Spider-Man 2 is inspired by the Arkham games but it doesn’t always work

There are plenty of great ideas and mechanics Insomniac’s Spider-Man games have borrowed from Rocksteady’s Arkham series. Insomniac’s Spider-Man games are clearly influenced by the Batman series, especially in terms of fluid combat and stealthy sequences. The new webline is also a clear example. Marvel’s Spider-Man 2This allows you to make a tightrope, giving yourself more room and flexibility to take out the bad guys. One element that I think should have been kept in Da Bat is the utility belt with fancy gadgets.

I understand the appeal. For many people, more power = greater fun with this type of game (and I really enjoy the game). But here’s the thing: I don’t want to be Batman. I’m here to be Spider-Man!

When I’m playing a Spider-Man game, I want to swing around the city, help locals with odd tasks small and big, punch and kick bad guys, and use my webs to either bind them to objects or toss them around a bit. I don’t want to throw gravity bombs or use mechanical spider legs that spring out of my back like some ungodly contraption.

Images: Insomniac Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment from Polygon

Also … who is paying for all this gear? To their credit, the games acknowledge the financial precarity of their protagonists in a manner similar to Sam Raimi’s terrific movie trilogy (and unlike the MCU Spider-Man trilogy, where Peter has a billionaire benefactor in Tony Stark). The two main plots of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 are Peter struggling to pay off his house’s mortgage after inheriting it from Aunt May, and his inability to hold down a job (his volunteer crime-fighting position keeps getting in the way). It is unlikely that a man can buy an unlimited supply of hi-tech suits and gadgets.

It’s true that Peter worked with Otto Octavius in the first game, which gave him access to a lot of this gear, but even they were struggling scientists without the kind of budget to support Spidey’s new warchest. Now that Otto’s out of the picture, it’s even more difficult to see how Peter could keep up his gadget habit – even if he’s making absolutely dreadful financial decisions during a time where he needs all the money he can gather.

As a great poster once saidSpider gadgets: $3,600; Utility: $150. Help Peter to budget. He is surrounded by his family. [literally] dying.