Now that the likes of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Final Fantasy 16, Diablo 4, Starfield, and Baldur's Gate 3, have each had their turns in the spotlight, it's now time for Sony's biggest first-party title of the year to become the center of attention. 

Marvel's Spider-Man 2, which recently went viral because of Venom's 19-inch statue, is launching on October 20.

Ahead of its official release, PlayStation and Insomniac Games are ramping up the marketing machine and letting the developers cook, or so to speak. At the September 2023 State of Play showcase, Insomniac revealed, among the other things, saw them flex their technical prowess on the entire gaming industry.

With a little over a month to go before Peter Parker and Miles Morales swing by on the PlayStation 5, the follow-up is confirmed to set benchmarks that other titles are struggling to meet.

The standout feature that's grabbing attention? Uncompromised ray tracing across all graphical performance settings. Ray tracing, which brings more realistic rendering of reflections, lighting, and shadows to the game, promises to be an ever-present feature regardless of the player's performance preference.

Mike Fitzgerald, Insomniac's Director of Core Technology, elucidated during an IGN interview that the game will offer players multiple framerate options - 30, 40, and 60 frames per second. This gives players the option of exquisite image quality at 30fps or a silkier framerate at 60. And for those with 120Hz TVs? The 40fps option is your go-to.

As Fitzgerald proudly states, "There's no mode of this game that has the ray tracing turned off," attributing this success to Insomniac's familiarity with PlayStation 5's architecture after releasing three other titles on the platform. This sets the bar high for other titles coming after it: all gamers, regardless of their choice, will experience the visual experience that the developers intended for Marvel's Spider-Man 2. This focus on ensuring a unified, high-quality visual experience speaks volumes of Insomniac's dedication to its fan base.

Delving deeper into the game's technical specifics, Fitzgerald has spoken of a "robust temporal anti-aliasing solution," which can be scaled to align with the player's preference. This reinforces Insomniac's emphasis on granting players absolute control over their desired graphical configurations.

By ensuring that ray tracing is a constant, Marvel's Spider-Man 2 is set to immerse players into a deeply realistic New York City, elevating the authenticity of the Spider-Man experience.

Unsurprisingly, the feedback on the recent revelation is resoundingly positive. Many applaud Insomniac for achieving a seemingly impossible task: offering both stunning graphics and smooth performance. In a way, Insomniac has become the new standard that all developers should aim for, or at least that's the consensus. It's argued that Insomniac has all but guaranteed that Marvel's Spider-Man 2 will convince even more people to buy the best-selling PlayStation 5.

Beyond the technical details, what's hyping up Marvel's Spider-Man 2 further is its narrative depth. The follow-up delves into a darker side of Peter Parker, exploring the consequences of his symbiote infection and the differences between his gameplay and that of Miles Morales.

With this nuanced portrayal, Insomniac ensures that the game isn't just visually stunning but narratively compelling.

It certainly doesn't hurt that Marvel's Spider-Man 2 will have enough suits for Peter Parker and Miles Morales to choose from that would put even Iron Man to shame.

If it wasn't already a sure thing before, it is now. Marvel's Spider-Man 2 will be a masterpiece. Insomniac had previously proved with Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart that it can harness the power of the PlayStation 5. Two years later, it's topping itself. It's hard not to set high expectations for this new Spider-Man adventure, but Insomniac seems eager to welcome the challenge. 

We'll find out on October 20 if Insomniac will indeed redefine gaming standards and set a higher bar for everyone else for the foreseeable future.