Marvel's Spider-Man 2 could learn a lot from one of its predecessors, Spider-Man: Web of Shadows, when it comes to its depiction of Venom and the symbiote itself. The game was far from perfect, but the ideas it introduced, particularly concerning the character Venom and his relationship with Spider-Man, is something Insomniac could stand to study for its interpretation of the character in the upcoming sequel to Marvel's Spider-Man. Marvel's Spider-Man 2 will feature new suits for Peter Parker and Miles Morales to wear, and the addition of Venom could mean that they get their hands on the infamous black costume as well.
Spider-Man: Web of Shadows was released on October 21, 2008, to moderately decent reviews. Particularly praised was its seamless integration of the Marvel Universe into one game, with Wolverine and Black Widow having key roles in the story. Web of Shadows also featured a unique gameplay element where players could switch seamlessly between the normal red and blue Spider-Man costume and the Venom symbiote itself, with the former lending itself more to the classic, acrobatic gameplay the wall-crawler's games are known for, and the latter more to head-on devastating attacks.
Although Spider-Man: Web of Shadows isn't considered among Marvel's best Spider-Man games, it does have something to offer to Insomniac's upcoming sequel. Marvel's Spider-Man 2 will feature the debut of its universe's version of Venom - a very different character from its comic book original, based on the first game's post-credit scene. Marvel's Spider-Man 2 can look to Web of Shadows and study its strengths and weaknesses in regards to Venom in order to improve its own iteration of the character.
Marvel's Spider-Man 2 Should Have Web Of Shadows' Symbiote Gameplay
Spider-Man: Web of Shadows' combat was found by many to be rough around the edges, but the best part was how the player could seamlessly switch between red and black suits. While suit customization in Marvel's Spider-Man was mostly cosmetic, Web of Shadows made the two suits wholly separate entities from each other, with both having their own skill trees, combos, and styles of combat. Red suit Spidey was more acrobatic and effective in one on one fights, while the black suit was more aggressive and better at crowd control. A similar combat system could provide Insomniac more variety following the first Marvel's Spider-Man, with the foundational elements in Web of Shadows showing how just two suits can broaden gameplay. The black suit should be a genuine expansion to the combat system in Marvel's Spider-Man 2, instead of just a pallet swap.
There are a lot of things that Marvel's Spider-Man 2 could introduce in order to satisfy the many corners of the greater Spider-Man fandom, from other Spider-Man heroes like Gwen Stacy's Spider-Gwen, to the concept of the multiverse. It cannot possibly introduce everything that has been shared in online wishlists, but looking to its past with Spider-Man: Web of Shadows to study for the upcoming sequel would definitely be a good place to start.