Summary
Like its predecessorSpider-Man: Miles Morales,Marvel’s Spider-Man 2is an excellent open world experience without a single ounce of fat. Every activity is worth doing, from the Prowler Stash puzzles to the Flame quest line that is on par with the main story. Random crimes and Hunter Bases highlight the game’s exceptional combat and stealth, while the Unidentified Drones make good use of the new Web Wings. Unfortunately, because every activity inMarvel’s Spider-Man 2is carefully designed to be worth doing, many fans are flying through all the content quickly. As such, the need for something likeBatman: Arkham’s challenge maps is certainly felt.
Currently,Marvel’s Spider-Man 2lacks places that will challenge those who have mastered the game’s pair of wall-crawlers. While there are some difficult fights early in the game, once Peter and Miles acquire their new abilities, most of the game’s battles can be cleared in seconds - giving them little reason to keep playing once they have hit 100% on a playthrough. There are various solutions to this problem, like anew game plus mode forMarvel’s Spider-Man 2that ups the difficulty greatly or replayable activities like Hunter Bases to give players unlimited access to the title’s harder fights. However, it isArkham’s Challenge Maps that feel like a perfect way to keep fans engaged.
Why Batman Arkham’s Challenge Maps Would Be a Good Fit For Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 Challenge Maps Can Highlight All Types of Gameplay
TheBatman Arkhamseries andMarvel’s Spider-Manhave been compared before, and they will surely continue to be compared for years to come. A true successor to Rocksteady’s iconic superhero series, Insomniac’s Spidey franchise offers top-notch combat and solid stealth, both of which are clearly influenced bythe best Batman games. Unfortunately, unlike those games, there are no challenge maps to let players showcase the mastery of their skills and compete with others for high scores or better times.
With Taskmaster strangely missing fromMarvel’s Spider-Man 2, there is a massive void left by his absence, as his challenge missions in the original game offered experiences like the challenge maps from theBatman Arkhamseries. The lack of these is a genuine shame, as going all-in on challenge maps would have given fans more to do after they rolled credits onMarvel’s Spider-Man 2’s story, while also letting them see how good they really are. There could be various categories of challenges to access from the main menu, and the types of categories could resembleBatman Arkham’s. Combat challenges beyond the Mysteriums could exist, while stealth challenges are desperately needed, as there is nowhere to use stealth in the open-world once the bases are cleared. While there may not be a batmobile, the webswinging inMarvel’s Spider-Man 2is perfect, and races across the city would be welcome.
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 Could Use Arkham Knight’s Endless Knight Mode Most of All
However, even better than some traditional challenge maps that take players to memorable areas from the story that cannot be access in the open world (like Kraven’s manor, the EMF, or the Raft ships) would be a take on Endless Knight. Like its name suggests, this was a wave-based mode where players could keep fighting to their hearts’ content, building massive combos and needing to use every bit of Batman’s arsenal to take down a wide range of enemies. WithMarvel’s Spider-Man 2having a combo meterand plenty of foes to fight, it is easy to think about how a survival mode could benefit the game.
Endless Knight was part of the Community Challenge Pack, which saw fans voting on the types of challenges featured as well as the achievements to earn within them. With the mode being part of a bundle built by fans, it is clear that endless, wave-based survival modes are popular with gamers.
A survival mode inMarvel’s Spider-Man 2would not have to worry about making sense narratively, a concept that required the main game’s Bases to only have Kraven’s Hunters and Symbiote Nests to only feature the alien parasites. This non-canon mode could bring those two enemies together in addition to the Sandman copies, Mysterio’s skull-headed demons, random thugs, and so on. Bosses like Wraith could even be mixed in here and there to keep players on their toes if they survive for a long time. If gamers could set their difficulty, they could give themselves an easy arena that they blitz through withPeter’s SymbioteSurge, or a tough arena where they need to use Miles’ parries to their fullest. If challenge maps and a wave-based mode were present, any complaints aboutMarvel’s Spider-Man 2’s lack of replayability would surely fade away.
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
WHERE TO PLAY
Spider-Men Peter Parker and Miles Morales face the ultimate test of strength inside and outside the mask as they fight to save the city, each other and the ones they love, from the monstrous Venom and the dangerous new symbiote threat.Explore an expansive Marvel’s New York with faster web-swinging and the all-new Web Wings, quickly switching between Peter and Miles to experience different stories, epic new abilities and high-tech gear.Wield Peter’s symbiote abilities and Miles’ explosive bio-electric powers in battle against new and iconic Marvel Super Villains – including an original take on a symbiote-infused Venom, the ruthless Kraven the Hunter, the volatile Lizard, and more from the Marvel Rogues’ Gallery.
