Spider-Man 2 puts "puddlegate" to bed once and for all with new-gen visuals
Splash mob.
Marvel's Spider-Man 2 is a mere few days away from release and the reviews and impressions have started rolling in across the web (no pun intended, but isn't it nice when it just happens). Many have praised the game's action, slick traversal and story, but one area that has been highlighted away from your typical professional assessment is the puddles.
Some players felt the first Spider-Man game was lacking in the puddle density department, noting the game's E3 2017 gameplay trailer had larger and better defined puddles than in the released version. This caused quite a stir on social media and was eventually dubbed "puddlegate".
Insomniac took this all in its stride, and actually added a playful fix for Spider-Man's puddlegate in the form of puddle stickers. However, it's already clear its sequel won't need stickers to 'fix' its puddles, as they are looking pretty dense and wet from where I am sitting.
As noted (in good humour) by industry insider shinobi602, "Insomniac took puddlegate personally." They then shared a side-by-side comparison of a puddley area in Spider-Man Remastered (in fidelity mode) and Spider-Man 2 (also in fidelity mode).
While both games - in my humble opinion - look remarkably good, there is no denying that the sequel's puddles do indeed have that little bit of extra pizazz to them. A passer by's footsteps are reflected on the surface, as the trees above cause a dappled effect in the water. Puddlegate? Not this time, chaps!
Shinobi602's observation was not missed by Insomniac itself. In a follow up post, the studio's community and marketing director James Stevenson replied: "I told you we had next-gen puddles," saying the team would not let them down.
You can see the puddle comparison between the two Spider-Man games below.
As for Marvel's Spider-Man 2, Eurogamer just awarded the sequel an impressive four out of five stars.
"Simple, familiar, and occasionally cluttered as it might all be, it's still brilliant fun," our Chris wrote in his review, which you can read in full here. Additionally, you can check out Aoife's impressions in her spoiler-free video review above.