The Ultimate Strategy to Revolutionize Handling of Super Villains in Marvel's Spider-Man 2

Marvel's Spider-Man 2 has an extensive history of comic books, TV shows, animations, and movies to draw inspiration from, resulting in a rich collection of supervillains. Spider-Man's rogues' gallery is one of the most impressive, including iconic characters such as Venom, Doc Ock, Green Goblin, Electro, Rhino, Scorpion, and Carnage, each with their own distinct motivations and identities. However, it might be beneficial to alter the pace at which players encounter these significant foes.

In Insomniac's Spider-Man universe, the story takes place eight years after Peter Parker initially becomes Spider-Man. During this time, he has faced numerous villains spanning all levels of the rogue's gallery. While players do get the opportunity to confront some of the hero's most memorable adversaries, there are still plenty of villains that were not included in the first game. This presents an exciting opportunity for Marvel's Spider-Man 2 to introduce new and entertaining appearances. Although the first game set the groundwork for how supervillains should appear in the series, it would be advantageous for the sequel to make one significant change to that established formula.

Marvel's Spider-Man 2 Shouldn't Relegate Its Supervillains to Just the Final Act

Throughout the 20-hour story of Marvel's Spider-Man, players will encounter numerous iconic Spidey villains. The game starts with a bang as players take down Wilson Fisk in the first mission, showcasing the immense skill and experience of this version of Spider-Man. Soon after, the main antagonist, Mr. Negative, makes his appearance along with his gang, the Inner Demons.

However, apart from a few brief encounters with the lesser-known villain Shocker, the majority of the game is focused on Mr. Negative and the chaos he causes in New York City. It isn't until the final act that the game introduces a whole new set of villains. Following a massive prison escape at the Raft, Spider-Man finds himself facing the Sinister Six, consisting of Rhino, Vulture, Electro, Scorpion, Mr. Negative, and Doc Ock. After an emotional scene, Spider-Man embarks on a mission to track down and confront each member of the Sinister Six on the streets of New York.

Arriving at the conclusion of Marvel's Spider-Man, this mission to locate and defeat the Sinister Six presents an equally desperate and intense experience for players and Spidey himself. It maintains an unrelenting pace, capturing the essence of the typical Spider-Man adventure and compelling players to persevere through the onslaught, just as Spidey would. However, while this final act is nearly flawless, it negatively impacts the preceding two acts, making them appear somewhat dull during subsequent playthroughs.

To improve upon this, Marvel's Spider-Man 2 should distribute its encounters with villains more evenly throughout the game, rather than saving them all for a climactic third-act gauntlet. Based on what fans have witnessed in Spider-Man 2 thus far, it appears that the game is already implementing this approach. Kraven the Hunter is positioned to serve as one of the primary villains right from the beginning, likely remaining a threat until the very end. The introduction of Venom may occur around the halfway point, although this is merely speculation at this stage. In addition to these primary antagonists, Marvel's Spider-Man 2 should incorporate encounters with various supervillains throughout the game. This could include side quests involving members of the Sinister Six, exploring Yuri Watanabe's new Wraith persona, or introducing challenges involving characters such as Taskmaster once again.

Marvel's Spider-Man 2 launches October 20, exclusively for PlayStation 5.