The art of storytelling in video games has come a long way since the days of text adventures; there’s just something about a gripping tale that lasts long in the memories, helped by the fact that modern games can often augment great writing with visuals that match. Insomniac Games‘ latest Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is the latest example, delivering a riveting story from start to finish, matched by its exemplary animation throughout gameplay and cinematics.
To find out just how that was made possible, Geek Culture sat down with two integral members of the team to talk all things animation, and we came away more impressed than before.
“I think video games are the area of media right now that is taking huge, huge leaps in terms of technology and quality. On the cinematics team, we’re making multiple movies. And we approach it in the same way that we would approach storytelling in film and that’s why the quality of our games is so good, in my opinion,” said Lindsay Thompson, Associate Animation Director.
“Modern audiences are very sophisticated. For me, video games have always been a thing that I played to see the next level, to see the arts, to see how it was progressing; we want to get people to the point where they cry. It’s so much more meaningful to care about what you are swinging for. We didn’t start out great at it, and I feel like we’re earning our place in storytelling in this medium, and we’re very proud and we’re determined to get better,” added Robert Coddington, Senior Director of Animation.
All of that belief and hard work are evident in every moment of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, be it with Peter Parker and Miles Morales, the likes of Venom and Kraven, or even the living, breathing city of New York. But first, let’s talk about the Friendly Neighbourhood Spider-Men, the stars of the show essentially.
What makes either Spider-Man who they are in this world? For starters, “even though they’re on entirely different journeys, there’s this similar thread of what they’re going to be next,” said Coddington. Peter might be more experienced, but he is still struggling with life post-Aunt May, and the growing Miles may be more assured, but he is still a teenager moving on to the next stage of life. It makes relating to the pair much easier for players in those same scenarios, something that the team wants you to feel more naturally.
“I think the most important thing was telling the human story that I think we can all see a little bit of ourselves in both of the heroes. Even though I’m not a man, I’m not a spider or superhero, all these things, but I still relate to Miles’ struggles and I still relate to Pete’s because that’s the point of playing a game. You’re Spider-Man,” Thompson chimed in.
That same kind of love and attention to detail also extend to the villains, with Kraven and Venom being the standout characters that players will get to know quite intimately in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. While the team had the benefit of researching actual lizard movement to make that character more lifelike, it’s not the same when it’s an alien lifeform or big-game hunter.
The latter was born of two complementary parts, the excellent writing, as well as the acting chops of Jim Pirri, who simply “came in and showed up as Kraven.” Having all that knowledge of the backstory, emotions, and motivations involved made it easier for Pirri to embody the character, and in turn, allow the animation team to truly bring the villain to life.
“As animators, cinematographers, and editors, we want to bring the power of that storytelling, show it in the best light possible, and make sure that the emotional moments are connecting. Our job is a lot easier when the performance is that good,” Coddington said.
As for the symbiote, it all started with the combat team trying to map out how it works in conflict, and subsequently, teams came together to build on creative possibilities so that everything coalesced together in harmony, be it for gameplay or storytelling. It’s one thing working with actors to form a character, but it’s harder when it’s a unique lifeform that doesn’t necessarily play by natural rules. Thank goodness for a seasoned team at the helm.
“As animators, our job is how do we make this more human? How do we make this more animalistic? The cool thing about being an animator is you’re forever a student of motion, existence, emotion and observing everything around you. We came into this project, knowing somewhat what we’re doing, but also having the cast that’s been with us for so long, they embody the character,” shared Thompson.
“So we’re getting to jump into deeper emotions than we did in the first game where we were more just discovering who the characters are, even though there was a ton of emotion in that game. It feels like we were able to hit the ground running in certain ways in this game.”
And all of this storytelling and animation goodness in Spider-Man 2 will unfold in a revamped New York City of sorts, a game world that is now two times bigger than before, which presents another challenge for the team to immerse players from moment to moment.
“The cool thing about video games is storytelling is everywhere. You can walk anywhere; you can go anywhere in an open-world game like ours; there are stories to be told. On the streets, there are interactions to be had. You can kind of know what part of town you are in based on the activities that are happening there or what’s going on.”
“And that’s the kind of stuff that was building off of Spider-Man and Miles Morales and now this game, we could just expand and it’s really fun for us who are kind of maybe stuck in cinematics world, this whole game to then go in and play the game and discover all this stuff ourselves. And it’s just bringing the city we always talk about as a character itself. And so bringing that city to life takes a whole team; it’s a massive endeavour.”
As for Coddington, he explained that “in this game, we really tried to level things up. Whether it’s people actually being inside those glass skyscrapers, or if you go into a place like Emily-May Foundation and it’s alive and there are lots of vignettes of people living in that space. We really tried to take it seriously and make you believe it.”
Needless to say, the effort of the Insomniac team has certainly paid off, with Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 receiving critical acclaim from the gaming media. We definitely loved our time with Peter Parker, Miles Morales, and everyone else in the adventure, and players will be able to as well now that the game has officially launched. Just be sure to pay special attention to the animation work; it is what ties everything together.
Jake is a full-time trophy hunter and achievement gatherer on consoles, and part-time Steam Sale victim. He has a thing for Batman and awesome statues, and running out of space for both. Send help.
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