December 2nd 2023.
It's hard to believe that Disney's 100th anniversary had to be marked by the collapse of their empire, but it's even harder to miss the signs that the superhero bubble has burst. Whether it was The Marvels that was the final straw for most people or just Aquaman 2's likely flop, it's clear that superhero fatigue is real.
But you wouldn't think that from the success of Marvel's Spider-Man 2 on PlayStation 5. As a casual superhero fan, I can only assume it's due to the quality of the game, despite my own boredom throughout most of it.
I'm familiar with most of the famous superheroes, thanks to the movies. I've seen them all, from the Sam Raimi era to the Michael Keaton era, and I would say Iron Man is my favourite. As for Spider-Man, I've enjoyed the movies less since then, but I've also played the original game and Miles Morales, so I have some appreciation for the characters.
But Spider-Man 2 felt too familiar, with the same villains, same range of moves, same web-swinging between samey looking buildings, and the same New York City setting. It's like I've seen it all before, through various other Spider-Man games and movies. Insomniac has done their best to introduce new features, like the flying and new moves for Miles, but nothing really changes the feeling of déjà vu.
The plot ties up nicely enough and I like how they handled Venom, but the combat is repetitive and the story slows down in the middle. It's just not very interesting. And that's the thing - it's not just a Disney thing, or even a Spider-Man thing. It's superhero fatigue - maybe we've just collectively gotten bored of people in tights fighting crime.
I don't know if I'm ahead of the curve when it comes to video games, but I do know that if Spider-Man 3 is set in New York City again, I'm not going to buy it. There are plenty of other places to explore, and I'm sure there are wackier stories to tell in the comics. The story is not the reason you play a video game, and if the majority of the experience is repetitive and old-fashioned, then there's no reason to bother.
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