Highlights
- Marvel's Spider-Man 2 needs to outdo its predecessor, which was praised for its story, performances, visuals, and combat mechanics, despite some flaws.
- The first game received criticism for its repetitive side missions, particularly involving the annoying character Screwball, but the sequel might actually benefit from her presence.
- With the second game taking on a darker tone, Screwball could provide much-needed comic relief and balance, as well as offer optional challenges for players to complete in the open world.
Insomniac's first go-round with the Marvel license resulted in one of the greatest superhero games ever made, and Marvel's Spider-Man 2 has a near-impossible task ahead of itself trying to outdo what came before it. A predictable but wonderfully written story, phenomenal performances, great visuals and sound design, a plethora of content to enjoy, and really excellent combat and web-swinging mechanics were all present in the first Marvel's Spider-Man, but that doesn't mean that the game was perfect.
Though it garnered a great critical and fan reception upon its initial 2018 launch, Marvel's Spider-Man still received a healthy amount of constructive criticism. One of the biggest complaints critics and fans voiced with Marvel's Spider-Man was the game's disappointing and repetitive side missions, and one of the game's biggest offenders was the F-list villain Screwball. But while she's become the first game's punching bag, Marvel's Spider-Man 2 might end up needing Screwball after all.
Marvel's Spider-Man 2 Might Need Screwball More Than Ever
Of all of Marvel's Spider-Man's characters, none was hated quite as much as Screwball. First introduced in the side mission "Internet Famous," Screwball is a minor antagonist in Marvel's Spider-Man, popping up frequently to issue the player with various combat and stealth challenges, all designed to give her more online followers. Adopting an inherently irritating influencer archetype, it's only natural that many players found Screwball a tad too obnoxious and abrasive, and paired with the constant goading during challenges, Screwball can end up being one of Marvel's Spider-Man's most annoying features.
In this current lead-up to Marvel's Spider-Man 2, fan wish lists are getting incredibly long, with fans wanting new combat mechanics, tweaks to web-swinging, new abilities, and much, much more. But of all these wishes, one of the loudest requests is for Screwball to stay out of the sequel. Still, while she didn't make a great first impression, Screwball might actually be needed in Marvel's Spider-Man 2, far more than she was in the first game.
From the trailers released so far, it seems as though Marvel's Spider-Man 2 is going to have a slightly darker tone than its two predecessors, a common trend of popular sequels. The very first Marvel's Spider-Man 2 announcement trailer had some pretty eerie vibes, and the PlayStation Showcase gameplay trailer doubled down on that with the reveal that Peter is succumbing to the Symbiote. And in Marvel's Spider-Man 2's most recent trailer, the tone seems darker than ever, with Venom let loose on the city, Peter seemingly stalking MJ with the Symbiote suit on, and Miles having to face insurmountable odds to rescue him. Marvel's Spider-Man 2 looks like it's tackling some tough themes, and there's one side character that could add some much-needed levity to the narrative.
With the vast majority of Marvel's Spider-Man 2's story likely being on the darker side, it might be nice for the game to balance its tone by keeping at least some of its side content nice and breezy, and Screwball might fit the bill. While her dialogue might need to be toned down a little, Screwball could actually end up being exactly the type of comic relief that Marvel's Spider-Man 2 might need. And on top of that, it's always a good idea to have a set of optional challenges for the player to complete in an open-world game, though they'll probably need to be much more varied and better balanced than those in the first Marvel's Spider-Man and its subsequent DLC.
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 launches on October 20, exclusively for PlayStation 5.
