The Legendary Potential of Sony's Spiderman 2

 Spiderman PS4 and Spiderman Miles Morales spoilers ahead 

While it hasn't yet been officially announced or confirmed, it seems almost beyond a doubt that Playstation players will be receiving another entry in the Spiderman franchise in the near to mid-term future. 2018's Spiderman and 2020's Miles Morales were extremely well received, and both games served as anchors for a company that is still clinging to exclusivity in a much more traditional sense than its competitors. I can't imagine Sony forgoing the opportunity to add another Spiderman to its library of games. That's not to mention the sort of hints that a new game is coming that always pop up on Twitter, nor the mid-credits scenes in both games, which we'll discuss later. Long story short, Spiderman 2 is coming, probably by 2023. So what might it look like? And why do I think it has the potential to be one of the greatest superhero games ever made? 

Well, to start, that's partly because Spiderman PS4 already holds that honor. It's an epic, evolving, multilayered story with excellent characterization and deep emotional moments, punctuated by amazing setpieces and many of the best villains in the Spiderman universe. The gameplay feels fluid and creates a real sense of power and agency, and the entire experience is hard to put down once you're into it. This isn't a review of Spiderman PS4, but suffice it to say that I found that game a compelling and captivating experience, and it's one of my favorite games of the generation. Miles Morales, which is more a piece of standalone DLC than a real sequel (partly due to its significantly shorter length, partly because there is not much of an evolution in mechanics or gameplay), extends that excellence, introducing a new and also amazing Spiderman with his own motivations and powers. 

This is where I come to Spiderman 2. We don't yet know what form this game is going to take, but we can reasonably assume it will be another open-world romp across the island of Manhattan. We know it will have to present new villains from the spiderman universe, to which point we can guess at at least a couple of them based on the end credits scenes in Spiderman PS4 and Miles Morales. Finally, we know that Sony will have to balance at least two main characters, perhaps even two player characters. This could present a severe challenge, but if done right could create a truly comprehensive spiderman game. 

It's difficult to imagine Spiderman outside of Manhattan. That's not to say it hasn't been done - it has, most recently in the MCU in which we see Spiderman visit both DC and Europe. But both Peter Parker and Miles Morales are rather intrinsically tied to New York City and its identity, and Manhattan provides an excellent open world playground for the two webslingers. I also can't imagine Sony throwing away all the work they did characterizing Miles Morales as Uptown's Spiderman. Sony's Manhattan is so good, presenting such a wonderful sense of scale alongside an environment that feels indisputably lived in, that I'll be happy if they keep the map mostly as it is with whatever changes for gameplay that they have to make. I think it would be cool to seem some physical reminders of fights that were had in Miles Morales and in Spiderman PS4, such as perhaps a new bridge under construction where Miles destroyed the last one, but I'm pretty happy with the map as it already exists. 

Let's consider the villains. Spiderman PS4 pretty thoroughly wraps up the Sinister Six, and while it's possible that some of those villains are reused, I don't think it's likely. Even if that is the case, they'll probably be relegated to side roles in the story. Similarly, another major Spiderman villain - Wilson Fisk - is pretty thoroughly dealt with in Spiderman PS4 and then shut down in a series of side missions in Miles Morales, and again I think his presence in a Spiderman 2 story would probably be limited. So who can we expect? The answer probably lies in those end credits scenes I mentioned earlier. At the end of Spiderman PS4, the disgraced Norman Osborn is shown attending to his son, Harry, who is in some sort of healing tank as a result of the illness he had been keeping from his friends, Peter and MJ. In the tank with him is a black, webby substance which is almost certainly the symbiote which creates Venom in the Spiderman universe. Venom is traditionally associated with Eddie Brock, but not always, and it's possible that Harry Osborn becomes Venom in Spiderman 2. Also interesting is the strong green lighting of the scene, perhaps foreshadowing Norman Osborn becoming Green Goblin. The end credit scene at the end of Miles Morales shows a similar scene, but also possibly foreshadows the existence of Lizard, another popular Spiderman villain from the comics. Lizard was also the main villain of the first Andrew Garfield Spiderman movie (the Garfield movies, of course, being the best Spiderman movies yet filmed). With all of that intimation, it seems safe to presume that Norman Osborn, Oscorp, and the villains associated with that character and his company will take center stage alongside the symbiotes as the major villains in Spiderman 2. 

One of the things that Spiderman PS4 did best was creating a sense of discovery and investigation throughout the plot as Peter Parker and his allies (especially MJ) uncovered layer after layer of villainy until the entire city was thoroughly at risk. If Spiderman 2 is going to tackle Venom (and possibly the other symbiotes), Green Goblin, and Lizard all in the same game, I hope they'll accomplish a similar mode of storytelling, drawing the player in deeper and deeper until some sort of grand confrontation across the city. Done right, the story of this game could tackle Spiderman's most iconic villains in a way gamers will remember for a long, long time. 

Which brings me to our title character(s). Sony is obviously going to have to present both Peter Parker and Miles Morales as playable. I think there are a few ways of doing this (for example, just having specific missions on the map which automatically switch you to the right player), but there are two specific ways which would pull it off for me. One, a game with two campaigns. At the outset of the game the player would choose to play as either Miles Morales or Peter Parker. The player would get a different perspective on the campaign's events with each, including unique missions, dialogue, and side activities. While interesting, this would present a lot of problems, including that it would compel a person who wanted to experience the full story to play the game through twice. Additionally, knowing about the different powers and mechanics of the two Spidermen, I can't help but imagine that it would become boring just playing as Peter Parker or just Miles Morales throughout the entirety of what I assume is going to be a pretty thick game. 

Which is why I think Insomniac should do it GTA 5 style. In GTA 5, the player switches between 3 main characters who are living their lives on different sections of the map. When the player switches they get whisked off to another part of the city and thrust into an entirely new perspective in a way which felt truly fresh and unique. With the insane loading times of the Playstation 5, I think something similar could be done with Spiderman 2. It would be an amazing feeling to finish up a mission at Peter Parker, switch to Miles Morales, and take control of that character mid-swing through Times Square, or as he walked out of a Harlem bodega. In this way Spiderman 2 could lock certain missions to specific characters, but otherwise let the player choose who to play through any particular section of game with. It would deliver on the need to provide equal time to both Spiderman characters, and create more player choice than was available in either previous game. And it would allow for some variety in fighting styles against the same enemies, breaking up the tedium of responding to crimes or grabbing collectibles. I want this game to feel like a partnership between two great characters. Balancing them the right way could do that, and create the kind of game gamers come back to for years. 

With all of that put to paper (or, uh, pixels), I'm ready to wrap up. It takes a great game to get me invested so much in speculation about the sequel. Insomniac presented two amazing games in as many years. So at the end of the day, I can say confidently that I trust them to deliver stunningly with Spiderman 2. I just can't wait to see the final product.