With little known about Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 when it comes to its gameplay, there are many directions that Insomniac Games could end up taking the sequel. Fans have been quick to make their opinions known on what should and should not return, with the MJ stealth missions being one of the most heavily debated topics thus far. Others have pushed for wall combat to be introduced, with the plethora of ideas showing just how passionate the character’s fan base is.
Another divisive feature from the original game that has its fans and detractors are quick-time events. QTEs have been used in several games, and there is often an even split between those that like them and those that do not - and Marvel’s Spider-Man was no different. If Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 does end up bringing the mechanic back, it could be worth having some fun with what happens when players slip up and fail the QTEs.
Funny QTE Fails Are a Spider-Man Tradition Worth Keeping
Recently, a video from Reddit user SuperAlloyBerserker was posted that showcased some funny QTE fails from Spider-Man: Web of Shadows. In the clip, Spidey can be seen falling off a building after taking a hit, kicking Black Cat to her death, and crashing into the ground with the villain - all because a player failed to press a button in time. The title of the post saw the Redditor hoping the sequel would have similar fails, and with nearly 5,000 upvotes, many seem to support the fan’s suggestion.
However, while Spider-Man: Web of Shadows has some hilarious QTE fails, it is not the only game based on the wall-crawler to have this feature. The disappointing Spider-Man 3 has some top-notch fails as well, such as the viral “I’m going to die” clip where Spidey slams into the ground and fails to save a woman from an explosion. Given how simple QTEs are, players will rarely ever fail them, so many would need to go out of their way to see these strange moments play out.
In Marvel’s Spider-Man, the occasional QTE shows Peter Parker dying, like in the Kingpin fight from the game’s opening moments. However, they usually just end in a “mission failed” screen, which maintains a serious tone but is a bit unsatisfying. In the sequel, it would be great to see Insomniac engage with some goofy endings to its QTEs, as they would not hurt the experience since attentive players would rarely see them. Further, everyone that did come across them would know that the moments are non-canon.
The silliness of the scenes makes for some harmless fun, allowing even a poorly received game like Spider-Man 3 to be talked about years later. While it is understandable that Insomniac would not want a QTE fail to ruin the seriousness of a moment, tossing some entertaining scenes in when players do slip-up could please a lot of fans.
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is scheduled to release in 2023 on PS5.
