Despite both games starring characters from the same comic book universe, Marvel’s Avengers and Marvel’s Spider-Man could not be any more different. While Crystal Dynamics’ game is a co-op RPG and a games-as-a-service title, Insomniac’s Marvel project is a story-focused open world game centered on a single hero. However, despite these differences in style and genre, a fresh take on Spider-Man is set to join the Marvel’s Avengers universe in the near future.
With Spider-Man supposedly coming to the game sooner rather than later, as he comes directly after Hawkeye in the leaked DLC roster’s release schedule, Insomniac may want to take notes on how the character is received. While the studio has mastered Spider-Man’s gameplay and nailed many of his characters, there is always room to improve. Likewise, the Marvel’s Avengers’ Spider-Man expansion may show Insomniac some things to steer clear from with their next game centered on the hero. While the Spider-Man expansion will be important for winning players back to Marvel’s Avengers, it could prove to be an equally important learning experience for Insomniac.
There is no denying that Marvel’s Avengers has problems, and one of the biggest issues is a lack of enemy variety. Both in terms of boss battles and regular enemies, players have been taking on Hulk clones or AIM bots for six months now. While it is possible that the Spider-Man expansion rectifies this, allowing Peter to take on civilians corrupted by the villain Carnage or enemies like the Spider-Slayers, it seems more likely that more AIM bots will be fought. If this happens, it could serve as a reminder that enemy variety is crucial to the success of the next Spider-Man game. While Insomniac has done well in this area so far, continuing to do so will be important.
Likewise, seeing another disappointing Marvel’s Avengers boss encounter could push Insomniac to refine its own bosses. While the first Marvel’s Spider-Man game features solid clashes with well-known villains, and Spider-Man: Miles Morales has the same, one minor nitpick from most gamers was that they were too easy. This has been seen with the bosses in Marvel’s Avengers, too. While a few do have some unique attacks and abilities in their arsenals, they are easy to take down, with players only to have the necessary patience to take down their beefed-up health bars. Further, the lack of boss fights in Marvel’s Avengers (and likely the Spider-Man DLC as well) should motivate Insomniac to include plenty in the sequel.
While Marvel’s Avengers could surprise with the villain and enemies of its Spider-Man DLC, one area it seems destined to fail in is its traversal. After all, the game’s Warzone missions are not designed with buildings for Spidey to attach his webs too, something that will likely lead to the immersion-breaking sight of Peter shooting his webs into the sky. Further, with all heroes kept at a slow speed, swinging from place to place will likely feel slow, something that should never happen when controlling Spider-Man. With Insomniac pretty much nailing the friendly neighborhood hero’s traversal mechanics already, hopefully it keeps this going in the sequel.
The final criticism that will likely become prevalent after Marvel’s Avengers’ Spider-Man expansion arrives is XP-related. The controversial XP nerf has been explained by Crystal Dynamics, though the decision could only grow more unpopular while players progress through the levels on their way to maxing out the webslinger. With this in mind, Insomniac should ensure that the leveling system is quick, fair, and fully satisfying in the follow-up to Marvel’s Spider-Man. While the heroes in Marvel’s Avengers are fun to play, and their skills are fun to use, making them slower to obtain could have a negative impact on player enjoyment — something that Insomniac will want to avoid in its own system.
While there is no shortage of criticism to be leveled in the direction of the game, Marvel’s Avengers does a lot well, too. What the game gets right could be shown clearly in the Spider-Man DLC, with Insomniac pulling from the positive reception to the content as well as the negative. Some special skins could go over incredibly well with fans, whether it be the Ben Reilly suit or the brand-new white costume from Spider-Man’s current comic book run. The Symbiote suit could appear as well, giving Insomniac yet another reason to include it in the sequel.
Apart from alternate outfit ideas, though, the content could give Insomniac some ideas for fresh content in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. For example, seeing Peter Parker beat down enemies inside HARM rooms could inspire a wave-based survival mode in the next Insomniac game, allowing players to practice their combos endlessly. Further, a cool skill for Crystal Dynamics’ Spider-Man could inspire a fresh mechanic in Insomniac’s next game. Whether it be a special piece of gear, different type of webbing, or a clever use of Spider Sense, there will likely be something cool about the way this new Peter plays — and Insomniac should add the tool to their Spidey’s arsenal, too.
Next, Marvel’s Avengers’ Operation for Spider-Man could inspire a side mission or villain addition for the sequel. Perhaps Kraven someone like Kraven The Hunter is used brilliantly in the DLC, earning him a role in the next Spidey game due to how much fans loved him in Marvel’s Avengers. On top of that, this story could make great use of a character like J. Jonah Jameson, which could lead to Insomniac giving him a part to play in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 that sees him placed in the foreground rather than the background. One thing that Crystal Dynamics does very well in Marvel’s Avengers is storytelling, with strong voice acting making the characters stand out even more. As such, it is not out of the realm of possibility that this Spider-Man narrative influences a piece of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2.
Finally, and most importantly, Marvel’s Avengers can remind Insomniac of the strengths that come with superheroes interacting. After all, the bond between Kamala Khan and Bruce Banner was integral to making Marvel’s Avengers’ story mode work as well as it did. Peter Parker interacting with characters like Captain America and Iron Man, just like he does in the books and MCU, could prove to be the best part of his DLC. Whether it is conversations in elevators or banter during a fight, Spidey teaming up with other characters is all-but-guaranteed to put a smile on the face of fans. As such, a positive response could push Insomniac to have its version of Peter truly interact with the larger Marvel universe. While all the nods to characters like Doctor Strange, Black Panther, and Daredevil are fun, they could eventually become so much more.
While Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is already set up for success, Insomniac learning from its peers can only help to make it even better. With the sequel seemingly still early in development, too, there is plenty of time to make changes, and Marvel’s Avengers could serve as a prime example of what changes to make.
Marvel’s Avengers is available now on PC, PS4, Stadia, and Xbox One, with PS5 and Xbox Series X upgrades coming March 18.
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