Insomniac Games have been at the forefront of several excellent franchises like Ratchet and Clank, Spyro and the underrated Resistance series. Along the way they have also worked on gems such as the open world action game, Sunset Overdrive for the Xbox One. Although, they have had minor blunders in the form of Fuse, the studio holds a big reputation in terms of developing high quality games.
One of the most eagerly anticipated games for the PS4 at the moment is Spider-Man, by Insomniac Games. And there is good reason for that- the game got a killer showing at E3 last month, and everything we have seen of it indicates that it will be the perfect video game translation of Marvel’s webslinging, wisecracking, beloved superhero that we have all been waiting for.
The interesting thing here is that there is this much confidence and enthusiasm for Spider-Man even though very few of us have actually had the chance to go hands on with it ourselves- or even see gameplay demos of the game in an uncontrolled setting. It must be noted that Sony and Marvel selected Insomniac Games over Sucker Punch, a studio whose expertise lies in developing fantastic open world super hero games (their inFamous series on the PS3 and PS4 is more than exceptional). This confidence is rooted in Insomniac’s ability to deliver on the promise of the game- which, in turn, may ironically be rooted in their experience on Xbox One exclusive Sunset Overdrive three years ago.
"Sony’s and Marvel’s confidence is rooted in Insomniac’s ability to deliver on the promise of the game- which, in turn, may ironically be rooted in their experience on Xbox One exclusive Sunset Overdrive three years ago."
Sunset Overdrive is an underrated gem– a highly stylized game that emphasizes mobility, varied moves, inventive combat, and a wacky sense of humor, all while looking great. It also included great gameplay mechanics, excellent level design and fluid animations, not to mention the fact that they included some intriguing RPG aspects as well. Most of this, if not all, are going to be the key ingredients of the new Spider-man game for the PS4.
With Sunset Overdrive, Insomniac demonstrated that they can take their penchant for controlled chaos, as seen in their previous games like Ratchet and Clank and Resistance, and apply it to a more open world setting- and that is all exactly the kind of thing that Spider-Man would need to be able to become the game that people want it to be.
Let’s add to this the fact that Insomniac is perhaps, Naughty Dog aside, the studio that has gotten the most out of the PS4 thus far (and if you don’t believe me, you need to check out last year’s Ratchet and Clank remake for the PS4– it’s gorgeous in motion and features almost Pixar like visuals specially during cutscenes). That, in turn, gives us the confidence that Insomniac will be able to give us a gorgeous looking game that realizes the world of Spider-Man well, with incredible graphics, and the animations that are needed to do Spidey justice. And given how the game already looks on the PlayStation 4 Pro, we are hopeful that the developers will keep on improving the visuals since the game’s release is still far away.
"With Sunset Overdrive, Insomniac demonstrated that they can take their penchant for controlled chaos, as seen in their previous games like Ratchet and Clank and Resistance, and apply it to a more open world setting- and that is all exactly the kind of thing that Spider-Man would need to be able to become the game that people want it to be."
Furthermore, Insomniac Games’ experience with Sunset Overdrive in terms of how the main character will move, jump on walls, traverse across a huge open world and perform various combat moves will go a long way in delivering the most authentic Spider-man character on a gaming console.
Finally, there is the point to consider that this is Sony’s game, with oversight by Marvel- the former is a company that has rigorous quality control, and is unwilling to push out something half baked. When paired with a developer of the caliber of Insomniac, that leads to a potent combination. The Marvel side of that equation comes into play when you consider that Marvel is unlikely to be as involved with a project as they are with Spider-Man, and have it treat their star character (Spider-Man remains Marvel’s biggest property around the world to date) with anything less than the quality assurance that he deserves.
All of this is to say that Spider-Man is shaping up to be a perfect storm. I don’t know if it will be the best game next year, or even the best PS4 game next year- but what I do know is that it is shaping up to be one of the best superhero games of all time (judging by its E3 showing), and certainly the best game from Insomniac. With Sony’s quality commitment to its exclusives along with the pedigree of Insomniac Games, let’s hope all the stars align, and we get the game that we think we will when Spider-Man launches early next year, exclusively on the PlayStation 4.
Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to GamingBolt as an organization.
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