Games – Sean McCole

Marvel’s Spider-Man: 13 Suits That Would Be Awesome in a Sequel

Insomniac has done a tremendous job with Marvel’s Spider-Man. The landmark game is not only a joy to play, but has a ton of great fan service for Spidey fans. One of the best ways the game does this is with Spider-Man’s suits. Spider-Man by far has the best gallery of suits of any superhero and Insomniac has put a lot of work into capturing them in the game.

With the release of the last downloadable content for the game, Silver Lining, the suit total now sits at 38. That is the most in a Spider-Man game and includes much-requested ones like the Sam Raimi suit. However, there are still many suits that would be great to see in a sequel:

Black Suit

Let’s get this one out of the way. This is the most wanted suit that didn’t end up in the game and it was for good reason. In an interview with Kinda Funny Games, Creative Director Bryan Intihar addressed why the suit didn’t make an appearance.

“I think that something like that suit deserves its day in the spotlight, and I think just making it an unlockable suit wouldn’t do it justice,” Intihar said. “It’s one of the best stories for Spider-Man, and I think it’s a complex story, that story needs to be told and needs to be told in the way that Insomniac would tell it.”

Besides that, this suit speaks for itself. It is about as iconic as it gets, representing Peter’s first encounter with the alien symbiote that would go on to form Venom. It is likely to make an appearance in the next game and it will be exciting to see Insomniac’s take on this essential story.

Amazing Spider-Man 2

While the other movie suits got some love in Marvel’s Spider-Man, the best live action suit didn’t make an appearance. Despite how you feel about 2014’s Amazing Spider-Man 2, you cannot deny the beauty of this look. It is classic Spider-Man with a great webbing pattern and gorgeous white eyes. Sadly this is one we are not likely to see due to various issues that include licensing and promotional conflicts, but it sure would look lovely.

Assassin Spider-Man

Assassin Spider-Man is a Spider-Man from another dimension and you are going to hear that phrase a few times in this article. Trained by Wolverine, this version of Peter has no qualms killing, working as an international assassin for hire. Basically, if Deadpool was Spider-Man, this would be his suit.

Cosmic Spider-Man

This suit would be beautiful if done right in the game. Across all dimensions, this is the most powerful Spider-Man of all. This version of Pete possesses the Enigma Force, a powerful gift that has embedded multiple characters throughout dimensions in the Marvel universe. It grants Peter world-altering abilities such as flying, telekinesis, and a much-enhanced spider-sense.

In the event Spider-Verse, the dimension inhabited by Cosmic Spider-Man, Earth-13, acts as a safe haven for Spiders across the dimensions. He is the only Spider-Man that the Inheritors, vampires who travel dimensions hunting and devouring spider-people, truly fear. That’s why Cosmic Spider-Man is a badass (even though he does get eaten by Solus).

Future Foundation Spider-Man

This suit was given to Peter after he joined the Fantastic Four, renamed the Future Foundation, after the death of Johnny Storm. This black and white suit allows Peter to switch from Spider-Man suits to normal clothes on the fly thanks to the use of unstable molecules. It can switch to stealth mode in an instant, which sports an inverted color scheme. It is also impossible to get dirty, which is great for someone like Peter.

The Bombastic Bag-Man

Talking about the Fantastic Four, here is a different time where Spidey found himself wearing a suit designed by Reed Richards. After Richards separated the alien symbiote from Peter, it completely destroyed his original suit. Peter had to use a classic Fantastic Four suit with a brown paper bag on his head to keep his identity secure. It also had a “kick me” note on the back, placed by Johnny Storm.

The Hornet

This suit, designed by Mary Jane, was worn by Peter during Identity Crisis, when Spide-Man was on trial for murder. The suit also features a wing harness which was designed by Hobie Brown, also known as the Prowler. Hobie was unable to use the wings because they were too heavy, but Spider-Man was able to handle the weight due to his super strength. During this time, Peter also had three other aliases including Ricochet, Dusk and Prodigy.

Spider-Man 1602

This version of Spidey is from the mind of legendary comic writer Neil Gaiman. In the Marvel 1602 universe, Peter Parquagh lives in London and is the apprentice of Sir Nicholas Fury. He goes by the alias of “The Spider,” and fights crime after being bitten by an energy exposed spider. He was killed by Morlun during Spider-Verse, but this look is still very unique and would be nice to see in a game.

Sensational Spider-Man (Ben Reilly)

Both Scarlet Spider suits are featured in Marvel’s Spider-Man, but Ben Reilly’s suit from his time as Spider-Man deserves some love as well. Ben Reilly, one of the many clones of Peter Parker, took up the mantle of Spider-Man during the infamous Clone Saga. Despite the polarizing nature of that story, the Sensational Spider-Man suit is really well designed. It features an awesome spider logo on the front with long arching legs and shiny metal wristlets.

House of M Spider-Man

House of M is a weird, massive Marvel event, but at least it gave us this neat little suit. In House of M, Scarlet Witch creates a pocket universe in which Pete has a perfect life. He is loved by everyone, married to Gwen Stacey and has a son with her. Nevertheless, it isn’t the most drastic redesign for Spider-Man, but it is still great.

Aracnido Jr.

Another one introduced in Spider-Verse. The son of a wrestler, Aracnido Jr. became the guardian of Mexico City after gaining spider powers and witnessing the death of his father. His suit is inspired by luchador traditions and has stunning hues of blue and red. The original art style for him, drawn by Enrique Puig, is quite striking and could look fantastic in a game.

Space Suit Spider-Man

This is a fun one Insomniac could throw in. During Spider-Man: Worldwide, Spider-Man goes into space with Nick Fury in order to hack S.H.I.E.L.D. satellites to track down the villain Zodiac. Spider-Man eventually free falls to Paris, surviving the fall due to a web ball he creates. So yes, Spider-Man can survive a free fall from space.

Superior Spider-Man MK. 2

This suit, designed by Otto Octavius while he was Spider-Man, is gorgeous yet lethal. The black and red outfit features carbonadium armor plating, retractable talons, enhanced lenses, and four mechanical spider arms for combat.

This suit is my personal favorite of all time. It is from one of Spider-Man strongest stories and represents Spider-Man’s relationship with one of his most iconic villains. It would be incredible to see in future games. The first edition of this suit is also wonderful, although more simple, and would be great to see used by Insomniac as well.

What suits do you want to see?

Any suits that you really love that I missed? What suit do you use in Marvel’s Spider-Man? Anybody excited for the new Superior Spider-Man ongoing comic? Let me know below.

Dark Souls Remastered Delayed on Nintendo Switch

Bandai Namco announced Tuesday, April 17th that the highly-anticipated “Dark Souls Remastered” will be delayed on Nintendo Switch.

The game, originally intended to be released on May 25, now has the ambiguous release window of Summer 2018. According to Dark Souls’ Twitter the PC, Xbox One and PS4 versions of the remaster are still slated to release on May 25.

Due to the nature of causality, we must announce that the Nintendo Switch version of #DarkSoulsRemastered will be pushed back to summer of 2018, and with it, the release of the Solaire of Astora amiibo.

PC/PS4/X1 versions will maintain their May 25th release date.

— Dark Souls (@DarkSoulsGame) April 17, 2018

Also, the announced technical test for “Dark Souls Remastered” on Nintendo Switch has also been delayed to be closer to the release date. With this delay, the release of the upcoming Solaire of Astora amiibo will also be pushed back to accompany the release of the Nintendo Switch version.

Dark Souls Remastered, which was announced during a Nintendo Direct in January, is a graphically enhanced version of the 2011 classic. It features all downloadable content, enhanced textures, better performance, stronger online and 4k resolution on capable platforms. It will retail on all platforms for $40.

This is a strange delay since the intended release date is only about a month away at this point. The Nintendo Switch edition of this game is the most anticipated version of “Dark Souls Remastered.” Switch owners were begging to take the punishment of Dark Souls on the go, and the fact that Bandai Namco can’t deliver the game on time as intended is a disappointment.

8 Developers Who Need to Make A VR Game

So many awesome developers have made great VR games so far, ranging from small developers, like Owlchemy Labs and Polyarc Games, to huge studios like Bethesda Game Studios and Capcom. So, here are some game developers I think could make great VR experiences:

Respawn Entertainment

There are a ton of VR shooters out there, but one studio I really want to make a VR shooter is Respawn Entertainment.

Respawn was founded in 2010 by members of the team that created iconic shooter Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. Their first release, Titanfall, was a major hit and has since spawned a sequel.

They could jump into VR with a new installment in the Titanfall series, which would be a dream for me, or do something brand new.

No matter what I expect the game will have some of the best shooting mechanics we have seen so far in VR and hopefully some great player mobility.

Luckily for us, they are currently working on a VR project for the Oculus Rift.

Arkane Studios

I want Arkane to blow us away with a stellar stealth VR experience.

Known for their work on the Dishonored series and for 2017’s Prey, Arkane has offered some really great experiences over the last decade.

Stealth seems to be hard to nail in VR, but in Arkane’s hands, I bet they could whip up something special.

Dishonored had great stealth systems that presented mobility in a unique steampunk setting. A world like that translated into virtual reality with strong stealth could truly immerse you.

The good news is Bethesda has already proven to be a believer in VR and hopefully will continue their already fantastic support.

Naughty Dog

Naughty Dog is the easy choice to make a VR game.

Over the past decade, Naughty Dog has risen to be one of the premier developers in the industry after releasing the Uncharted series and The Last of Us.

I don’t know what they would do in VR, but why should I believe it wouldn’t be amazing?

They have been one of the most consistent developers in recent years and a VR game from them could be interesting.

I would really hope they would stray from their roots and make something completely new for the studio.

While something like Uncharted VR would be cool, I would prefer a brand new IP. A genre they have never approached before, such as Sci-Fi, could be a breathtaking experience.

PopCap

This is the wildcard on the list. They are a pretty large developer, owned by EA, that has made a wide variety of games throughout their existence. They have made games like Bejeweled, Zuma, Feeding Frenzy, Peggle and more recently Plants vs. Zombies.

I could see their VR venture being from any number of these franchises they have developed. I think you could make a pretty cool Peggle game in VR. Feeding Frenzy in virtual reality could be kind of wired. But, Plants vs. Zombies seems to be the most likely candidate.

PopCap has made a strange jump with Plants vs. Zombies before by making it into a third person shooter with Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare. They could do something weird like that again or maybe return to the series’ roots.

Besides that, they could present something completely new. In the end, however, I trust PopCap to make a really fun arcade-like experience for VR if they get the opportunity.

Telltale Games

Telltale is in a strange spot right now. I feel like they are just stuck in this formula right now, and it has me really uninterested.

They just keep pumping out these games, mostly licensed, that all seem to follow the same threads. Plus they still struggle with their engine and optimizing their games properly.

I think VR would present a great opportunity for them. It would give them more area to explore new ideas and get out of this trap they have fallen into.

It might really allow them to get back to their and focus on what they do best: storytelling. They were one of the first to present interactive storytelling to people and VR is the next advancement of that. I think they could come up with some really cool, ground-breaking ideas and tells a great narrative while doing so. Let’s just hope that it happens and runs at more than 10 frames a second.

Team Ico

After playing The Last Guardian VR Demo I am completely sold on Team Ico making a full VR game. To be honest I am not a huge fan of their work. I recently played Shadow of the Colossus for the first time with the recent remake and I didn’t see why it was so beloved.

Regardless I think they could make a really heartfelt and unique experience for VR. It was clear from playing the Last Guardian VR Demo that they understand how scale works. Seeing Tricko, the bird dog creature from The Last Guardian, up close and personal was awe-inspiring. I can only imagine if they did something similar with a game like Shadow of the Colossus.

The only issue is that the game would probably take a decade to come out.

Playground Games

Playground Games has made some of my favorite driving games recently and I would love for them to dive into VR.

The Forza Horizon trilogy has been some of the most fun I have had in a racing game in a long time. It is so hard for me to get into racing games today without them feeling like a complete waste of time. But Forza Horizon, much like Burnout: Paradise, combined smooth driving with a huge open world filled with gorgeous landscapes.

Being able to drive in the outback with the dust kicking up into your face while gripping the wheel just sounds incredible, and hopefully, we will be able to experience it soon.

Blizzard

I think Blizzard will eventually make a VR game, the only question pertains to when. With Blizzard, you never know what to expect, but no matter what it will be quality.

Whether it will be a game set in one of their storied franchises or a brand new IP the potential is limitless. They have revolutionized genres time and time again with games such as Diablo, World of Warcraft, Starcraft and most recently Overwatch.

Blizzard always looks at industry trends and reads them perfectly to give the people what they want, and I can’t wait till that happens with virtual reality.

What Developer do you want to make a VR game?

What devs did I miss that you guys would think to make an awesome VR experience? Let me know in the comments below.

Now Is the Perfect Time to Buy a PSVR

Last week PlayStation announced that they were slashing the price of their current PSVR bundles.

From now until March 2nd you can find multiple PSVR bundles starting at 199.99. The bundles on sale include games such as Gran Turismo Sport, Doom VFR and Skyrim VR. Just be aware that the Gran Turismo for $199.99 includes the original version of the PSVR headset, while the other bundles include the newer version.

This discount presents the perfect time for gamers to jump on the VR bandwagon. Me personally, I picked the Skyrim VR bundle for $349.99 from Dell, who was running a promotion that included a $100 gift card with the purchase. I also had $60 in Dell rewards already stacked up so in total the unit wasn’t very expensive.

Originally I was a VR skeptic. I thought it was going to be like the motion control trend of the late 2000s. I thought it would be a bunch of gimmicky games, or experiences rather, that wouldn’t offer much substance. You would play them for a bit, but get bored quickly, and all the games would force bad controls on you. Those issues combined with it being so pricey really discouraged me initially.

However, this sale was too good to pass up. I got my unit the other day and had my first experience with VR. After the long setup process, putting on that headset blew me away. I loaded up the included demo disk and went straight into Thumper, the demonic rhythm game. I was just so surprised how vivid everything was and how immersed I felt in this hellscape after just seconds, bobbing my head to the beat.

As soon as I set the move controllers up I umped into Job Simulator. It just felt surreal, being able to manipulate this world. Walking around my cubicle, eating donuts and making coffee. It sounds dumb, but just being able to feel that kind of responsive from a world was breathtaking. Experiences like these just blew my expectations for VR out of the water.

However, on top of PSVR being as cheap as it has ever been, PlayStation currently has a monster PS Plus Special sale on the PSN to coincide with the PSVR price slash.

Over a 100 games are on sale that you can play on your new PSVR. The discounts on this sale are ridiculous and include some of PSVR’s very best games. As a new PSVR owner, I don’t want to think about how much I have spent in this sale, but I know it has been worth it.

Huge VR titles such as Skyrim VR, Dirt Rally VR, Doom VFR and Resident Evil 7: Biohazard have seen significant discounts. Launch titles such as PlayStation VR: Worlds, Batman: Arkham VR and Until Dawn: Rush of Blood are worth their discount price. Then lastly, smaller games such as Superhot VR, Dick Wilde, Thumper and I Expect You to Die are all worth checking out.

Now is the perfect time to jump in. Go to your local store, or preferred online retailer, do your self a favor and pick up a PSVR. At this current price point, it is more than worth it for the bevy of engrossing experiences you can experience. Add that to the current massive PSN sale and you, and your friends, can have an absolute blast entering into virtual reality.