The highlight of Sony’s 2023 PlayStation showcase was a 12-minute trailer for Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 – but despite impressive gameplay, reactions to its graphics have been mixed. On the surface, we seem to be getting a similar look to prior Spider-Man titles without obvious new graphical techniques – but if we analyse the trailer’s gameplay segments more closely, we can get a better sense of where the game’s visuals are from a technical perspective.
Right away, the most obvious visual improvement comes down to the building rendering. The Spider-Man titles on PS4 were bound by the console’s hard drive and CPU, so to stream in New York City at a rapid enough clip for web-slinging traversal at up to 32 metres per second, certain concessions had to be made. Buildings were made with relatively simple, tiled textures with repeated detail. This was also true in Miles Morales and the two games’ PS5 editions seem to use the same basic geometry and texture layouts as the PS4 versions.
In the Spider-Man 2 trailer, much of the action takes place in new regions of New York (unseen in the prior games) but there is some footage ripe for comparison – which reveals more varied texture work with grime and a smoother brick pattern up close, alongside different-looking windows and added vents, while other buildings in the distance are totally overhauled, with rounded-off edges, and broad, wide-set windows.
Other buildings exhibit other obvious improvements, with detailed murals, archways, market stalls, balconies and other structural features added. It seems like Insomniac has carried over its work from 2018’s Spider-Man and have made extensive re-use of the world from that game – but a lot of effort has clearly gone into adding additional detail to suit the capabilities of the PlayStation 5. It’s not a top-to-bottom makeover, but it does make a difference – particularly when evaluated from close range.