It's not uncommon for developers to release beautiful looking demos and trailers at big shows like E3, only for the final version of the game to look nothing like it when it arrives in players' hands. The new Spiderman game is the latest title to be hit by fan backlash due to that disparity and the most obvious part of it includes the shrinking of a reflective puddle.
Fans of the game have brought this confusion to light at Insomniac Games, who's response was simply to say that there had been no downgrade, that they had instead just changed the size of the puddle for some other arbitrary reason. They also suggested that there were plenty of big puddles in the game.
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@insomniacgames @JamesStevenson @bryanintihar What’s with the downgrade yet again? #SpiderManPS4
(top is 2017, bottom 2018) pic.twitter.com/bab85E624A— Spidey (@spiydaman) August 20, 2018
Although this has lead to much silliness on social media with people creating meme-worthy ideas for showcasing puddle size on gaming warning labels, others see this as yet another example of developers promising something they can't deliver.
Others see this as the inevitable change in artistic direction and asset management that happens with every game during its creation.
Where do you guys stand on the spectrum of this argument?