Summary
Insomniac’sSpider-Manuniverse is already a pretty expansive one. Over the course of two games,Insomniac’sSpider-Manserieshad already included a multitude of iconic villains, two whole Spider-Men, a ton of additional side characters, and well over a decade’s worth of backstory for everything and everyone involved, all interwoven together.Marvel’s Spider-Man 2only continues the trend, expanding on this already rich universe in a number of major ways.
Of course, the big additions to Insomniac’s universe this around areKraven the Hunter and Venom, two iconic villains that make their Insomniac debut inMarvel’s Spider-Man 2, and inform the vast majority of the game’s core story. And while most ofMarvel’s Spider-Man 2’s story can be enjoyed with almost no prior knowledge, fans are definitely rewarded for experiencing and remembering past events in the series, and there are a handful of plot threads in the sequel that really encourage fans to play the firstSpider-Man’s DLC.
RELATED:Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 Feels Like It Was Meant to Be a Co-Op Game
Why Fans Should Play the First Game’s DLC Before Jumping into Spider-Man 2
Obviously, being a direct sequel to everything that’s come before it,Marvel’s Spider-Man 2is expecting fans to have played the first two games in the series before jumping in. WhileMarvel’s Spider-Man 2certainly gives fans plenty of expository dialogue on the series' past events, they’re designed more to give fans a refresher of the series so far, as opposed to giving them a detailed breakdown of the series' entire story for the very first time. There are a ton of character relationships and dynamics that are integral toMarvel’s Spider-Man 2’s story, almost all of which are first established in the earlier games, and to fully understand them in the sequel, fans will have needed to experience them first hand from the beginning.
Quite a few ofMarvel’s Spider-Man 2’s most important relationships actually trace their roots back to the firstSpider-Man’s City That Never Sleeps DLC, and to get the most out of these relationships in the sequel fans are encouraged to play through this DLC for themselves beforehand. One of the most important examples of this can be found during The Flame set of side missions, in which players work alongside Wraith to bring down a fire-obsessed cult.
While fans who have playedMarvel’s Spider-Manwill likely remember the character of Yuri Watanabe, they’ll probably remember her as simply the police captain who occasionally worked with Spider-Man throughout the events of the first game. So, her being revealed as a masked vigilante inMarvel’s Spider-Man 2might feel like it’s come completely out of left field. However, this twist was actually set up all the way back inMarvel’s Spider-Man’s DLC, where Yuri decides that the justice system doesn’t always work and that she needs to take matters into her own hands, hence her becoming Wraith in the sequel.
Another majorMarvel’s Spider-Man 2character arcthat was originally set up inSpider-Man’s DLC is Black Cat’s. Though her hideouts appear in a set of side missions in the original game, Black Cat herself doesn’t show up until the City That Never Sleeps DLC, where her relationship with Peter is fleshed out a lot more. While players will get plenty of this detail via expository dialogue inMarvel’s Spider-Man 2, knowing her character and relationship with the rest of the cast beforehand makes her desperate escape from Kraven all the more intense, with those who have played the DLC already having a pre-established relationship with the character.
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2is available now on PS5.
MORE:Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 Shows Why One Mechanic Needs to Face the Reaper Sooner or Later
