2023 Video Game Innovations EVERYONE Should Copy

3. Instant Fast Travel - Spider-Man 2

spider-man 2
Insomniac

There are some games where you wouldn’t want to fast travel. Maybe you need to keep an eye out for crafting materials, or you’re just a sucker for a wander. Or a horse ride. Or a souped up car. Depending on what you're playing.

Then again, sometimes you just really want to get where you’re going and personally I’ve been playing a lot of Cyberpunk lately and while I’m loving it, having to go to a fast travel point to fast travel is a constant annoyance.

This seems to be a gripe which Spider-Man 2 developers Insomniac Games agree on as the sequel implemented a mechanic that allows for instant fast travel. After completing the second node in each of the game’s discrete boroughs, which you can do by completing content within each district, with just the hold of a button you can fast travel from exactly where you are to any location you want in the unlocked area of the map.

You’ll even retain your momentum so if you’re swinging around one street you’ll continue to do so on a completely different spot. While you might just want to enjoy traversal, the flexibility of this mechanic is a game-changer.

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Jess has been a journalist and content creator in the games industry for over 15 years and has been WhatCulture's resident Australian import and sorry cop since 2020, upping the quotient of swearing and apologising in WhatCulture Gaming's annual blooper videos considerably. She previously worked at GameSpot for 10 years, most notably hosting GameSpot News in addition to E3 live shows, and PAX panels. She regularly livestreams a variety of games on her 'jessmcdonell' YouTube and Twitch channels and hosts the 'Do It On The Day' podcast. She has won awards for her news and feature work in gaming as well as an accolade for her comedic writing (likely an admin error). She can be found on X at @jessmcdonell and Instagram at @jessicamcdonell sharing her current videogame fixations, industry insights, and videos of her cat, Karma.