Spider-Man 2 – proof of a broken games industry? (Picture: Sony)
A reader regrets buying Spider-Man 2, despite enjoying the game, as he complains about its price and lack of replayability.
I’m an idiot. I know, before you start complaining in the comments, and I realise this is my fault. I knew fine well Spider-Man 2 was not a long game and I am not accusing Sony or Insomniac of tricking anyone or being dishonest or, most importantly, of not making a good game. What I am saying is that Spider-Man 2 is way too short for the amount of money I paid for it, and I wish I hadn’t bought it.
I could really do with that money back and if there was some way I could get a refund I would. And yet… I really enjoyed the game. It’s not good value for money but it is a good game and I think that is one of the main problems with modern gaming at the moment. There’s some great stuff around but being able to pay for it all is becoming a nightmare.
The worst thing is, I see the stories about how well Spider-Man 2 has sold and that immediately tells me that Sony isn’t going to do anything to change the status quo. Games aren’t going to get cheaper and they’re not going to adopt a day one Game Pass approach or anything similar. It’s a case of full price or nothing, and I’m not really sure I have that sort of money to spare anymore.
I’m assuming I’m not the only person in this position, given the economy at the moment, but I feel pressure from all sides and no matter how good Spider-Man 2 is, I managed to beat the story in just 14 hours and once it was over the side missions didn’t last more than about another 10 hours or so. I know that if you break it down per hour it’s actually pretty good value compared to other entertainment but that doesn’t stop it being a massive lump sum right up front.
It also doesn’t help that the extra content is pretty limited. It’s good that a lot of the side quests are unique and different but some of the others are pretty cut and paste and just have you going slowly over the map, making sure you didn’t miss anything.
For all that money, it really needed something more, some kind of randomised content or something. I think of all the stuff that’s in Bloodborne or Elden Ring, which I bet didn’t have a tenth of the budget, and Spider-Man 2 seems really bare bones by comparison. It doesn’t even have a New Game+ so once you’re done there’s literally nothing else to do.
Again, that’s not necessarily a problem with the game, just how much it costs. But what’s the alternative? If subscriptions aren’t going to work, and Sony isn’t going to make their games available day one, what else could they do?
The only option is ‘half-sequels’ like Miles Morales but I don’t see the whole games industry suddenly switching to making 10 hours games that cost only two-thirds the price. I think that’s the answer and I’d be completely happy with that, but even Sony, who has had success with these games, doesn’t seem that interested, so I don’t see how anyone else is going to be.
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As far as I see it, the problem with modern gaming is that companies are not making games that fit people’s modern lifestyle, they’re trying to make the games the lifestyle. I don’t want to play Call Of Duty all day, every day for the rest of my life. And I don’t want Assassin’s Creed to last 150 hours before I get to find out what happens at the end.
They’re doing this to try and give value for money, this isn’t them being evil or anything, but it’s completely the wrong approach. You could make the same amount of money selling shorter games for less, since they’d sell to more people because they’re cheaper, as you could longer ones for more.
So yeah, I wish I hadn’t given in to temptation, or at least bought it physically, but that’s on me. It’s a real problem though, I feel, that publishers are just trying to ignore. But if they don’t do something about it soon it’s going to blow up in their face.
By Darcy
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A reader regrets buying Spider-Man 2, despite enjoying the game, as he complains about its price and lack of replayability.