Insomniac’s Spider-Man is easily one of the most hotly anticipated releases on PS4 this year and we finally got a release date: Sept. 7. While we have seen the game in action and have a few snippets of the story, we’re still left with questions of how this game will iterate on the many Spider-Man games that came before. The webhead has easily been the most prolific superhero when it comes to having his own video games, many which I am personally fond of. Here are just a few things from previous Spidey games that we hope make it into the new game!
An Insane Number of Costumes
This one is pretty much a given, especially since we’ve already got confirmation that pre-orders of Spider-Man will include three alternate costumes. So far we only have confirmation of Punk Spider-Man, but almost all games to feature Spidey give the player the option to don various iterations of his signature tights. It’s safe to say we’ll probably see Symbiote Spider-Man and the hoodie-clad Scarlet Spider, but I’m hoping for a few of the more esoteric costumes from Peter’s past to show up. Outfits like Spider-Man 2099, Captain Universe, and, of course, the Amazing Bag-Man would be a welcome return. But with the recent Spider-Verse comic series and the upcoming animated movie starring Miles Morales, there is a crazy number of Spider-Men (and Women) that Insomniac could use.
This post was originally authored by Colin Regan.
Playing as Venom or other Villains
Ultimate Spider-Man succeeded Spider-Man 2 and improved on an already solid foundation by offering a more cinematic storyline featuring a wider cast of Marvel heroes and a downright stylish cel-shaded art style. The game also did something rarely done in previous Spidey games by letting you play as one of his greatest nemeses, Venom. As Venom, players would have access to tendril attacks that would throw enemies and destroy tanks with seemingly little effort. You would also have to replenish your health by feeding on the helpless denizens of New York, which was a pretty dark feature to include in a game that was aimed at a younger audience.
Venom felt scary, and we’ve been able to play as Green Goblin in Spider-Man (2002) along with various other baddies in Spider-Man: Friend or Foe. However, we’ve not heard whether or not players will be able to also get to play as any villains in Spider-Man (2018). While it may be a lot to ask since the mobility system and animations look steep in their complexity, I’d totally settle for a Superior Spider-Man outfit though.
The Pizza Side Mission Theme
Music is such an important part of how we remember our most cherished games. The Pallet Town theme in Pokemon Red/Blue, the Overworld Theme from Zelda, pretty much every track in Super Mario Bros. Much like these games, Spider-Man 2’s game adaptation has a timeless piece of music that needs to be recognized. I am, of course, talking about the theme from the Pizza Delivery side missions. The Accordion-heavy ditty has such a sublime progression and earworm quality that cannot be denied. Once the tempo starts to build as the timer gets closer to zero, your blood pressure builds. Your eyes widen. Your pulse pounds. You could swear that this theme replicates the thrilling excitement that is holding down an actual Pizza Delivery job.
It’s a prime example of a game’s music matching the intensity of the gameplay on screen, I can’t think of any other game that does it better. Hopefully, Insomniac wises up and includes these side missions into the game as post-release content.
Appearances from other Marvel Heroes
While I adore Spider-Man’s rogues gallery and supporting cast of non-powered folks, having characters from other Marvel Comics properties appear makes the Marvel universe feel more lived in and excites fans to see their favorite characters interact. As briefly mentioned before, Ultimate Spider-Man featured a cast that extended beyond the Spidey books with appearances from Silver Sable, Human Torch, Nick Fury, and best of all a boss fight with Wolverine. Spider-Man: Web of Shadows also featured Wolverine as a central character, as well as Luke Cage and Moon Knight.
With appearances of Avengers Tower and Dr. Strange’s Sanctum Sanctorum in Spider-Man’s (2018) pre-release footage, odds of a wider Marvel cast look good. But it isn’t totally clear if the inclusion of these locales is confirmation of these characters appearing or just a fun Easter Egg.
The Web-Wings
The web-wings are one of the most iconic parts of Spider-Man’s costume that date all the way back to the first appearance of the character in 1962. Steve Ditko added the wings as a decorative flourish but were later given a gliding function by other artists, and were featured in Spider-Man 2: Enter Electro and a prominent Spider-Man: Homecoming scene. Unfortunately, many artists choose to nix the wings entirely from the costume to go for a sleeker looking Spidey, and it appears that Insomniac has done the same for this new iteration of the webhead.
It’s kind of an odd omission given that the suit we will be using for the majority of the game looks like it has an arsenal of gadgets at his disposal. Remember trying to get across Central Park in these games? Or trying to reach the Statue of Liberty? The Web-Wing glide could easily alleviate the frustrations of trying to navigate areas like these where web-swinging isn’t an option. Also, they are a fantastic visual design touch that I’d be pretty bummed if they weren’t included in at least one of the bonus costumes inevitably coming to the game.
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