Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 may include a new AI technology to make the dialogue with NPCs realistic and enjoyable.
It was first reported that Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 and Wolverine will have “very cool dialogue technology” by the lead programmer at Insomniac Games, Elan Ruskin, in a Twitch stream. Ruskin also pointed out that his favorite part of Insomniac’s games is that “they always run in frame”.
With the clock ticking down to Marvel's Spider-Man 2 release window, which will hopefully be towards the end of 2023, there are many aspects that I hope to see upgraded in the upcoming PS5 title, and dialogue is definitely towards the top of the list.
New potential
While Ruskin didn’t go into huge detail about what we can expect from this new dialogue technology, one feature seems more plausible than the rest.
This feature could potentially be an AI that would allow dialogue with NPC characters to be more fulfilling for the player. This technology would hopefully allow for discussions with the many NPCs you encounter during your heroic escapades to feel more natural and fluid. Though we don't yet know all the details, it’s clear to see that this new dialogue technology will be aimed at making Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 more life-like than previous games.
Steps forward
While I’m a fan of Marvel’s Spider-Man series, I can’t say that the last title in the series, Marvel’s Spider-Man Miles Morales hooked me like the first game did.
In the shadow of the first Marvel’s Spider-Man the action and dialogue in Miles Morales felt repetitive and tired. The powerful sense of Marvel fatigue I was feeling at the time also did the game few favors. Although Miles Morales exists outside of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, I couldn't help but find the superhero formula to be somewhat stale.
This is where I hope the new dialogue technology will come in to breathe new life into Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. I’m tired of encountering either heavily scripted dialogue that feels like it jumped straight out of Kevin Feige’s mouth or flat discussions with random NPC characters who don’t even seem happy to see me.
If Insomniac Games update the dialogue features with new technology, then I may start to look forward to playing Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, if only to see how this attempt to breathe new life into the game's NPCs pans out.
