Uh oh, it must be nearly time for the release of another Insomniac game, as we have another overblown technical conundrum to unpack. However, it's not the puddles the overly-zealous PlayStation faithful are concerned about this time. Instead, fans, perhaps a little too eager for Marvel's Spider-Man 2's 20th October release date, have convinced themselves that something is amiss with MJ's face.
The recent Comic-Con trailer is what seems to have gotten a vocal minority fired up, necessitating comment from Insomniac's director of community and marketing, James Stevenson. Stevenson cleared things up on Twitter, confirming, "Nope same face model, same actress".
On Reddit, fans put MJ's debatably altered vibe down to the haircut and wardrobe change or theorised that perhaps the power of the game's new lighting engine is causing people to perceive the character differently.
To be fair to those still unconvinced, we did recently learn that Insomniac wasn't entirely honest with its pre-launch Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart PS5 SSD claims, so we suppose anything is possible. Still, we're willing to give them the benefit of the doubt, especially as Stevenson reiterated the sentiment multiple times.
What do you think, is this MJ our MJ? Or has the no-nonsense reporter been body-snatched, suffering the same fate as OG Pete? Compare and contrast in the comments section below.
[source twitter.com, via ign.com]
Comments 51
As much as I loved the first one and am very excited for the sequel, it is a bit funny how Miles is basically the only main character that looks like he first appeared in 2018.😄
I believe them though. They wouldn't have any reason to lie about it. I think it is the updated engine that's making her look a bit different is all.
Plus at the end of the day as long as the game is fun that's all that matters.
Those screenshots aren't doing them any favors, and the lighting is wildly different, but I can see it.
It is the same face, but she does look ever so slightly older, whish is to be expected.
I still don't like Peter's new face, though. He looks like "We have Tom Holland at home", he's still got that dead-eyed doll thing going, and and Bubniak's face fit the character better and was just overall way more expressive.
To me it just looks like different lighting and the lips are thinner, but perhaps because she’s talking.
"To be fair to those still unconvinced, we did recently learn that Insomniac wasn't entirely honest with its pre-launch Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart PS5 SSD claims, so we suppose anything is possible"
Sigh...
She looks cuter in spider-man 1, older in spider-man 2. I like the peter and miles face more in spider-man 2 though, they looks cooler I think.
Keep in mind though that just because they got the same face actors, the devs still can edit it to make it prettier or uglier, I still remember the real model for mass effect andromeda is pretty but her model on the game is so derpy (lol), while the male model in the game is attractive in real life and in the game too. I think the devs (or all usa devs lol) just don't like attractive woman.
No old faces, no buy.
Some people really need to go outside
You know, you can choose not to report on nonsense like this from a minority who go out of their way to find problems. All this does is validate their pettiness and make you part of the problem with gaming.
@NinjaNicky I don't know, the female from Ubisoft's Star Wars looks good to me but I will say that Fable looks real bad.
I’m sure these bozos will move on to woke tree’s or some other dumb ***** by afternoon.
I just find these comparing screenshots so dumb. Lighting, facial expression, 'camera' angles etc. make all the difference. You need to see the character in motion to judge. I could take a terrible picture/screenshot and a great picture/screenshot of the same person and they could look like completely different people.
@wiiware You are so right.
Still the problem is that both Peter and MJ don't look like the comics or how they looked like in the previous game. Isn't Peter close to its thirties in this Universe, he looks younger than Miles!
People grow up, get older, get new haircuts, etc. Deal with it weirdos.
What’s funny to me is that no one who has an issue with this non-issue seems to factor in the aspect that the two are from different platforms. It’s blindingly obvious the PS5 will render models differently to the PS4, which makes it twice as amusing given these same people spend the rest of their time moaning PS5 graphics are being held back by cross generation releases. Humans, eh?
Why they should look the same as in the first game? The change is great and it is pretty clear that the face model is the same, just the hair style is different. I like it because pleople change even is a video game. 😉
I'm so over this people need to get out more and when I'm telling you that you REEEEEEEEALLY NEED to get out more 😑
@belmont No he's not he's only 23 why is everyone acting like 23 year olds look like they're in their 30's? Peter has a face that reflects his age some people just have that kind've face hell I'm 30 this year and can still pass for 18 it happens
They didn't lie about the SSD, to play R&C on a console it 100% requires an SSD but PC's are different and the port Devs have had over 2 years to work around not needing a SSD.
As for this story yeah just more sad incels getting upset over nothing. She looks fine in SM2 and in fact i think she looks better with her hair down.
@themightyant Except Peter looks younger, not older.
@Keyblade-Dan I thought he was almost 30 because he works as a researcher. That said, I haven't played the game since way back the release date.
@DennisReynolds It certainly strikes as old how a game only possible in PS5 can be played in PCs less powerful that the PS4 even if you factor the bigger development time. In any case it is still kind of cool playing PS5 games in the Steam Deck
@belmont This article is about MJ. I was specifically responding to the sad sacs whimpering online "sHe'S nOt As HoT aNyMoRe", or variations thereof, which they do every time a female character dares to even have a haircut. It's sad.
We've already had Peter-gate two years ago, no need to revisit.
Who actually cares and why do you care?
The Ratchet baiting wasn't really needed.
I am more invested in knowing how this game improves upon the first one than someone's hairstyle.
Guess there is a few ways to look at it:
As the tech evolves, what the studio can do with faces and facial animations improve so there may be some change. There are other factors such as lighting to consider.
Insomniac do have taste for making out and out facial/hair changes and even miles had had this. At very least MJ has a new hair do and maybe she might have had a little work at the Isomniac plastic surgeon.
Personally I think the "new" MJ looks less "cute" but more attractive to me although this isn't really important to the enjoyment of the game.
Insomniac are not great with consistency or timelines in SM which we have come to accept. SM2 is apprently only 9 months after 1 which doesn't track on the getting older/looking older argument
It is okay for some players to be frustrated that faces appear to change. I preffered the older face model rather than the Wish Tom Holland but I got used to it.
Her face looks stunning.
@belmont https://www.tomshardware.com/news/ratchet-and-clank-rift-apart-arrives-with-directstorage-support
Its not odd when you realise its using Direct Storage. Consoles wise yeah only the PS5 can run it but unlike consoles PC's have tricks and features to work around SSD's. 2 years ago PC's would need an SSD for this but tech evolves very fast and now PC's don't an SSD.
@belmont I think sony change peter face so it looks more like spider-man home trilogy movie actor, tom holland. For me the most iconic spider-man face is tobey maguire from 2002 spider-man movies though lol.
@NinjaNicky Yup, I don't understand why people got angry at us, they should got angry at the devs instead. I mean it's kind of rude to scan people face and uglified it with software.
@DennisReynolds Thanks, I didn't know that Direct Storage finally gets implemented. Strange to think that Microsoft hasn't used Direct Storage yet even though it is supported on Xbox.
This actually kind of explains the lack of a PS4 port, although they could still have done it somehow. They are many PS4 games that mask the load times, I play RE4 these days and the game only loads if you lose of between chapters.
Edit: OK on proper evaluation in still makes no sense. R&C is Steam Deck verified (i.e. playable from Micro SD card) and playable in Linux in mechanical drives and Linux obviously doesn't support Direct Storage...
@wiiware Obviously, in the end of the day it some criticism may be exaggerated for trolling of simply for fun but why it is so bad to critic artistic decisions, especially in iconic characters? Moreover, this "uglification" is slowly starting to become a norm...
This is nothing compared to the face change when transferring your Shepard from Mass Effect 2 to ME3.
Remember when they complained about Kratos and Aloy having the same run animations as they did in previous games?
There's always something.
Also, @naruball Your comment x 100.
It doesn’t surprise me that people would want to know if a new actress is portraying the character in this game so credit can be given where it’s due. Plus, we just went thru all that voice actor craziness w/ Bayonetta 3, and there was a big brouhaha went the character in that one game looked like that actress in another. So, there are reasons to ask these questions.
Though it also doesn’t surprise me if this is just about a bunch of intel’s who are mad b/c they think she doesn’t look “as hot”, see also HZD-HFW. Guess they’ve moved on from the Barbie movie already.😂
She looks more classic and more better now. But I still want a old Peter's face back.
@belmont Digital Foundry did an experiment by putting in the slowest SSD they had on hand in the PS5, and then covered some of the pins up so that the SSD was basically running at an estimated speed to around like 1.5GB/s.
R&C Rift Apart still ran albeit with a slight stutter during asset load.
So, the only reason the PS5 is the only console that could run it is because the PS5 is the only console it will ever be on. 🤣
@DennisReynolds Oddly enough, the first two games to support DirectStorage on PC are PS5 exclusives: Forspoken and R&C.
As far as this "Facegate" - if the hairstyles were the same, it would make for a better comparison. The nose is probably going to be the best indicator, but give the comparison camera angle and lighting, it's tough to tell if the nose is the same.
It does look like her face is a little thinner in Spider-Man 2.
What is so hard to understand? Mary Jane got mature and Peter face has OBVIOUSLY changed it's mien cause symbiote's influence.
@Shepherd_Tallon good point. There is no pleasing some -or should we say all- people. Damned if you do, damned if you don't.
The lighting being a little different can factor into the face looking different.
Honestly? Who really cares.
People just like to have something to complain about, even if it's silly.
Yes, MJ's face looks a little different, so I'm going to pre-emptively hate Spider-Man 2 and give it a 0 out of 10. Recall that Tess's face changed in The Last of Us Part I to more closely resemble her actor, the late Annie Wersching. MJ's face is using more advanced technology in Spider-Man 2. The lighting will make it look different as will her hair being down. These are things people need to get over. But, if it bothers those people that much, then just don't buy the game.
I like her look better in 2nd one. Her face looks longer and more bone structure. Hope they manage to make her likeable this time instead of annoying unlike 1st game.
@wiiware
Thank you for saying that. I hate how being even "above average" is insulting for woman designs in western games, don't start on "being beatiful".
When I first saw the trailer, I thought she looked different, but I think she just looks a little more mature and that's to be expected. Honestly, I prefer her "new" look.
@wiiware I rather see him look nothing like Tom Holland.
And it's quite easy ask the actress if she had the part.
@Flaming_Kaiser Compared to previous model, this new spider-man model looks more like tom holland I think. Not 100% the same of course since sony didn't want to pay for the actor likeness license.
@PegasusActual93 I went outside, got married, had kids and I STILL think western developers (during the last 10 but especially the last 5 years) in general avoid very pretty women in games like it's a new strain of COVID.
The guys though? They all still seem very masculine and built. I find that interesting.
Pretty girls don't fit the progressives' vision of society.
That being said I think she looks better in Spiderman 2, mostly because of her longer hair.
I'm surprised they didn't shave her head on one side and paint her hair blue.
@riceNpea Sadly they don't listen to replies like this.
@jorel262 it's a sad state of affairs isn't it.
@wiiware I rather have a original character let them spend the cash on the game instead of one of my least favourite Spider-Man actors. Plus I rather see the go to less known actors.
@Flaming_Kaiser Yes, I also think licensing actor likeness is a waste of money, just scan a cheap voice actor and spend the money on games development.
Unless it's jean reno playing as jacques blanc on onimusha 3 back then on ps2, that was hype
@wiiware I don't mean it in a demeaning way I really believe there are more great (voice) actors and it's great to see new talent get a chance. The last thing we want is the faces all the time so the new talent does not get a chance.
@Flaming_Kaiser Yup, I really think it's best to put voice actors for games face rather than random hollywood actors like in forspoken for example.
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