Summary
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2might not be an immediately noticeable upgrade over its predecessors in terms of visuals, regardless of how impressive the fidelity of these games is. But where it truly shines is in its technical performance, draining as much juice out of the PS5 as it can to create stunning open-world traversal with practically no loading times in fast travel. Insomniac is the kind of developer whose work always seems to influence and enhance its future work, with obvious tethers created between each concerning how they are all designed.
Sunset Overdriveclearly displayed Insomniac’s traversal talents that would then inspire the traversal ofMarvel’s Spider-Man, for instance, whileRatchet and Clank: Rift Apart’s instantly loading portalswould then inspire the portal rifts Miles pursues Black Cat through inMarvel’s Spider-Man 2. It’s been interesting to see what features carry over into future games and it’s now presumed thatMarvel’s Wolverinewill have a parry mechanic. However, Spider-Man’s trusty gadget wheel has now vanished inMarvel’s Spider-Man 2, and that might mean Insomniac has found a reason to shelve it indefinitely.
RELATED:Marvel’s Spider-Man 2’s Symbiote Lore Inaccuracy Helps Excuse One Future Villain
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 Has Bid Farewell to Insomniac’s Weapon Wheels
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 Abandons a Gadget Wheel for Face Buttons
BesidesMarvel’s Spider-Man 2’s web wingsbeing a show-stopper of a mechanic, arguably the most alarming disruption of players’ muscle memories is the fact that there is no gadget wheel in the sequel. BothMarvel’s Spider-ManandMarvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Moralesfeatured a gadget wheel for players to select their equipment from, included as a paramount feature players would be cycling through constantly in strategic scenarios or impromptu encounters alike.
This made sense as a feature for several reasons, particularly due to how many gadgets Peter had in the original game, but it was likely an easy transition for Insomniac after it had utilized weapon wheels in theRatchet and Clankfranchise as well asSunset Overdrive. That said,Marvel’s Spider-Man 2added unique abilitiesalongside gadget equipment this time around and Insomniac needed to reevaluate how players would interact with its interface.
This resulted in two assortments of face button inputs, one while pressing L1 and one while pressing R1. Pressing one of these bumpers while also pressing a face button now allows the former to trigger abilities and the latter to trigger gadgets, which essentially meant that Insomniac would need tolimit its Spider-Men to four gadgets(excluding a default web-shooter that is always equipped now).
Insomniac May Be Abandoning Weapon Wheels in the Future
If this is any sign of what future Insomniac games may look like, there might not be any point behind a weapon or gadget wheel ever returning to its gameplay design formula. Of course, if a future Insomniac game isn’t as mechanically comprehensive as thetwo-protagonistMarvel’s Spider-Man 2it might not need more than a weapon wheel to sort out its associable inventory. Still, such item wheels may be an antique nowadays if they are yet another piece of gameplay that slows the experience down even a little.
These wheels are helpful in that way since they can almost pause the action momentarily as players scramble to decide what weapon or gadget to select, and one concernMarvel’s Spider-Man 2might make sense of is the idea that players are encouraged to spam face buttons rather than tactfully approach the game’s mechanics. It’ll be tremendously interesting now to see if a weapon or gadget wheel returns in future Insomniac games, though it seems like a game such asMarvel’s Wolverinecould easily adapt the face button schema instead and definitively shelf inventory wheels.
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
WHERE TO PLAY
Spider-Men Peter Parker and Miles Morales face the ultimate test of strength inside and outside the mask as they fight to save the city, each other and the ones they love, from the monstrous Venom and the dangerous new symbiote threat.Explore an expansive Marvel’s New York with faster web-swinging and the all-new Web Wings, quickly switching between Peter and Miles to experience different stories, epic new abilities and high-tech gear.Wield Peter’s symbiote abilities and Miles’ explosive bio-electric powers in battle against new and iconic Marvel Super Villains – including an original take on a symbiote-infused Venom, the ruthless Kraven the Hunter, the volatile Lizard, and more from the Marvel Rogues’ Gallery.
