Highlights
- Unfortunately, the game "Spider-Man: The Great Web" has been canceled, despite being an exciting idea on paper.
- Had it happened, the game could have made great use of a feature resembling Gotham Knights' Patrol system.
- This feature helped with pacing side content, and though it did get repetitive, Insomniac could have easily made improvements to it within its multiplayer Spidey game.
In general, the huge Insomniac Games leak from late 2023 was met with positivity from fans. While some old school Insomniac players were frustrated about the lack of content for classic franchises, as only one non-Marvel game is releasing before 2030, most fans were thrilled about the notion that a Venom game and an X-Men project are in the works. Beyond that, as devastating as it undoubtedly was to have its work spoiled, most fans agree that Insomniac’s Wolverine game looks terrific. Still, even with so much to celebrate, fans learned some sad news about a game called Spider-Man: The Great Web.
A clear example of Sony’s massive push for live-service games not working out, Spider-Man:The Great Web is canceled despite being an amazing idea on paper. Supposedly, the game would have allowed players to create their own Spider-Person by choosing their origin story and tweaking the costumes of Cindy Moon, Miles Morales, Peter Parker, and Gwen Stacy. The game would have had a battle pass and been four-player co-op, while also receiving raids and other playable content. Though it unfortunately seems to be dead for good, had it happened, something like Gotham Knights’ Patrol system would have suited it well.
Marvel's Spider-Man 2 Could Really Use a Mode Seen In a Divisive Superhero Game
While a great game like Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 pulling from a less well received superhero title would be odd, in the case of one mode it makes sense.
Gotham Knights Patrols Could Have Shined in Spider-Man: The Great Web
Gotham Knights Patrols' Were a Diamond in the Rough
Just like with other games focused on powerful vigilantes, Gotham Knights’ goal was to make players feel as if they were living out their superhero fantasy, and its Patrol system was an interesting way to accomplish this. While the game had its share of issues, such as a painfully slow batcycle and performance problems, the Patrol system was more good than bad. Essentially, it saw players fighting crime every night as Batgirl, Nightwing, Red Hood, and Robin, just as they do in the comics and animated projects.
While out on Patrol, Gotham Knights players would be able to stop random crimes, assist important civilians like Lucius Fox and Renee Montoya, or complete side activities like races and collectible hunting. Preventing crimes or interrogating certain enemies would reward players with clues, which would then translate to more challenging and complex crimes to complete on the next night. While Patrols did get repetitive, as players quickly ran out of proper side missions to complete, and Patrols became the only type of open-world content to engage with, they are a great idea that could undoubtedly be expanded upon.
The other benefit of Gotham Knights ’ Patrols is that the map of Gotham City was not covered in markers that overwhelm the player. Instead, a few activities were added each night alongside the premeditated crimes, with the number of crimes also being limited since there was a cap on the number of clues that could be obtained.
How Spider-Man: The Great Web Could Have Used Patrols
The idea of one player interrogating an enemy on one side of the map only for another player on the opposite end to go complete that crime was solid, as was pacing out the side activities by delivering a few each night. As such, had Insomniac’s multiplayer Spider-Man game come to fruition, borrowing this system would surely have been a boon for the title. Improvements could have been made, like a deeper lineup of premeditated crimes, more side stories in addition to basic crimefighting, and better rewards for consistently doing full patrols and clearing the map of crime for the night. While the investigations of Gotham Knights’ patrol system suit its four characters better, as they have been trained by the World’s Greatest Detective, the rest of the system could work just as well in a co-op Spider-Man game.
At the end of every patrol, players could have received a gear piece to customize their Spider-Person, with the rarity increasing depending on how many crimes were completed. Insomniac could have made crimestopping competitive, similar to what Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League is doing, with Insomniac granting extra rewards to the player who completes the most crimes, takes the least damage, and so on. Tying some narrative elements into the feature, such as stopping enough Kingpin-related crimes resulting in an encounter with Wilson Fisk himself, could have also been an improvement. Ultimately, Patrols were a good way to slowly deliver side content and let players feel more like a vigilante within Gotham Knights, and they certainly would have benefitted The Great Web.
Spider-Man
Spider-Man is one of the biggest names in entertainment today. The superhero first appeared in the Marvel comic Amazing Fantasy #15 before becoming a leading figure in the Marvel comic-book universe.
Spider-Man has also featured in numerous films and a plethora of video games, most notably Insomniac Games' Spider-Man (2018) and Spider-Man: Miles Morales.
