Summary
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2seems to have everything going for it. Not only is it following up two great games, allowing Insomniac to build off their foundation and improve upon what worked so well, but the game will also be exclusive to the PlayStation 5. This gives Insomniac Games the opportunity to deliver a truly next-gen experience, ensuring that Peter and Miles’ next story is impressive from a technical standpoint. The narrative itself is set to feature fan favorite foes likeKraven and Venom, too, which is another plus. Despite all of this, Insomniac Games is stuck dealing with odd complaints and controversies before release.
To be clear, gamers have every right to criticize the content they are being shown ahead of a title’s debut so long as the criticism is constructive and non-hostile. Unfortunately, just like with the originalMarvel’s Spider-Man, that has not been the case withMarvel’s Spider-Man 2. Alongside some odd nitpicking, gamers have once again been overly hostile toward Insomniac Games, with rude comments able to be seen regularly across the internet. This is a genuine shame, as once again the franchise is being met with far more controversy than it deserves.
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Marvel’s Spider-Man 2’s Odd Criticisms Are Unfortunately Nothing New
The originalMarvel’s Spider-Manhad its share of weird controversies, with the most infamous of all being puddlegate. Like the name suggests, gamers online threw a fit over a large puddle that was taken out of the full release, arguing that its removal was the sign of a massive graphical downgrade like what occurred with the originalWatch Dogs. In reality, Insomniac simply moved the puddle and altered the lighting from the mission in question, making the entire controversy pointless and embarrassing.
Beyond that, so-called fans have harassed and insultedInsomniac Gamesdevelopers over the face change for Peter Parker in the first title’s remaster and the newerMarvel’s Spider-Mangames. Regardless of whether players agree with Insomniac’s logic that a younger-looking face suits Yuri Lowenthal’s performance better, the overwhelming outrage around this change was and continues to be pathetic. The initial adjustment saw death threats and genuine hatred being thrown the developers’ way, which is horrible, and strange considering how little Peter Parker takes his mask off during the story. While there are arguments to be made about the old face working better in certain scenes (just like there are arguments to be made about the original model not always looking quite right), there is no justifying how players have acted.
Peter Parker face complaints continue to be seen years after the adjustment, which is tiring, and they are now accompanied by aggressive remarks aboutMary Jane Watson’s new character model. Like the other characters, she has received a design change for the sequel, letting her hair down and being realized with better graphical fidelity. Despite an Insomniac Games developer stating that it is just an upgraded version of the old design, some gamers have become overly aggressive about thinking it is entirely different, calling Insomniac liars and saying that every feature on MJ’s face has changed. Additionally, there have been plenty of sexist comments and arguments that Mary Jane does not look pretty enough, with certain fans bashing MJ’s design even more than they did with the first game.
Even beforeMarvel’s Spider-Man 2’s story trailer, gamers could be seen attempting to start controversies around the game. After the gameplay demonstration, some viewers made the silly argument that Insomniac was lazy because New York City - a very real location - looked too similar to how it did in the previous games. Others complained that, outside the web wings, Peter Parker’s swinging movements had too many reused animations. However, with Peter likely swinging the same for years, similar animations make perfect sense. It also helps to save on resources, something that all sequels do, and just like withGod of War Ragnarok’s boat animation there is literally no harm in bringing back animations that worked perfectly in an older game.
Like any video game franchise, there are certainly flaws to be found within theMarvel’s Spider-Mangames. A lack of villains outside the main story was an issue in the first two entries, while overly simple boss fights and repetitive side content could be pointed to as other issues. Just like the puddle that moved in the first game, though, familiar swinging animations and Mary Jane looking “old” feel like nothing more than nitpicks. WiththeMarvel’s Spider-Manseriesdoing so much right, perhaps this is naysayers just trying to find things to complain about. Either way, it is frustrating to see, as it makes little sense to harp on such minor flaws - if they can even be considered that.
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2launches on October 20 for PS5.
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