We are losing our minds with excitement for Spider-Man 2, which is just around the corner and is one of the year’s most anticipated games. So, while we wait a few more days, here is everything we know and some of our speculations for this Spidey-sequel.
The Venom Symbiote storyline is one we have seen before but has consistently been a fan favorite. Adapted in a few different forms of media, with Tobey Maguire’s portrayal being of meme royalty, it is a story that has consistently been a powerful one. The omission of the black symbiote suit from the first game fueled rumors of the black symbiote suit storyline to appear in the sequel. But it gets better; Venom will also be a villain in the game and likely the biggest of the bad. Some of our favorites of the black symbiote storyline adaptation include The Spectacular Spider-Man series from 2008 and the classic 1994 animated series, and it has consistently been some of the best Spidey storylines.
Kraven The Hunter was announced as the main villain in the announcement trailer, and anticipation to see the great hunter is supremely high. He will also bring a new faction of enemies to square up with. The Lizard is another villain confirmed during the PlayStation showcase earlier this year, and he looks fierce.
We will be getting a few new tricks to traverse the streets of New York. Web wings will be introduced, allowing the Spider-Men to glide around the city at some speed. Fast travel has also gotten a huge boost thanks to the PS5’s super-fast SSD loading times, which makes it pretty much instant. You can also switch characters at will and can even run into the other Spidey in the open world. Our only real criticism of the original game and the Miles Morales follow-up was that the open world lacked innovation and became dull, albeit only after dozens of hours.
A significant addition to the gameplay is an interesting inclusion of fall damage, which can be toggled on/off, and reportedly, there will be a swing assist setting that can be played with, too. There are no details of how much this assist will change things, but it could freshen up an already impeccable web-swinging mechanic. The open world has also doubled in size to include two well-known districts of New York, Queens, and Brooklyn, the homes of our Spider-Men. These additions seem to be filling the bigger open world with more activities, which is sure to make this Spidey sandbox a lot more engaging.
It has been confirmed that we will be getting 65 different suits for Peter and Miles collectively, and there will be other color options as well, resulting in around 200 different options for suits. We definitely have a few new suits we would like to see and some that we hope return from the originals. Some of these are Ben Reilly’s Scarlet Spider suit and the Sam Raimi symbiote suit from Spider-Man 3. Other favorites we hope to see are the Superior Spider-Man suit from the titular comic book run and Miles’ and Miguel O’Hara’s suit from Across the Spider-Verse. We will be spoiled for choice with so many suits included in the game.
The story details are very sparse so far, and Insomniac Games has done well to show us what to expect without confirming anything major. All we really know is that Harry Osborne, Peter Parker’s longtime best friend, will be appearing after being “in Europe” throughout the first game and will be sick. This illness will certainly play into the story and be closely tied to the symbiote. Kraven will be making his way to New York for a new hunt, and we have speculated that this may be to hunt one of the Spiders or even the Lizard, Curt Connors, who transforms into the beast after experimenting with Lizard DNA to regrow his amputated arm.
We expect to see a dark side of Peter take over as the black symbiote takes hold of him, and this is where the story will really pick up steam. Something we are extremely excited about is how this will affect the relationship between the Spider-Men. The idea of a confrontation between the two and a boss fight as they come to blows is something that may be a highlight of the game.
One of the biggest speculations we have is that Harry Osborne will be Venom in this universe, and after he is defeated at the end of the game, the symbiote will be separated from Harry and will find a new host. Could this be Eddie Brock? Insomniac Games have proved they have what it takes to tell an engaging and powerfully emotional storyline, so we all agree that this task is in the right hands.
Marvel properties seem to be unable to resist adding some fun after the credits begin to roll, and we have a few ideas for what we may see. A favorite theory of ours for a post-credits scene is that we may see Norman Osborne start his transformation into the Green Goblin. Speculating that Harry may not survive the story, this could be the catalyst for the Mayor of New York to go Green.
It is doubtful, but certainly a possibility, that we may see Wolverine in some capacity considering Insomniac is working on a Wolverine game. The Spider-Verse has also gained a lot of attention of late and could mean we see some other Spider-People somewhere in the craziness with the most significant focus on Spider-Gwen. She has seen a massive surge in popularity since her on-screen debut in the Spider-Verse movies, and we think we may even get to see her in some capacity in some side quests. A post-credits scene setting up a Spider-Verse spin-off would be pretty awesome.
The inclusion of the Symbiote abilities has sparked some speculation that Venom may be a playable character in the game, and while it does seem less likely with the newer footage confirming a bigger focus on Peter’s Spider suit, this does seem unlikely but still possible. We think this could be a feature for some DLC. Speculating that Eddie Brock will appear in the game and that he will become the new host for the symbiote after it detaches from Harry, Venom could be the focus of some DLC or even a spin-off game.
Would you like to see more of what we have to say about the game? We have made a special member-only Screen Smash episode for all these talking points and many more. Make sure you head over to the member page and become a Couch Soup member now to catch a very fun time with us talking all things Spidey.
Well, that’s all we know so far about the game and some of what we hope to see. What do you think we could see from Spider-Man 2? Let’s chat about it on social media, and make sure you check your tickets at the door because it’s all aboard the HYPE TRAIN!