Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 has been one of the standout releases this year. Nothing more can be stated about the game’s fantastic quality than has already been said. The game seems to get almost everything right. Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is a strong contender for the prestigious Game of the Year award at The Game Awards, taking place on December 7, 2023.
In an unsurprising turn of events, however, one of the game’s most infamous missions has been nominated for an award at GAconf. The category was one for accessibility and representation in gaming. At the same time, it is a milestone in representation and inclusion in one of the best superhero gaming IPs. Fans are certainly not amused by the mission and its nomination because the mission proved to be one of the game’s limited, weak links.
Which Mission From Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 Has Been Nominated? Why Didn’t Players Like It?
The “Grafitti Trouble” mission has been nominated for the Best Representation category at the GAconf Awards. For those unaware, GAconf is short for the Game Accessibility Conference. The awards related to GAconf were initiated to honor games with commendable accessibility options. At the same time, the conference serves as a platform to discuss the need for accessibility.
Now that awareness regarding accessibility and its intricacies is fortunately more talked about, the conference also lets industry professionals share their expertise.
The mission in discussion sees Miles, one of the two Spider-Men in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, swinging by a flower shop. The shop owner tells Miles that someone tagged his shop, but Hailey, Miles’ friend, covered it up, leaving behind beautiful artwork.
In the game, Hailey is one of the NPCs who also becomes Miles’ romantic interest. She is aurally impaired and is a massive advocate for the deaf community. The mission proceeds, and Hailey narrates what happened to Miles using American Sign Language. The screen fades to white, and the player now controls Hailey as a one-time playable character.
Hailey’s objective in the mission is to buy flowers, and as she proceeds to do so, she encounters a frustrated flower shop owner. After assessing the situation, Hailley tries to help the owner. The mission sees the shop owner’s emotions displayed using visual cues.
Almost the entire sound signature in the mission is muffled, and only the player can hear traces of it. This is an excellent addition and makes the mission much more immersive. What follows is a minigame.
The mission was criticized for being bland and not getting the graffiti element right in a game as modern as Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. Comparisons were made with Infamous Second Son; the latter was appreciated for having a much more innovative approach to graffiti.
Some fans also made insensitive remarks about Hailey and the side mission, showing their true colors by not being open to inclusion in the game. One player, going by the handle picassosenemy, spewed hateful words against the mission and Hailey’s character in the game. This was deeply disturbing to read because one would expect people to be much more mature in 2023.
Fortunately, other people liked the mission and the inclusiveness it provided to the game’s overall setting. They expressed their satisfaction after playing it by taking it to social media with much love and kindness. Other posts can be found on the platform, with people praising Insomniac for a job well done in representing the deaf community in the game.
Insomniac Games has made Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 nearly flawless, and if anything, it deserves respect and admiration for its effort towards inclusivity. Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is out now exclusively for the PlayStation 5.
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