With Insomniac Games' Marvel's Spider-Man 2 edging closer toward its final stages of development for release, fans maintain high expectations based on its predecessor. Its reveal trailer in the PlayStation Showcase 2021 left many wanting more, especially after Venom was confirmed to be featured in the game potentially alongside Kraven The Hunter. As there are currently no updates regarding the title's story or gameplay features, many have been left to speculate what to expect in Insomniac Games' sequel.
Whilst fans await a new PlayStation Showcase or a new State of Play, there are a plethora of features Insomniac Games could implement to eclipse the previous 2018 Spider-Man and in the meantime, open up the door for the announced Marvel's Wolverine title.
5 Hard-Hitting Combat
Marvel's Spider-Man managed to excel and surprise many players in its combat region among all the other features in the gameplay loop. Players had access to a variety of tools to choose from and use to their advantage when up against large numbers of enemies, and each had their own unique attachment to different play styles. Despite this, some felt that the hand-to-hand attacks were missing something that could have taken it to a greater level, especially since the basic attacks were sometimes monotonous.
Since Marvel's Spider-Man Remastered has become available to PC players, many were quick to draw comparisons to the more brutal and unforgiving combat within Spider-Man Web of Shadows, which led modders to create animations that were more akin to this. Depending on where the story may head and what character arcs Peter Parker will face this time around, it could potentially mean players may be able to tap into a more vicious attack system. The presence of Venom in this title also increases the chances of a symbiote Peter Parker similar to what fans have seen in the Spider-Man movies.
4 Co-Op Sections
Based on the reveal trailer, the large majority of fans made the assumption that Marvel's Spider-Man 2 will feature a co-op mode, that will enable either an online or offline split-screen experience. Whilst this is incredibly unlikely considering the title labeled a 'single-player' and the fact that this is the normal format for Insomniac Games' Spider-Man titles, this may not be a bad idea for Insomniac to introduce this time around. The trailer was showcased in a way that suggests players will be able to chop and change between the two characters at any given time during the game.
If this isn't the case, the best option for developers at Insomniac is to implement co-op sections, similar to what Capcom did with Devil May Cry 5 during its 'Diverging Point' mission. While it was almost certainly less effective for Devil May Cry 5, it could be used to great effect in Spider-Man 2 given its heavy narrative focus and the obvious presence of other major main characters.
3 Playable Character Options
Given the low possibility of Spider-Man 2 being a multiplayer title in any shape or form, the most obvious and predictable option for Insomniac Games to take is to give players the option to choose between Miles Morales or Peter Parker. This may lead to a similar type of addition that fans of WB Games Montreal's Gotham Knights have, which allows players to switch characters at any given time during at the Belfry. Not only does this come with extra cosmetics for each character and their own unique abilities, but it also means each character has a specific set of dialogue for every encounter.
If developers choose to take this path as a gameplay feature throughout Spider-Man 2, it could work far more efficiently as there would supposedly only be two characters to choose from. Given the likelihood of both Peter and Miles being on-screen simultaneously for a good portion of this title, it would work both ways regardless of which character players decide to use.
2 Greater Customization
One of the greatest aspects of Marvel's Spider-Man Remastered was the vast amount of suits that were available for players to choose from, with some of them even being from the popular movies such as the Raimi Suit. With the game's PC release, modders have made their own custom suits to add alongside the base game's options, creating a unique experience for both veterans and newcomers.
While an entirely new system to create custom suits within the base game may be very difficult to implement given the need for each of these to be functional within cutscenes and all other cinematic aspects, the potential of players customizing current suits with new design and texture options may suffice.
1 Broader City
A large amount of the free-roaming in Marvel's Spider-Man revolved around monitoring the crimes in the city, and all the other side activities that would earn players XP. Those who are familiar with the title will know of the areas that are not accessible and blocked off. Given the fact that Spider-Man 2 is a direct sequel to Spider-Man (2018) unlike Marvel's Spider-Man Miles Morales, providing an expanded map would be suitable for players.
Not only could this open the door to more cameos and introductions of other Marvel characters given the expanded region, but it would allow for more exploration and give players more time to swing around the map in style.
Marvel's Spider-Man 2 is set for release in Fall of 2023 on PlayStation.