From the early 2000’s Josua Benavidez has been working behind the scenes on many Triple A games.

Now being the Design Director at Insomniac Games for the PlayStation 5 exclusive Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, and thanks to PlayStation HQ, STG was able to have a one on one with Josua about his work in the game and what PlayStation players can expect from Insomniac Games’ latest webbed hero’s adventure, before the game’s release.

Shane: Hey Josua, thanks for chatting to us here at STG. Great to meet you. So the map of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is a reimagined New York. Can you tell us about the favourite parts of this now expanded city?

Josua: Yeah, so I really wanted to see a lot of details added in to the game, The likes of, you know, Amy’s House, Peter’s Aunt, May’s houses, and so you get to see part of his neighbourhood where he went to school. You’ll actually get to visit Peter’s High School. And then for Brooklyn and  it was great to be able to add because Brooklyn has so much iconic landmarks to it. And so we added lots of really interesting areas, including  Coney Island and Brooklyn also ties into Miles (Miles Morales). That’s actually where Miles is going to school. And so that’s part of our game. It was like Miles and his journey as he’s finishing up high school.

Shane: Now there’s always complications when you build a game. Was it hard coming in to this second game when expectations were already set high?

Josua: Well, one of the things we wanted to do is to make sure that there is something new for players to explore and you know, we wanted to give them an experience that’s  new and exciting. One of the ways that we went about delivering on that was adding new traversal measures, new traversal moves. We added the web wings, which is great because it’s a new traversal feature that allows you to glide around. It works really well with swinging, but also allows you to explore and kind of see the city in a new way.

You can swing, but also you can kind of glide over the tops and with that it also allowed us to add more traversal features to the world. So we’ve got wind tunnels and we’ve got updrafts, these allow you to play with the city in a way that you didn’t have before. And then also we’ve got the two heroes.

And so we did have the Miles Morales game, but this is the first time we actually have two full Spider-Man heroes at the same time, right. And so being able to switch between them was another thing that we thought would really help add to creating a new experience. You get to see two different spider arcs, Hero arcs, right? Cause we’ve got Miles who has his own arc and his own story and journey that he goes through. And so does Peter, right. And Peter’s is very heavily tied to the symbio. And so you’ve got both of them kind of going on their own journeys and so that allows players to experience things from two different sides, but then also of course, you know, they converge together.

Shane: Without giving any spoilers, what is your favourite part of the game?

Josua: I don’t have a favourite part. I love, you know so much in the game.

There’s so many great moments. I love the story, I think it’s amazing. It’s great. It’s just such a great story for telling, you know, the journey that Peter Peter goes through. I love a lot of the new things that we’ve done with the open world and spider bots. I guess that’s kind of a little bit of a spoiler, but like, you know, spider bots were really fun thing that we got to add to the game.

Shane: What what I found when I was playing Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is that I would deviate a lot from the main story because the city was so dynamic and there is so much going on.

Josua: There’s a lot of little twists and then we have lots of great missions that have a creative take on the experience. And so we thought about the missions and what players would expect from a big Marvel blockbuster game experience, right? But then we also have missions that are more playing to kind of the characters of the city and are a little bit more character driven. And so I love that we have that balance right that we’ve got all these different scales that people can engage within.

Shane: So you’re the Design Director for Spider-Man 2, but you have also worked on other top shelf games.

Josua: Yeah, I mean this is the third Spider-Man game that I’ve worked on and been on since the beginning.
It’s been a really fun experience working on Spider-Man from the beginning and being able to take on different challenges from the first Spider-Man game. This time I focused more on the initial layout of the City of Manhattan and figuring out where our landmarks were going to be and what our scales and metrics we’re going to be and how we would actually kind of build the world and the city itself. I’ve been Directing on missions, different side contents and the expanding the city. So it’s been a really fun experience just getting to do lots of different things and being part of creating these games.

Shane: What’s next for you and the team at Insomniac Games?

Josua: Right now we’re just waiting for the launch, right? That’s just like I’m playing the game everyday. Still just looking for things and watching what people are posting and reading comments. You know what people are saying about it and we’re still basically focused on getting this game out here and waiting for everyone to get playing it.

Shane: What would you say to future players of Spider-Man 2?

Josua: We’ve got an amazing story and amazing main campaign to play through that I think does a great job of telling the different arcs of our heroes and our different characters. It’s actually not a game just about the spider heroes. There’s other characters. We have lots of other characters that you can experience, but also, like, take the time to explore the city and play through some of our other content which kind of goes into again a little more character focus or just offers a different experience.

And there’s so much that the game has to offer. I’m really excited and hopeful that people try out that try out everything. I know it’s exciting and sometimes just want to get to the end of the story, but also take the time to explore the other parts of the game and see all the different things that we have to offer.

Shane: Thanks Josua for chatting to us at STG. Really appreciate it and I know many PlayStation gamers are looking forward to the release of Spider-Man 2.

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is now out on PlayStation 5.

The post Interview w. Josua Benavidez, Design Director – Spider-Man 2 appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Insomniac Games are well known for their beyond Triple A games and Spider-Man 2, exclusive to PlayStation 5 is most definitely no exception.

Miles Morales is back, but this time joined by Peter Parker.

Twice the fun means twice the action.

After a brief intro, where Miles is dealing with teenage school life and Peter is simply trying to hold down a job it’s not too long until you’re literally thrown direct in to battle.

Both Peter and Miles team up in Spider-Man 2 in what feels like your very first boss battle against Sand Man (aka Marko).

There’s not a lot of room from the onset to get to grips with your Spidey powers as you partake in epic and cinematic combat. So you learn on the fly and within the heat (or sand) of taking down a very grumpy, larger-than-life foe.

And while Sand Man retains a theme throughout much of the game, in hindsight, he is a mere walk in the park enemy as the true villain becomes apparent throughout play.

What triggered Sand Man’s wrath on New York? What happened to his memories…?

You’ll assume the role of Miles and Peter at game specific intervals and with a full RPG flavour you’ll pick up missions throughout the city as they happen in real time. Some you may simply stumble across. I did many times.

But most are via an alert thanks to Miles’ school buddy Ganke.

It’s real easy to go off course from the main story, stamping out crime as it occurs, one after the other.

As you take down criminals Focus is earned in melee combat and successful dodging of attacks. This enables you to heal or use power moves.

Both Peter and Miles can level up their existing abilities or gain new ones via three skill trees, You can opt who you level up, Miles, Peter or both.

To level up you’ll need Skill Points. These are earned with the completion of missions and giving enemies a good beating. Try to enact as many finishers or special moves as you can to get more points.

Your Spidey gear can also be fine tuned by finding and collecting tech parts which can be used for crafting super cool upgrades.  Photo ops is a fun and additional aspect added to Spider-Man 2. As Peter has a hard time retaining employment whilst keeping the city safe, he needs to earn extra coin along the way. He does so with submitting photo’s of events in and around the city, with the help of Miles.

Photo ops, crime and of course your main objective(s) are dotted on the city map – and you can pin to an event as well as fast travel. Each district of Marvel’s New York City has a three tier reward system.
You can use L3 in play to track your progress  during any event – so there’s no need to always stop the game and check the map screen.

Spider-Man 2 makes use of the PS5 controller touch pad and built-in speaker and graphically, flawless on PlayStation 5.

Spider-Man 2 has turbo-charged everything from the previous title and with a sprawling, dynamically evolving New York, there’s no limits or shortage of things to see, do and criminals to take down.

If I could give Spider-Man 2 more than 5 out of 5 stars I absolutely would.

The post Spider-Man 2 (PlayStation 5) Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

During a panel held at San Diego Comic-Con in the historic Hall H, Insomniac Games revealed an array of exciting new information for their upcoming PlayStation 5 game, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2.

The panel kicked off with the debut of a brand-new trailer, which sets up the story in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. When Kraven’s hunters arrive in the city, it sets off a mystery of why they are there and who, and what, they are hunting. But as the Spider-Men and MJ dig deeper into Kraven’s motivations, the symbiote begins to threaten Marvel’s New York and everyone and everything they hold dear.

As many may have noticed in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2’s Gameplay Trailer from the PlayStation Showcase in May, Peter’s new Black Suit affected his personality and gives him new, powerful symbiote abilities. Bits of that are shown in this trailer as well, and Peter’s symbiote powers tax his relationships with Miles, MJ and Harry.

There are new looks at the expanded Marvel’s New York and players will now be able to swing across the East River and explore Brooklyn and Queens. The iconic Coney Island also makes its debut in the new trailer.

Additionally, a full look at the monstrous Venom is revealed in the new trailer.

The panel concluded with the first look at the Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 Limited Edition bundle, which features stunning designs that capture the look and feel of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. The threat of Venom and the symbiote will be one of the most formidable challenges that the two Spider-Men will face. The designs aim to reflect the intensity of the symbiote and its capacity for transformation and power with a takeover design for the PS5 console and DualSense wireless controller.

The limited edition design will be available in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 Limited Edition – PS5 Console Bundle, as well as PS5 Console Covers – Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 Limited Edition, PS5 Digital Edition Console Covers – Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 Limited Edition, and DualSense Wireless Controller – Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 Limited Edition, with pre-orders starting 28th July 2023, available in limited quantities at select retailers.

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 releases on the 20th October, 2023.

The post Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 @ SDCC23 appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Insomniac Games is thrilled to announce that Marvel’s Spider-Man 2.

After the amazing fan reception for Marvel’s Spider-Man in 2018 and Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales in 2020, the team has worked tirelessly over the past few years to make this third installment in the franchise the sequel you have been waiting for.

Built from the ground up for PlayStation 5 console, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 will unlock the power of the console with better visuals, faster web swinging (and web wings!), 3D Audio, and near-instant character switching. On behalf of the teams at Insomniac, PlayStation, and Marvel Games, we cannot wait for you to get your hands on this incredible single-player open-world experience.

In Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, players will get to experience Marvel’s New York as both Peter Parker and Miles Morales.

As you saw in the PlayStation Showcase last month – the main storyline of the game will have you take control of both Spider-Men at different points of the campaign. In the open world, you will be able to switch nearly instantly between them as you explore Manhattan, Queens, and Brooklyn.

Both Spider-Men have stories and missions in the world exclusive to each of them.

As you can see from our box art, Peter and Miles are both key protagonists in our story.

The iconic red background returns, but darkness surrounds as fan-favorite villains like Venom, Lizard, and Kraven threaten them and Marvel’s New York. You will also notice that each character’s arm represents their new abilities: Peter with the symbiote, Miles with his evolved bioelectric Venom powers.

In addition to the launch date, we have announced several editions for Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. Pre-orders will open on June 16th, 2023 at all participating retailers, and PlayStation Store. Pre-Orders will go live at 10:00 AM local time on June 16, 2023.

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 will launch on Friday, October 20, 2023, exclusively on PlayStation 5.

The post PS5 Exclusive Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 This October appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Staying at home is something alot of us have now become accustomed too. Play at home.

Todays PlayStation announcements are a mixed bag of titles for us players.

But, incase you missed it, below is the full recap of announcements.

Gran Turismo 7 arrives on PS5 and PS4 – March 4, 2022

GT7 is both the culmination of the series which answers the expectations of GT fans throughout the years, and at the same time it is a title that marks a beginning of a difficult mission to contain the full breadth of car culture from the past into a single video game.  Even more exciting is the firm release date, coming March 4, 2022!

First look at God of War Ragnarök

The team at Santa Monica Studios has unveiled the first look at the highly anticipated sequel that picks up a few years after the events of God of War (2018).

The freezing winds of Fimbulwinter have come to Midgard, making survival for Kratos, Atreus, and Mimir in the Norse wilds even more challenging than before.

While the last game built an enormous amount of trust and understanding between father and son, there is still a great deal of complexity in their interactions – especially after the revelation of Atreus’ Giant heritage and the hidden prophecy only Kratos saw.

Together, Kratos and Atreus will have to make a choice about which path they will take. Whatever they choose will define the fate of all those living in the Nine Realms as Ragnarök approaches.

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 and Marvel’s Wolverine revealed

 Veteran developer Insomniac Games has created two new exciting titles for PlayStation 5 consoles. Firstly, players will continue the journey of both Peter Parker and Miles Morales in their most epic single-player adventure yet with Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, coming exclusively to PlayStation 5 consoles in 2023.

Today’s game footage trailer is merely just a glimpse at what’s in store in terms of the new abilities our heroes will acquire, suits they will wear (more on that some other time), and the villains that will try to hunt them down. Speaking of villains, make sure to check out the trailer to see who’s coming to Spidey 2!

Another announcement we certainly didn’t expect was the first glimpse of Marvel’s Wolverine.

Marvel’s Wolverine is a standalone game being directed by Brian Horton (creative director) and Cameron Christian (game director), who recently led the creative efforts on Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales, a game we’re extremely proud of at Insomniac. In the vein of our Spider-Man games, our goal here is to not only respect the DNA of what makes the character so popular, but also look for opportunities to make it feel fresh and truly reflect the Insomniac spirit.

PlayStation Showcase: All the announcements

• The City Where Play Has No Limits
• Gran Turismo 7 arrives on PS5 and PS4 March 4
• First look at God of War Ragnarök
• Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection coming to PS5 and PC
• Tchia: Creating a game inspired by New Caledonia
• Down the rabbit hole in Deathloop’s story trailer
• Bloodhunt comes to PlayStation 5 in 2021
• Breaking down the story trailer for Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy
• Face the unknown in new Ghostwire: Tokyo trailer
• GTAV and GTA Online now coming to PS5 March 2022
• Rewriting history – Alan Wake Remastered brings the writer’s story to PS4 and PS5
• Welcome to the world of Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Extraction
• Journey with Frey to Forspoken’s fantastical world next spring
• Breaking down the Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands gameplay trailer
• A new look at the stylish action of Project Eve
• Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic – Remake is the legendary tale remade on PlayStation 5

The post PlayStation Showcase 2021 Wrap Up appeared first on Shane the Gamer.