Is any Spider-Man game complete without a wealth of Easter eggs to discover? Fortunately, Marvel's Spider-Man 2 delivers on that front as Insomniac's recreation of New York City is a treasure trove of secrets and nods to other Marvel storylines. While a number of these fun little visual treats have been inherited from the 2018 and 2020 Spider-Man games, there's a fair share of new Easter eggs to hunt down.
Some of these can be found right out in the open, others are cunningly hidden within the concrete jungles of the Big Apple, and others might even point to future content that could see the webheads team up with the devil of Hell's Kitchen.
So far, Insomniac has managed to hide nods to Spider-Man's film history--both live-action and animated--references to previous games, and tributes to comic book legends within the sequel which you might miss if you're just casually swinging by them on the way to go punch in some criminal faces.
We've gathered a bunch of them below in case you missed out on them, and there's likely even more to discover. For more Spidey content, you can check out our Marvel's Spider-Man 2 review, the game's creative director Bryan Intihar breaking down the ending of the sequel, and where it ranks on our list of best Spider-Man games.
Lockjaw on the loose
Who needs an ostentatious tribute to greed on Wall Street when you can have Marvel's bestest boy Lockjaw on display instead? Everyone's favorite teleporting giant dog from the Inhumans can be found right at the bottom of the Financial District, keeping a close eye on the streets around him.
Isn't this Wolverine's costume?
It's going to be a while before Insomniac allows us to pop some adamantium claws in Marvel's Wolverine, but for now, you can be the best there is at what you do with this unlockable costume for Miles Morales. Even better, you unlock some extra colors for this mutant outfit that pays tribute to the colorful past of the most infamous X-Men member.
Kinda Funny Spider-Men
Marvel's Spider-Man 2 doesn't just double down on the playable arachnid-themed heroes that you'll play as, but also the two masked--and shirtless--fanboys that you'll encounter. In this brief scenario, you'll be tasked with grabbing a photo of the bare-chested true believers who are the semi-naked representations of Kinda Funny's Greg Miller and Blessing Adeoye Jr.
Coney Island cameos
One of the best locations in the game, Coney Island is more than just a memorable level in which Peter, Harry Osborn, and Mary-Jane Watson do some bonding. It's also home to a ton of little Easter eggs that reference some of Spider-Man's greatest and goofiest enemies. Virtually every attraction hides a callout to these supervillains, so keep your eyes peeled for Doctor Octopus, Speed Demon, Arcade, Hydro-Man, and Big Wheel rides while you explore this location.
Insomniac gets into a new line of work
Most of the time, manhole covers in Marvel's Spider-Man 2 are just metal discs used as access points to Manhattan's smellier underbelly. But in the mission "It Chose You" you can spot an Insomniac logo on one of these oversized frisbees right before Peter pursues the Lizard for a showdown.
VNM-252
During Peter's exploration of Dr. Connors' secret underground lab, you'll do some detective work around this base. One of the items that you'll discover is an empty container labeled VNM-252, which is likely a reference to Amazing Spider-Man #252, the comic book issue that saw the debut of Spidey's new black symbiote costume.
Madripoor
The Switzerland of crime, Madripoor is the location to visit if you're looking to engage in some less-than-legal activities and you don't want the authorities on your case. A location that Wolverine occasionally calls home, the Asian island is briefly referenced in the Bad Guys On The Block mission when Peter reads through a letter detailing the creation of the Scorpion.
Trask-master
On that same level, there's also a brief mention of Trask Industries. That's the same company that manufactures the mutant-hunting Sentinels, Godzilla-sized robots equipped with an arsenal of weapons. Seeing as how a Wolverine game is on the horizon, it makes sense that these killer robots could tangle with the Canadian X-Man.
Damage Control
Once the dust has settled from a supervillain showdown, you can usually rely on the private company Damage Control to step in and clean up the mess left behind by heroes and villains. Their banners can be found across several sections of NY in the aftermath of Sandman's rampage, and as a nice little tribute to the comics, these adverts reference the year that the first Damage Control comics were published.
Firefly reunion
Make a quick pitstop in Little Odessa, and you'll come across two furry mascots voiced by none other than Alan Tudyk and Nathan Fillion. Technically, this could even be considered a Marvel and DC crossover as Tudyk has voiced Joker in HBO's Harley Quinn series and Fillion was the voice of Green Lantern in several of DC's animated films.
Something Strange in the neighborhood
You won't need to go out of your way to discover the Sanctum Sanctorum of Dr. Strange in Greenwich, as you'll swing past it during one of Miles' campaign missions, but it's always worth revisiting that magical location for an enchanting selfie or two.
Avengers Tower
Will we ever see the Avengers show up to give Spider-Man a hand? Who knows, but at least their New York headquarters still stands tall and can still be summited when you swing past it.
Nelson & Murdock are still in business
When you're looking for some expert legal advice, you're in good hands with the ace law team of Nelson and Murdock! The law firm can be found in Hell's Kitchen, and while the plaque was strangely blank at first, a recent patch has restored the engraving on that sign to let you know that you're in the right place for some legal advice. Or some vigilante justice, if you get on the bad side of Murdock's alter-ego Daredevil.
Jurassic Parks and recreation
Welcome to this Jurassic Park Easter egg! During the Lizard chase sequence, you'll spot a T-rex skeleton that looks suspiciously similar to the one first seen in Steve Spielberg's classic film and the banner for it falls very similarly to the one in that iconic scene. A coincidence, or a sign that Insomniac really likes the film? You decide.
X marks the spot
In the northern section of Astoria, an abandoned mansion can be found. Seemingly nondescript at first, a little bit of exploration will reveal a few X-symbols, possibly hinting at this location being the former home of Charles Xavier and his merry mutants.
An amazing photo-fantasy
Spider-Man's first comic book cover is the stuff of legend, a dynamic splash of art featuring the wallcrawler making a criminal regret his actions. In the side-mission "Photo Help" you can spot a tribute to artist Steve Ditko's legendary cover, as that iconic image has been transported into the game and is fittingly the first published photo of Spider-Man within that universe.
The most fantastic roof
Like a lot of Marvel heroes within Marvel Spider-Man 2, the Fantastic Four aren't anywhere to be found. Instead, you can visit the Baxter Building--that takes the place of one of Wilson Fisk's building from Spider-Man--that houses Marvel's greatest family, and if you head to the roof, you'll spot their (half-finished) logo on the helipad.
Rubik's Cube skydiving
Peter is a pretty humble guy, but in this flagrant act of showing off, he reveals his genius and fearless attitude in one move. Find a building that's high enough, leap off of it, go into a dive by pressing L3, hold square, pull down on the left analogue stick, and Peter will whip out a Rubik's Cube and solve it. And possibly fuse his atoms with the tarmac below if you don't swing out of harm's way in time.
Stan Lee, gone but never forgotten
While he sadly passed away six years ago, Stan Lee lives on in the new Marvel game, immortalized as a statue that can be found in the Upper West Side area. 2018's Spider-Man game featured a terrific cameo from the Marvel legend, and this statue first appeared in Miles' solo outing in 2020. Excelsior!
Spider-point break
If your video game has two Spider-Men in it who don't do the iconic finger point, then we need to have some words. Fortunately, Insomniac is exempt from this meeting as it allows players to pull off the meme-worthy moment whenever you finish cleaning up the streets alongside one of your heroic counterparts.
Wakanda forever
Over in Midtown, you can take part in a tribute to late actor Chadwick Boseman, who played Black Panther/Prince T'Challa in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. At the Wakandan embassy, Miles will do the Wakanda Forever pose when you hit the button prompt. Even better, Miles has a Black Panther-inspired costume that you can equip to add another layer in this nod to the beloved actor.
A glimpse into the Spider-Verse
Collecting Spider-Bots in Spider-Man 2 is a fun little diversion, but one with a big pay-off. Once you've collected all of them, you'll trace the frequency that they've been broadcasting to a central location where--surprise!--a Spider-Verse portal opens up. Who's waiting on the other side? None other than Delilah, a superstrong assassin who tangled with Spider-Man during the height of the Clone Saga. Now a bartender who runs the supervillain hangout The Bar With No Name, she'll take the Spider-Bots off of your hands and reference Miguel O'Hara, the Spider-Man of 2099.
It always fits…eventually
You'll need to do some zooming in with the photo mode to spot this reference to Into the Spider-Verse, but if you equip Miles' first costume from that film, you can spot a tag that references Stan Lee's speech from that film. "It always fits, eventually" can be found written on the tag, a fitting reference to how Miles matures into the role of Spider-Man in this sequel.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.