So let’s take a look at 15 of those creepy glitches here!

Broken Face Textures – Assassin’s Creed Unity

No list of glitches is complete without mentioning Assassin’s Creed Unity and it’s missing face textures. The nature of the glitch is also amazing – one instance produces only the character’s teeth and blood-shot eyes, searing into your soul. Another was suitably more terrifying with its mess of textures, eyes and teeth coalescing into what might be a smile. Thanks to the game’s problematic launch, these glitches maintain their infamy to this day.

Fragile Jump – Death Stranding

In Death Stranding, fast travel is made possible by teleportation which isn’t all that odd (it’s the future, after all). However, teleporting is done via an umbrella owned by Fragile. Following some events in Chapter 3, Sam unlocks the ability to fast travel to safe houses by simply looking at the wall where the umbrella hangs and hitting the prompt. Fragile will then jump in with her umbrella, she and Sam will touch heads and off you go. That this isn’t even remotely the weirdest thing in Death Stranding is an understatement.

Before we get into the ending, please note that there will be spoilers for pretty much everything. If you’re still playing the story and want to experience it for yourself – which you most definitely should – then turn back now.

As noted before release, the story sees energy corporation Roxxon investing in the new Roxxon Plaza for Harlem where Miles and his loved ones live. Powered by Nuform, the company eventually comes into conflict with the Underground, a high-tech outfit looking to expose the energy’s danger. Leading the group is The Tinkerer, who turns out to be Phin Mason, one of Miles’ best friends. Phin is ultimately looking to sabotage and destroy Roxxon Plaza but the company’s R&D director Simon Krieger anticipates her plan, rigging it to destroy Harlem if that happens. Along the way, Miles encounters his uncle Aaron Davis, who previously worked at Roxxon and is now The Prowler. Though Davis’s goal was to protect Miles, he eventually concedes to his desire to help others and even helps Harlem’s citizens to evacuate before things go south.

As Roxxon and the Underground battle, Miles battles The Tinkerer/Phin. Though he eventually wins, the plaza’s reactor has gone critical, leading to Miles absorbing the energy. Phin then flies with Miles above the city so he can release the energy but stays with him till the end and dies in the process. Miles survives, with a few of Harlem’s residents keeping his identity secret; Krieger is arrested after Davis turns himself in; and Peter Parker, who traveled to Symkaria, returns and the duo resume their crime-fighting duties.

Mid-way through the credits, however, we switch to the POV of Harry Osborn in a containment tank. Norman Osborn walks in and speaks to Dr. Curt Connors about releasing Harry, though Connors warns about the potential dangers of…well, you know what. The Symbiote doesn’t react as much as it did in the post-credits scene for Spider-Man. But the conclusion is clear – Venom will be entering the fray soon.

But there could be more to the sequel’s story than that. It’s first important to understand that in one Marvel Comics universe, Earth-12041, Harry Osborn bonded with the Symbiote, first becoming the Black Suit Spider-Man and then turning into Venom. This universe is the designation used for the Ultimate Spider-Man animated series and comic books (which have separate stories). The animated series is interesting due to the number of parallels you could draw with Insomniac’s first Spider-Man, like Doctor Octopus taking revenge against Norman Osborn (though the reasons are different and in the series, the Doc was responsible for turning Osborn into the Green Goblin).

In this universe, Harry opposed Spider-Man as Venom and despite being freed, it would re-emerge several times throughout the series (at one point, he even became Anti-Venom). Interestingly, when Venom re-emerged a second time, it was while Harry was asleep. Over the course of the series, he would harbor an intense hatred for Peter, driven primarily by his father being more interested in Spider-Man than him.

So from the outset, Harry becoming Venom and being playable in Insomniac’s Spider-Man 2 is very much possible. In fact, he could have his own separate campaign or missions, acting as a deuteragonist to Peter Parker. However, unlike the animated series, Norman Osborn seems more driven by love for Harry and saving his life as opposed to simply harnessing the power of the Symbiote. Of course, given how things play out, there’s also a possibility that Norman could become the main villain, either through his own experiments or from extenuating circumstances.

It could be akin to the 2002 Spider-Man film where, to obtain an important contract, Norman experiments on himself and becomes the Green Goblin. How the dynamic works here will be key – because Norman expressed nothing but disappointment in Harry, even when he became Venom in the animated series. Meanwhile, the Symbiote seems more than happy to kill Osborn, either as a direct result of Harry’s anger or because, well, it’s the Symbiote.

How Miles factors into all of this is the real question. Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 presents the opportunity to introduce some kind of co-op element, perhaps even a separate mode like Ghost of Tsushima: Legends that has its own story-line. There’s no denying the appeal of swinging through the city with multiple Spider-Men or even jumping into a friend’s session for some crime-fighting in the campaign. But the focus of Sony’s flagship console titles is to offer a compelling single-player experience first. Having Miles as a co-op character would still be possible but then having Venom as a playable character would mar the pacing.

Another possibility is that Peter Parker as Spider-Man and Venom tussle throughout the campaign, leading to some kind of showdown with Norman Osborn as the Green Goblin. The story could end with Harry going his own way and possibly starring in the DLC, perhaps in a set of stories akin to The City That Never Sleeps. Perhaps he’ll transition into more of an anti-hero role, as Venom has usually been recognized for throughout the years.

A quick note on other characters – Aaron Davis returning as the Prowler seems unlikely since he went to prison at the end of Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales. A reduced sentence, sure, but unless Spider-Man 2 is set a year or two after, it would be a stretch to see him again. Yuri Watanabe could definitely make an appearance as Wraith, especially after her actions in The City That Never Sleeps. But it’s unlikely she has more than a dedicated arc or a few appearances due to the number of other pressing storylines that could unfold in the sequel.

One thing’s for sure – Simon Krieger making a comeback is almost impossible. While he goes to jail, likely for a long time due to Roxxon’s actions, his character was eventually killed off in the comics. So even if he survives in the video game’s universe and is perhaps referenced in the sequel, having a direct impact on the plot is highly unlikely.

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 will likely release by 2022 with Insomniac currently focusing its resources on Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart (which launches in the first half of 2021). There’s no doubt that development has already begun but how will Manhattan change? Will we explore more of New York City? Time will tell but there’s certainly a lot to potentially look forward to.

Insomniac Games and Sony have seen their fair share of controversy over Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered. Along with the lack of cross-gen saves, the only way to really purchase it on PS5 is via the Ultimate Edition for Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales. The lack of a next-gen update, whether paid or free, didn’t help either.

Thankfully, Insomniac Games is addressing some of the complaints with the PS5 remaster. On Twitter, it confirmed that an update would release around Thanksgiving to allow for exporting one’s save from the PS4 to PS5 version. Furthermore, this will add the three new suits from the remaster to the PS4 version.

While it doesn’t address the inability to purchase the PS5 remaster standalone, it’s a welcome step to meeting PS4 owners half-way. Both Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales and Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered will launch on November 12th for PS5 (with the former also coming to PS4). Stay tuned for more details in the meantime.

We have heard you – in an upcoming update for #SpiderManPS4, we will add the ability to export your save to Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered. This update will also add the three new suits from Remastered to the PS4 game. We expect to bring you this update around Thanksgiving. pic.twitter.com/EqoKnto3FV

— Insomniac Games (@insomniacgames) November 9, 2020

The Pre-Order Debacle

Remember when Sony’s Worldwide Head of Marketing Eric Lempel said that the company would let people know when the PS5 could be pre-ordered? Lempel’s exact words were, “I think it’s safe to say we’ll let you know when pre-orders will happen. It’s not going to happen with a minute’s notice. We’re going to at some point let you know when you can pre-order PlayStation 5. So, please, don’t feel like you have to go run out and line up anywhere until you receive official notice on how that will work.”

Of course, following the last PS5 showcase, which revealed the console’s release date and price, Sony suddenly announced – that too via Twitter – that pre-orders would be opening later that day. Cue confusion from retailers and the sudden rush by consumers to procure a console. Some retailers, like Walmart, reportedly began canceling pre-orders, while others like Amazon told those who pre-ordered that they may not receive the PS5 on launch day due to high demand.

Sony would later apologize for the fiasco and said on September 19^th that, “Over the next few days, we will release more PS5 consoles for pre-order – retailers will share more details.” Lo and behold, the console is still impossible to pre-order with Sony remaining silent. But hey, at least “More PS5s will be available through the end of the year.” Probably.

No PS4 to PS5 Upgrade for Marvel’s Spider-Man

When Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered was rumored, there was a bit of skepticism over how much more improved it could be over the base game. After confirming its existence, Insomniac revealed several new features, from a new 60 FPS performance mode and ray-traced reflections and shadows to improved environments and character models. Pretty neat, even if reactions are mixed to Peter Parker’s new face.

However, it then confirmed that there would be no upgrade option for PS4 owners. Given how many companies are doing next-gen upgrades, from NetherRealm Studios for Mortal Kombat 11 to Ubisoft with Assassin’s Creed Valhalla and Watch Dogs: Legion – to say nothing of Microsoft’s efforts – this sticks out like a sore thumb. One could argue that having all of these new features and graphical improvements for free is probably asking too much. Unfortunately, you can’t even purchase the remaster separately for PS5.

No Standalone PS5 Version of Spider-Man Remastered

Don’t get us wrong – Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales looks good. But what if someone is only interested in buying Spider-Man Remastered? Well, they can’t – they must purchase the Ultimate Edition of Spider-Man: Miles Morales. That means putting down a whopping $70.

Yet somehow, this is worse because Spider-Man: Miles Morales does have a free upgrade option. You can purchase it on PS4 and upgrade to PS5 with no problem. It’s worth noting that Spider-Man on PS4 is backwards compatible on PS5 but it won’t get all of the spiffy new enhancements or new content that the remaster has.

Cross-Gen Save Confusion

While one could argue that cross-gen saves are a luxury more than anything else, it’s still weird to see Sony’s stance on the matter versus Microsoft. While Smart Delivery on Xbox Series X/S ensures that you get the most optimized version on the console of choice along with cross-progression from the Xbox One version, the PS5 has been rather inconsistent on this front. Some third-party titles support it, like Marvel’s Avengers, but a good number of them – like Yakuza: Like a Dragon, Maneater and DiRT 5 – either have specific features that don’t carry over from the PS4 to PS5 or lack cross-save transfers altogether.

You’d think this is just a case of third-party developers not being able to implement it (despite these same titles supporting cross-gen saves on Xbox Series X). But even PS4 owners of Marvel’s Spider-Man can’t transfer their saves to the PS5 remaster. At least Spider-Man: Miles Morales supports cross-gen saves but that only adds to the confusion. It just reinforces the fact that Sony doesn’t really have a proper system for cross-gen saves like Smart Delivery, beyond stating its inclusion for specific titles.

No DualShock 4 Support on PS5

Yet another initiative that Microsoft beat Sony on is having controllers for older consoles like the Xbox One work with the Xbox Series X/S. Meanwhile, Sony has outright stated that there would be no DualShock 4 support for the PS5, unless one was playing PS4 titles on it. The apparent justification is that there are a number of titles being built to take advantage of the DualSense’s haptic feedback and adaptive triggers.

But everything we’ve seen thus far doesn’t indicate that these games would be unplayable without these features. Look at games like Spider-Man: Miles Morales, which has reportedly been developed with DualSense in mind but can be played on the PS4 with a regular DualShock 4. Shouldn’t it then be possible to play it on PS5 with the same controller? You could argue that this is a way for Sony to sell more DualSense controllers and with their $70 price tag, you wouldn’t be too far off.

No Create Button Details

On another note – remember when the DualSense was revealed in April? Sony has gone over a number of its features till date except for one – the Create button. What does it do for direct streaming? Does it make the whole process of media sharing easier? Why did it replace the Share button? Why haven’t there been any details on it till now?

More information was promised as we got closer to launch and yet there’s still nothing. At this rate, it wouldn’t surprise us if it’s detailed right before the console launches.

No UI Reveal

Speaking of things that have yet to be revealed, there’s the user interface. While Microsoft has been pretty transparent with changes to the Xbox dashboard for the Xbox Series X, Sony has showcased nothing for the PS5’s UI. There was a point in June when PlayStation VP of UX design Matt MacLaurin told LinkedIn users that the PS5 UI has a “whole new visual language” and be a “100 percent overhaul of the PS4 UI.” He also said there it would be seen “soon.”

Time is relative, it seems, because we’re a month out from the console’s release and still have no clue what this overhauled UI looks like.

Microtransactions in a $70 First-Party Title

More publishers are opting to sell their next-gen titles for $70 and Sony is no different. It even announced several Digital Deluxe Editions for pretty much every PS5 title, whether it was Demon’s Souls or Sackboy: A Big Adventure. But the worst of it is Destruction AllStars. Not only has there been very little gameplay showcased but on top of costing $70 and having a Digital Deluxe version, it also has microtransactions.

It’s one thing when 2K Games, EA and Activision implement microtransactions with their next-gen titles. But when it’s Sony, a console manufacturer whose first-party studios have steered away from such practices, it’s confusing at best and downright shady at worst to see an exclusive go this route.

Such titles included God of War, Days Gone, Bloodborne, Persona 5, Until Dawn and so on. This is only available to PlayStation Plus subscribers and already questions were being asked. Is this Sony’s backwards compatibility strategy? Will it add more games to the list in the coming years (which is likely, especially to continue to offer some kind of value to the Instant Game Collection)? What about PlayStation Now? Where is Marvel’s Spider-Man?

Later, Sony’s Jim Ryan would clarify that 99 percent of all PS4 titles would be backwards compatible on the PS5. Which is nice and all but how does it work? What kind of visual enhancements can we expect? Can we learn more about which games are backwards compatible? What is the one percent of games that won’t work?

Finally, the publisher confirmed what many had feared – that Marvel’s Spider-Man would not be receiving a free upgrade from PS4 to PS5. When Insomniac unveiled gameplay for Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales, it also confirmed a remaster for the first game. It’s “no simple up-res” as per the developer. Along with completely updated art assets and improved character models with better facial animation, eyes and hair, there’s also ray-traced reflections and ambient shadows, a more busy city with greater draw distance, better lighting and even the option to play at 60 FPS. But wait, there’s more – it will also take advantage of DualSense and 3D audio, feature three new suits and features for Photo Mode and some new Trophies.

That sounds like quite a good amount of features added in (especially if the DLC is included). But even if you think that way and wouldn’t mind spending, let’s say, $20 to $40 on the remaster alone, you can’t. Sony has stated that Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered won’t even be sold standalone on PS5. If you want it, you have to purchase the Ultimate Edition of Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales which costs a whopping $70. Even if Miles Morales ends up being a stellar title, despite Insomniac admitting to it having a smaller scope and scale, the lack of choice here is pretty surprising.

This is especially when you consider that buying Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales on PS4 does entitle you to a free upgrade to the PS5 version. You can even upgrade it further to the Ultimate Edition (for a price) and receive Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered. Or you could play the non-remastered PS4 version of Spider-Man on the PS5 thanks to backwards compatibility. But not through the PlayStation Plus Collection, mind you, because this clearly wasn’t confusing enough already.

On the one hand, I’m prompted to ask what happened and why Sony couldn’t streamline its approach to backwards compatibility better. My theory – it’s a combination of several things and the publisher trying to have it both ways. It wants to continue having paid remasters for its best-selling PS4 titles, which explains why you haven’t heard a peep about free PS4 to PS5 upgrades for The Last of Us Part 2 and Ghost of Tsushima, two big name exclusives which launched this year. However, it also wants to have some kind of cross-gen strategy especially in light of Microsoft’s approach with the Xbox Series X and S. This strange approach has put Sony in a rather odd position.

It probably doesn’t help that Microsoft came out pretty early on and clarified its position on cross-gen support and backwards compatibility. Features like Smart Delivery, improving frame rates and resolution, and even adding HDR to older titles that never had it are worth praising. Meanwhile, despite many the company’s biggest titles being several years off (and not being available on Xbox One like it promised all first party titles would be at one point), it’s stuck close to supporting previous generations.

Then there’s Sony, which speaks about supporting PS4 players by making upcoming PS5 titles like Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales and Horizon Forbidden West available for the PS4. However, it won’t properly explain how backwards compatibility works, what games will be backwards compatible on PS5, and what games could potentially receive remastered versions down the line. While some may purchase Ghost of Tsushima or The Last of Us Part 2 to experience them on PS4, there could be others who want to take advantage of the PS5’s power for a higher frame rate and resolution. What happens if they purchase these titles for the console and then Sony announces remastered versions that require another purchase one year later?

There’s no denying that it will earn additional revenue for the publisher (just look at The Last of Us Remastered on PS4). It’s just the lack of transparency that’s getting to fans, especially with the console being less than two months from launch. Look how long it took Sony to even acknowledge PS4 owners of Marvel’s Spider-Man not getting a PS5 upgrade, that too after rumors spread about the same.

Don’t even get us started on Sony’s approach to PS1, PS2 and PS3 backwards compatibility. Such a feature isn’t included with the PS5 but you can pay $9.99 per month and up to $59.99 for PlayStation Now to stream those titles to the console. Except, PS One titles aren’t available on the service. Also you can only stream PS3 titles, not download them locally like with PS2 and PS4 games.

It also doesn’t help that several big PS4 titles aren’t available on the service like Horizon Zero Dawn, God of War, Days Gone, Persona 5 and so on. But it’s a good thing that PlayStation Plus Collection is a thing, right? That too, one that requires a separate paid subscription to a completely different service. The fact that Sony hasn’t offered more details on PlayStation Now for the PS5 is a stark contrast to Microsoft’s approach with Game Pass.

Some could argue about backwards compatibility or free upgrades not being important to them. But they’re important enough for a large enough player base to justify numerous companies, from Falcom and Square Enix to Bungie and Bethesda (even before its acquisition by Microsoft), to offer some kind of next-gen support for their titles. While I don’t think Sony will present a backwards compatibility or cross-gen solution that could rival Microsoft’s any time soon, there’s still time for the company to clarify its current initiatives. More details are needed all around, whether it’s backwards compatible PS4 titles requiring a disc or whether PlayStation Now will receive some of the bigger name PS4 titles that it’s currently missing.

It also needs to talk more about its plans for more recent PS4 titles, how it plans to approach PS5 remasters in the future and at least offering some kind of discount for current-gen owners. There’s still time, sure, but the clock is ticking.

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.