Spider-Man games have become as much of a staple in the medium as the character is in the comics. Since the age of platformers, Spider-Man games have continued to evolve and adapt to create the most immersive superhero experiences possible. One of the best examples of this is how free-roaming has affected the series for the better through various mechanics such as random crime events.
Random crimes have been around since 2004's Spider-Man 2 and serve to distract the player from their set objective to do anything from stopping a mugging to rescuing a kid's balloon. These events can occasionally feel tedious and even nag at the player's conscious as they continue to web-swing, trying to ignore a police scanner or person's cry for help. However, this is the point of these crimes as they are a subtle nod to one of Spider-Man's most important lessons.
It's never been easy to be the wall-crawler. For Peter Parker, being Spider-Man has felt like a duty and a way to honor his late Uncle Ben. Since then, no matter how busy he is, Spider-Man always adheres to his responsibility to make sure another Uncle Ben-like tragedy doesn't happen to someone else. Spider-Man 2 would consistently use the guilt of failing in a mission to push the player to be better the next time. A great example of this are the cries heard from the children whose balloons the player cannot save. Theoretically, their sadness should push the player to be even faster and more efficient in helping civilians.
Later games in the series took consequences to a whole new level and actually punished players for not helping. In Spider-Man: Web of Shadows, the mechanic is based in the red and black suit mechanic. As a player uses their black suit and fails to be the hero that everyone knows, he aligns more as an anti-hero and plays more aggressively.
However, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 utilizes a different mechanic called the hero/menace system. This system took a more active approach in getting players to help, as the less they help civilians in need, the more of a menace they become. If the menace bar becomes too full, they are bombarded by attacks from officials trying to detain the hero. While effective, the mechanic also deterred players from enjoying their game after the story was complete. As a result, this is the only time the mechanic is used in Spider-Man games.
With Marvel's Spider-Man, the random crimes system was finally perfected and managed to give players the option to either fight or flee from a crime. Theoretically, this makes ignoring the crimes much easier, but because of how well the story portrays Peter as a hero who places others before himself, ignoring these crimes feels out of character. Furthermore, the lessened frequency makes it seem wrong to ignore them because they happen far less than in previous entries. These conflicts eventually come together to become the closest thing to what Peter probably feels every time he puts on the mask.
The random crime events in Spider-Man games offer an escape from the main story or the repetitiveness of swinging through the city. However, when they appear, they also create conflict in the player over whether or not saving someone is worth it. Instantly, that moment captures what it means to be Spider-Man and why being a superhero isn't for everyone. Thanks to the immersion from the random crime events, players finally understand that with great power comes great responsibility.
0 Comments