditional red and blue garb to some alternative ideas, such as Noire Spidey and Cartoon Spidey. Yet with the game receiving DLC afterwards, and numerous updates in the time since, it now boasts an impressive 42 different outfits.

When Miles released, the 2018 game got another update that saw The Amazing Spider-Man suit enter the picture. We love replicating Andrew Garfield and let’s hope the rumors of him being cast in the MCU’s Spider-Man 3 end up being true. With the MCU, anything is possible.

4 Better: The New Powers

Insomniac certainly had a big task on their hands when it came to making Miles Morales. They had to make the protagonist feel different than Peter so, as a result, decided to mix things up by giving him venom powers and camouflage, exactly like he does in the source material.

This makes for great fun and gives you new ways to take down enemies. It’s particularly handy when you find yourself surrounded or against a huge brute, allowing you to take control of a battle even when the heat is on. It can be pretty satisfying making yourself invisible, too, riling and confusing enemies in equal measure.

3 Worse: Peter’s New Look

We’re comparing Miles to the 2018 Spider-Man game, not the remastered edition. So we feel we’re able to include Peter Parker’s new look as something that definitely didn’t work.

We can’t help but look at the webhead and pine for his old face, with his new one looking far too much like Tom Holland. Sure, for some fans that’s a good thing. But those of us who have grown up with multiple versions of Peter have a right to feel aggrieved. Peter felt far more original in the game that released two years ago but, now, he looks like a Holland clone. Again, something not everybody will complain about.

2 Better: Picking Your Fights

In Marvel’s Spider-Man, you had no say over what street fights and incidents you had to resolve. They’d just spawn and bam, you’d be left with a take it or leave it dilemma. However, Miles saw Insomniac change that approach with players instead given the option to choose what fights they take on after completing the main game.

Our personal favorites are stopping the robbery of a F.E.A.S.T truck and also preventing an arms deal from going down on the rooftops. The second one, for obvious reasons. There’s nothing more satisfying than sending an enemy flying off a building - and it’s a good thing there’s webbing there to save them every time.

1 Worse: Less Villains

Less has been a theme of our article on Miles Morales. And that can also be applied when it comes to villains. As mentioned above, the game pits you up against the likes of The Tinkerer, The Kingpin, The Prowler and The Rhino as well as Roxxon’s Simon Krieger.

But that’s nothing compared to the 2018 game. That has Doctor Octopus, Vulture, Rhino, Electro, Mr. Negative, Taskmaster, Screwball, Tombstone, Silver Sable and Black Cat for you to pit your wits against, keeping things fresh in the process. Each requires their own unique way of thinking in order to defeat them so things never get stale.

NEXT: Spider-Man PS5: 10 Hilarious Peter Parker Redesign Memes