Peter Parker typically isn’t one for athletics, but a well-timed Photo Mode capture sees the web-slinging crime-fighter land a basket in Marvel’s Spider-Man. One of the many well-received features in Insomniac’s hit 2018 superhero action title is its surprisingly in-depth Photo Mode, which allows players to take pictures of Spider-Man in action as he swings across the open-world sandbox of New York City. This mode would prove to be very popular, causing future PlayStation games like God Of War (2018), Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart, and Horizon Forbidden West to include Photo Modes as well - with players and developers alike even sharing tips and tricks for putting together the perfect still image of their favorite gaming hero.
Speaking of heroes and Photo Mode, fans have created and shared their own in-game images in both Marvel’s Spider-Man and its 2020 spin-off Spider-Man: Miles Morales, including such stunning photos as Peter Parker diving toward his latest adventure amid a darkened New York City skyline and a first-person view of an enemy as Miles Morales swings in to deliver some spider-style justice. Other players and digital artists have used Photo Mode to recreate scenes and poster images from some of Spider-Man’s many films and video games, including one fan-made Marvel's Spider-Man Photo Mode poster featuring all three theatrical Spider-Men in the build-up to their big-screen appearance in Spider-Man: No Way Home.
Even superheroes need to take a break from saving the world now and then, and Reddit user HAXAD2005 recently shared an amusing screenshot of Spidey scoring a basket on the neighborhood court to r/SpidermanPS4 (via Game Rant). Normally, while players can interact with passing NPCs in Marvel’s Spider-Man, they can’t play basketball with them. However, thanks to lucky timing and just the right angle, HAXAD2005 was able to make it look like Peter is getting ready to land a slam dunk while taking a selfie in Marvel's Spider-Man's Photo Mode. This impressive screenshot currently has 2.4 thousand upvotes on r/SpidermanPS4, and the comment section is filled with jokes about Spidey “ballin’” and even a couple of references to how Andrew Garfield demonstrated his developing spider-powers with a slam dunk of his own in 2012’s The Amazing Spider-Man.
I timed this right with an NPC activity and now it's probably one of my favorite photo mode shots. from SpidermanPS4
Photo Mode will likely return in next year’s Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, which will see Peter and Miles team up to take on a dangerous new foe: the symbiote-empowered Venom. Details about Insomniac's upcoming sequel are still scarce, but the storyline is said to be much "darker" than those of the previous two Marvel’s Spider-Man games, with rumored appearances from other classic villains like Mysterio and the Lizard on top of the confirmed Kraven The Hunter. Gameplay-wise, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 could allow players to switch between Peter and Miles at will between missions, and one rumor has even hinted at symbiote-themed variants for each alternate costume.
This could allow even more opportunities for players to take impressive screenshots using Marvel’s Spider-Man’s now-famous Photo Mode, which has already provided fans with plenty of entertainment in capturing Spider-Man in all kinds of fun situations. One of these now includes landing the perfect dunk on the playgrounds of Manhattan, proving that with great power comes great skills on the basketball court.
Source: HAXAD2005/Reddit (via Game Rant)