With Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 releasing soon, a look back at Marvel’s Spider-Man 2018 isn’t a bad idea which was a smash-hit PlayStation exclusive. The first one brought a record number of gamers to the PlayStation side of the console to experience playing as the web-slinging hero. The game did make it to PCs, two years later in 2022, launching as Sony’s second-best-selling game on launch in terms of concurrent players on launch, behind only God of War, another PlayStation port. The game’s success was followed by a spin-off game titled, Spider-Man: Miles Morales, which was also fairly successful and also ported to PC eventually. The actual sequel to the game is coming later this year.
Titled Spider-Man 2, fans recently got a first look at the sequel to the original game, with a trailer showcasing an infamous antagonist in the Spider-Man universe. As much fun as it was, playing the first two games in the series, the sequel is said to take a dark turn.
Marvel’s Spider-Man Was The Fastest-Selling Superhero Game At The Time Of Release
When Marvel’s Spider-Man was released, gamers had been waiting impatiently to get their hands on the game and take on the character of the web-slinging, friendly neighborhood superhero. Gamers had a true sense of the Marvel superhero game back in 2010 with the release of Spider-Man Shattered Dimensions, where players played as Venom and Spider-Man with decent gameplay and narrative to go along with. So, when Sony announced their take on a game based on the superhero at E3 2016 on June 13, the obvious hype hit the ceiling.
The game was finally released a couple of years later in 2018, and soon became a fan favorite with record sales after having sold 3.3 million units, narrowly beating Sony’s God of War title, which still holds the second place in terms of sales numbers on launch day having sold 3.1 million units. Marvel’s Spider-Man also had a DLC, titled Spider-Man: The City That Never Sleeps, which further expanded the storyline by adding 3 episodes – The Turf Wars, Silver Lining, and The Heist. The three episodes expanded on some of what the antagonists faced in the main campaign.
Marvel’s Spider-Man (2018) showcased the quirky side of Peter Parker and how his character grew as the game progressed. The game’s storyline did take a serious tone towards the end but was memorable for portraying a realistic approach to the protagonist throughout the game. The sequel releasing later this year, however, is said to take things a lot seriously with a dark tone in the storyline, and introducing the infamous Venom as one of the antagonists.
Also Read: Marvel’s Spider-Man 2’s File Size Revealed, and It’s Worrying Some Fans and Pleasing Others
Venom’s Influence Brings The Shift In Tone and Atmosphere In The Sequel
Spider-Man 2 is all set to bring the two protagonists from the earlier games in the series, along with some new antagonists as well. The game will add new villains like the Lizard, and most notably, Kraven the Hunter, and Venom. While the Lizard and Kraven might already make life difficult for the two superheroes in the game, Venom is all set to introduce a dark tone to the game. Spider-Man 2 Creative Director Bryan Intihar sat down with Eurogamer recently to talk about the upcoming sequel and introduced a lot of new elements.
Intihar further revealed how the sequel will have a darker tone, which he feels is required for the game to be respectful to the characters and also to showcase what the two protagonists bring to the overall experience.
Related: Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, Another Release, Another Graphical Downgrade from Insomniac
Spider-Man 2 To Feature Theme Of Addiction In The Game, Brought In By The Symbiote
Peter Parker was seen being a lot enraged in the official trailer for the sequel, compared to his character in the earlier two games. Intihar explained this huge shift in his character as being the result of Peter’s connection to the symbiote, which is akin to addiction. The theme of addiction is said to be a lot prevalent in the game, which is largely thanks to the Symbiote, as revealed by Intihar in his interview. The team is said to have done a lot of research into how Symbiotes have been explored in movies and games in the past, as they look to treat it “very seriously”.
The first two games in the series featured a lot of humor which fans wouldn’t miss in the upcoming sequel, even if things take a dark turn. Intehar clarified how the game will look to find a balance between darker themes while also including a lot of heart and humor.
Spider-Man 2 will release globally on PlayStation 5 later this year, on the 20th of October.
Source: IGN
