With anticipation surging for the release of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 on October 20, players are getting ready to swing into concrete jungles of New York as one of Marvel’s most iconic heroes. But, as the game prepares to swing onto the PlayStation 5 exclusively, its first day update is causing quite a bit of concern. Mind you, this isn’t just a trivial matter, both philosophically and in a literal sense. On one hand, it highlights the changing dynamics of game development, player experience, and the balance developers strike in ensuring a game’s polish and performance. On the other hand, it’s also HUGE.
As the streets of New York City once again become the playground for players as Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 launches, the acclaimed developer behind the title, Insomniac Games, recently shed light on a day one patch for the game. According to details revealed on their official Twitter account, the physical retail copy already packs in the entire game, which will allow players to experience Peter Parker’s adventure from start to finish without any mandatory online patch.
The primary motive behind this patch, as per Insomniac, is to introduce enhancements and polishing to the gold master version. This update will focus on refining the opening sections of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. In addition to this, fans can expect to see general improvements to their Spidey experience, with the inclusion of new Accessibility Options, which is a testament to the developer’s commitment to ensuring all players, irrespective of their physical abilities, can enjoy the game. However, a burning question among many is the sheer size of this update.
Spider-Man 2 First Day Update is 37 GB big
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As per users on Reddit, the First Day Update for Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 clocks in at a whopping 37 GB, which is nearly as huge as Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales was when it launched on the PS5 in late 2020. Thus, this begs the question, why is the update so big when the base game supposedly works seamlessly without them?
The best case scenario is that the size of the update doesn’t directly translate to an equivalent increase in consumption. Instead, the update might primarily consist of replacement files. Therefore, while the update may take up 37GB, it’s not strictly adding 37GB of data to the game. Instead, it could be a combination of new data and replacement files that will modify the existing game content. This distinction is crucial in easing concerns about the game excessively consuming storage space, especially when the incumbent PS5 model as so little to spare.
But, again, is this necessary? While optimization and stability are essential, it shouldn’t come at the expense those with limited internet speeds or bandwidth from accessing these enhancements.
Besides, in case it does add something to Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, what would it bring? With such a sizable installation file, we can only hope that it adds coveted features such as a New Game+ mode, weather-changing mechanics, and mission replays, which are supposedly coming much later on.
Regardless of its size, it’s important to acknowledge Marvel’s Spider-Man 2’s exclusivity on the PS5. This implies Sony is finally ready to make the full jump into its flagship console and usher in an era where developers such as Insomniac can fully harness the PS5’s robust capabilities. Already, Insomniac is making use of the proprietary SSD, already flirting with controversy with the game’s extremely nearly non-existent leading times, one-upping itself after dabbling with a similar mechanic with Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart two years ago.
From all the promotional materials and teasers unveiled, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 ultimately boasts a massive graphical enhancement compared to its predecessors. This improvement has reflected in the critical acclaim Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 has received even before its official release. Its impressive Metacritic score of 91, surpassing the ratings of its predecessors, speaks volumes about its quality and the greater heights it has achieved.
With that said, we’re expecting Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 to help Sony continue its best-selling streak well into the holiday season with the help of the release of the PlayStation 5 Slim and the Call of Duty PS5 Bundle.
