So far, one of the biggest surprises from this year’s E3 has been the announcement of Insomniac’s upcoming Spider-Man game, which took place during the Sony event on Monday night.
Decked out in a fancy (and terribly gaudy) new suit, Insomniac is bringing the webslinger exclusively to PS4 in hopes of creating Marvel’s answer to Rocksteady’s Batman: Arkham franchise.
However, for all of the impressive footage shown during the game’s debut trailer, fans weren't actually given a lot of information about the title. We do know that it’s Peter Parker under the mask, and not Miles Morales. Also, he definitely sounds like someone in his late 20s or early 30s, unlike the Spider-Teen version from Captain America: Civil War.
However, other than that, we didn’t see any extended gameplay or scuffles with any members of Spider-Man’s infamous rogues gallery, right? Well, hold off on that last point for just a second, because if you actually break down the trailer, you’ll catch hints of two potential villains, as well as what could be a peek at the game’s plot.
If you notice multiple times throughout the trailer, Spider-Man is seen pounding on some baddies in black masks. They might seem like generic video game thugs at first, unless you’re familiar with relative newcomer Mr. Negative. In the comics, Mr. Negative is a crime lord who employs the same masked men (called his Inner Demons) to aid him in his quest to rule New York’s underworld. Check them out:
It wouldn't be a Spider-Man game without an Osborn, right? Well, at around the 0:32 mark in the trailer, you’ll see a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it billboard with "Osborn for Mayor" emblazoned across it.
Yet, which Osborn? This game looks to feature a veteran Spider-Man doing his sticky-palmed thing, so while it’s easy to assume the billboard hints at Norman Osborn running for mayor, it could easily be Harry, especially if Insomniac really wanted to shake things up like Rocksteady did with Batman. With Mr. Negative involved, you can bet the mob is looking to impact the election, no matter which Osborn is at the podium.
Does this mean a Goblin fight is inevitable? Maybe the plot revolves around Spider-Man trying to shut down a corrupt Norman Osborn campaign. Or perhaps he’s trying to protect his friend Harry’s run at becoming mayor.
There are too many questions, too few answers and too long to wait until Insomniac’s Spider-Man hits shelves. Until we know what's going on, check out the trailer again (and again and again):
