Spider-Man 2 has broken sales records and received positive reviews from fans and critics alike. Insomniac successfully addressed many of the complaints about the sequel's predecessors in the game, though the divisive Mary Jane Watson missions did make their return.
However, they were a little more action-packed this time around, with MJ using a stun gun to take out Kraven the Hunter's goons with ease. Later in the game, a level featuring The Daily Bugle reporter becomes a full-blown third-person shooter as Peter Parker's girlfriend battles Venom's Symbiote army.
The levels are a lot of fun, but for some fans out there, putting the spotlight on an "overpowered" MJ simply felt like a misfire.
Talking to IGN, Insomniac senior creative director Bryan Intihar weighed in on MJ's missions, acknowledging that while they weren't among Spider-Man's most popular moments, the decision was made to shake them up instead of scrapping them entirely.
"We had two choices. We could say, 'All right, we'll make it easy and just not do it.' And everybody would go, 'Great. No MJ missions.' Or we could say, 'Hey, we've talked about showing the world from all different angles. We're going to make her moments better. We're going to take on the challenge. We're going to make people like playing as her.'"
"We pick and choose our spots. We knew we had to make her more of a proactive, capable person. And if she's a little OP, I don't give a shit. She's fine. I don't care."
This change has inevitably led to a mixed response from gamers, though Intihar would go on to reveal that giving MJ a weapon and making her more proactive (or "OP") was an idea considered for 2018's Spider-Man.
"In Spider-Man 1, there was a really, really early, super-early in development, we never made it, but it was part of a story treatment where Pete was going to be injured, and he could barely walk," Intihar recalls. "She was going to actually try to get him to safety, and she was going to grab one of his web shooters and she was going to put it on, actually fire at enemies that were trying to get to them but that never happens."
"I think that's where the web-shooter idea came from, because I was like, 'Let's give her the ability to stun enemies in the first mission.'"
Do you think giving MJ a proactive role in Spider-Man 2's story was a bad idea or is this just a case of another capable female character getting online hate? As always, let us know your thoughts in the comments section.