Quote Originally Posted by Hypestyle View Post
... how much room for innovation/ground-breaking will there be without an all-new console(s) to build for?
it might be best to create an all new storyline that doesn't depend on deep knowledge of the previous game.
Assuming it's on PS5 when it launches it means it's either going to be on the newer hardware or it will be built to existing PS4 specs and will run better on 5. It's really not difficult to make innovations but primarily to the world it means using several tricks like draw distance and speed capping so the player doesn't go into a place that hasn't loaded yet or worse yet seeing things the player simply wasn't meant to like the low poly people on the boats. Even with more powerful hardware locations likely wont be constantly rendered but probably load in faster or that draw distances will be much larger. Outside of game-play, innovation is likely going to be spent on making the world bigger and more interactive.

A sequel assumes you are familiar with the story. They also have no reason to start over given the only lingering plot-thread is Harry and the symbiote which is only brought up in an after-credits sequence. You do not need to have watched that cutscene to have understood what was happening in the game. Furthermore, Marvel has put out a comic adaptation of the main game so even if one can't be bothered to have played the last one for any reason, the main story is still available to players. PS4 also already assumes we know who Spider-man and his allies and enemies are, few are introduced as new with them having relationships and adventures that occurred off-screen. Spider-man didn't need to re-introduce us to everyone and everything, it assumed we knew what we'd been getting into.