Screenshots from the remastered version of Marvel's Spider-Man show a redesigned Peter Parker looking void of emotion during a key moment in the game.
Spider-Man: Miles Morales hit PS4 and PS5 this week beginning the next chapter in PlayStation's Spidey universe. The game also comes with a remastered version of Marvel's Spider-Man, a clever idea from the games' developers Insomniac. However, just like a certain other Marvel game on the market right now, the remastered Spider-Man was critiqued before release for its character design.
That's because Peter Parker's design was completely overhauled for the remaster. Insomniac recast the role, switching from the original actor John Bubniak to the new face of PlayStation's web-slinger, Ben Jordan. The reason given was Jordan is a better match to Peter Parker/Spider-Man actor Yuri Lowenthal. This week, the world has been getting its first chance to see how different the design really is, and whether Insomniac was right to make the switch.
For the most part, the change will probably go unnoticed (sorry John). However, there's a pivotal moment in the game where Jordan's face just doesn't cut it. Anyone who hasn't completed the game should look away now as pretty major spoilers lie ahead. The moment comes when a maskless Spider-Man is looking down at a defeated Dr. Octavius.
Parker is naturally pretty emotional at that point. Even though Octavius is one of the primary antagonists in the first game, he is also his mentor. Parker fights back tears as he watches that mentor die due to the fact he allowed an invention he thought would help people drive him slowly mad. However, remastered Peter doesn't convey that emotion at all, at least not as effectively as in the originally shot scene.
As can be seen in the comparison shots above, remastered Peter doesn't look nearly as torn up about losing his mentor. Some have claimed it's the resolution of the remastered screenshots that make them seem worse, but those who have reached that point in the remastered version concur that it isn't nearly as emotional a moment as it was the first time around. At least the creepy boat people haven't been changed in the remaster. Well, other than their fancy new name tags.