While it would be harsh to say Spider-Man 2's Venom was a disappointment, he didn't quite make the impact we expected. The Harry Osborn twist was fine, but the villain unleashing a Symbiote army on New York felt like familiar ground (Spider-Man: Web of Shadows, anyone?) and perhaps made Venom a tad one-dimensional.
Much had been said about Candyman icon Tony Todd lending his voice to the character, of course, but even that proved to be a little less impactful than the majority of gamers expected. Why? Well, Venom didn't really end up having much to say!
Appearing at a Fan Expo San Francisco panel this past weekend, Todd revealed that most of his work was left on the cutting room floor, suggesting Insomniac used as little as only 10% of what he recorded.
There's been speculation that big chunks of the sequel were removed to ensure it would be released on time and this - and the fact Todd revealed a cut subplot with Miles getting the Symbiote - suggests that was indeed the case.
Alternatively, it could be that a lot of the work Todd did is actually being saved for future DLC or even that much-speculated-about Venom spin-off.
Asked last month about the latter, Insomniac senior narrative director Jon Paquette left the door open to such a possibility. "We’re focused on Spider-Man 2, and what we’re gonna do is we’re gonna wait to see how the fans react," he said. "We’re gonna listen to the fans and we’re gonna ask ourselves, 'Okay, what do the fans really want?' We’ll kind of talk about stuff after we’ve all had time to sleep and take vacations."
Do you think Spider-Man 2 delivered a strong Venom story or did the sequel drop the ball on the fan-favourite Lethal Protector?
"Spider-Men Peter Parker and Miles Morales face the ultimate test of strength inside and outside the mask as they fight to save the city, each other, and the ones they love," reads the game's synopsis, "from the monstrous Venom and the dangerous new symbiote threat."
"Explore an expansive Marvel's New York with faster web-swinging and the all-new Web Wings, quickly switching between Peter and Miles to experience different stories, epic new abilities and high-tech gear."
"Wield Peter's symbiote abilities and Miles' explosive bio-electric powers in battle against new and iconic Marvel Super Villains," it continues, "including an original take on a symbiote-infused Venom, the ruthless Kraven the Hunter, the volatile Lizard, and more from the Marvel Rogues' Gallery."
Spider-Man 2 is now available to buy worldwide.