Why are gamers freaking out about a missing puddle in new ‘Spider-Man’ PS4 game?

When it comes to obsessive super fans, there are few more rabid followers than gamers. They’ll pore over every detail, they’ll share every intricate nuance on Reddit and they’ll certainly let you know if they’re not happy about something.

And gamers have now turned their attention to the much-hyped release of Marvel’s Spider-Man PS4 game.

Marvel’s Spider-Manis being released in September, and is already getting promising feedback from those in the know.

However, some gamers are complaining about the game and alleging that there’s been a secret graphic downgrade after developers Insomnia Games got everyone so excited with early gameplay teasers in 2017 – and it all comes down to a contentious puddle.

The controversy started on Reddit with gamers pointing to an apparent downgrade between the Electronic Entertainment Expo 2018 version of the game and the graphics shown in the new near-launch trailers and gameplay videos.

“What’s with the downgrade yet again?” one Twitter user asked.

Someone else said: “When cutting things back, people will see it as a downgrade… It’s just not a smart thing to do when it looked better to me, and to many others before the change.”

But, according to the game developers, the whole brouhaha is nothing but a storm in a teacup.

The official Twitter account of Insomniac Games, which has produced the Spider-Man PS4 game, said: “It’s just a change in the puddle size, there’s no downgrade at all.”

And Insomniac’s community director James Stevenson clarified: “First: it’s not a downgrade. Downgrade implies we showed something not possible as a trick or reduced capabilities. Neither of those are true.

“Second: Attitudes like that are why game devs don’t want to show stuff in production because people can’t handle minor changes.”

So basically: everyone on Reddit and Twitter should just calm the hell down; it looks like the game is going to be perfectly fine and you’ll still be able to marvel at all the graphical glory.

Gaming writer David Milner, who’s played an advanced release of the game, even confirmed that he saw no major problems or changes. “Probably breaking embargo to say this but there are definitely large puddles in Spider-Man. Shut up. #PuddleGate,” he said on Twitter. 

Nevertheless, plenty of gamers were enjoying the whole controversy and came up with some pretty funny responses to the row: 

(Image: Marvel)