Marvel’s Avengers is still in its rebuilding process, and while the arrival of original Hawkeye Clint Barton and the next-gen versions of the game should help rekindle the spark, something bigger will be needed to keep players engaged. Spider-Man’s arrival to the game could be just what it needs, as the hero is undoubtedly Marvel’s most popular character of all time. That said, while it will be great to see what Crystal Dynamics does with its version of the webslinger, his arrival will likely serve as a double-edged sword.
With Spidey’s recent video game outings being excellent and the hype levels around his next MCU movie being massive, Spider-Man could not be arriving in Marvel’s Avengers at a better time. Despite this, there are some inherent problems with the hero’s DLC, and they could prove devastating for the game as a whole. With so many eyes on the hero and this expansion for Marvel’s Avengers, Crystal Dynamics is in a tough place — as an excellent Spider-Man can prove just as damaging to the game’s recovery as a weak one could.
With Crystal Dynamics doing an excellent job with its version of Ms. Marvel, as well as delivering some solid narrative moments with The Hulk that show great respect for Bruce Banner’s comic book history, the studio getting its hands on Spider-Man could result in a unique version of the beloved hero. With the freedom to create a young Peter Parker closer to Kamala Khan’s age, or an experienced Peter like the one seen in Insomniac’s Spider-Man, Crystal Dynamics can deliver several different kinds of Spider-Man stories.
While Spider-Man’s story is self-contained, he will eventually meet with other heroes in Warzones and co-op missions, something that Insomniac’s Spider-Man has shied away from doing. With Spider-Man’s solo game focusing purely on his villains and stories while only referencing the greater Marvel universe, Crystal Dynamics has the opportunity to let the hero interact with The Avengers like he has done in the films and the comics. Even if it is only done through elevator conversations and team-up moves, seeing Spidey team-up with other Marvel superheroes can be a blast if done right. With characters in the game possibly knowing of the hero’s existence already, some of The Avengers can talk about previous missions with Spider-Man. If Spidey is fresh to the superhero scene, on the other hand, fun bits of dialogue can see Peter explaining his origins and powers to any confused Avengers.
Beyond story potential, Marvel’s Avengers boasts a different style of gameplay than what is seen in Insomniac’s Spider-Man series, allowing players to fill the shoes of the character in a different type of game. As such, Spidey can boast some unique upgrades and abilities, with the in-game weapons of Black Widow serving as a template for what players can expect from Spidey’s webs. Black Widow can specialize her weapon to fire in three different webs, and Spidey will likely be able to the same, with web grenades and taser webs being possible candidates for his specializations. Web blossom would make a great Ultimate ability, while there are plenty of gadgets to be used as secondary skills.
Beyond a brand-new interpretation of the character, a meeting with The Avengers, and a new style of Spidey gameplay, players can expect an interesting choice for the Spider-Man DLC’s villain. With Crystal Dynamics using MODOK to prove that they want to avoid doing what the movies have done when it comes to their storytelling, the same can be expected from Spider-Man’s appearance in the game. With options such as Carnage and Sandman on the table, a unique villain and boss fight worthy of The Avengers’ attention can be delivered — making for a standout battle for the game if done correctly.
However, while there is plenty of upside to Marvel’s Avengers’ Spider-Man DLC, there are a few key things holding it back. The biggest issue is the much-discussed exclusivity of the Spidey content, as it means that only PlayStation players will have access to the expansion. As such, if the DLC is great, the game will only start to thrive on PlayStation — with the disappointment from a lack of content possibly serving as a deathblow for Marvel’s Avengers on Xbox and PC.
While Crystal Dynamics can attempt to remedy this by releasing Black Panther’s DLC around the same time, giving players on all platforms something to do around the time of Spider-Man’s debut in Marvel’s Avengers, those not playing on PlayStation will still be bothered by not having access to the legendary character. If Spider-Man’s exclusive DLC is excellent, those frustrations will only grow further, leaving Crystal Dynamics in a lose-lose situation regarding Spider-Man’s release.
Another problem that can arise with this specific Marvel’s Avengers DLC is that most of the game’s locations are not built for Spider-Man’s traversal. Open woodland, snow, and desert areas provide no places for the character to swing from, meaning that Spidey may be limited to web-zipping in the game. Another option would be to give the character the immersion-breaking ability to swing even if no structures are nearby to attach webs to, something seen in older Spider-Man games. Crystal dynamics may need to prioritize fun over realism in Spidey’s case, with players needing to cope with the character swinging from the sky in certain areas.
While Spidey’s crawling and hand-to-hand combat should be less of an issue, Crystal Dynamics will have to deal with constant comparisons to Insomniac’s Spider-Man games. With the PlayStation exclusives nailing every aspect of the character, from storytelling and character work to combat and stealth, Crystal Dynamics has a tough task on their hands with its interpretation of the character. While there are some exciting possibilities that come with sticking the character into the missions of Marvel’s Avengers, and seeing him fighting alongside the team of heroes will be great, outdoing Insomniac’s work with the character would be truly challenging. While it will be intriguing to see a new take on Peter Parker, he may be overshadowed by those that came before—and if he is not, the fact that only some Marvel’s Avengers fans get to play as him will be disappointing for many.
Marvel’s Avengers is out now on PC, PlayStation 4, Stadia, and Xbox One, with PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X versions currently in development.
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