r/gaming • u/ChiefLeef22 Marika's tits! • Sep 10 '26
'Marvel's Wolverine' - Review Thread
Game Title: MARVEL'S WOLVERINE
Platforms:
- PlayStation 5 (September 15, 2026)
Trailers:
- Marvel's Wolverine - Reveal Trailer | PlayStation Showcase 2021
- Marvel's Wolverine - Official Game Features Trailer
Developer: Insomniac Games
Reviews aggregates:
OpenCritic: 77 Critic Average - 72% Critics Recommend
Metacritic: 78 / 100
Some Reviews:
COGConnected - James Paley - 10 / 10
Marvel's Wolverine is a tight, focused experience that never lets up or slows down more than it absolutely has to. The action is intense and incredibly violent, the combat flows beautifully, steadily evolving into something wondrous to behold. I loved the acting and the dialogue; the pacing is excellent, and the world depicted is a brutal one. Like Spider-Man before it, Marvel's Wolverine has set a new standard for this character. Playing as Logan is unlikely to get better than this for many years.
Hardcore Gamer - Kevin Dunsmore - 5 / 5
Marvel’s Wolverine is an absolute triumph in nearly every category, doing for the character what Marvel’s Spider-Man did for Spider-Man. The story is exceptional through its deep dive into Logan’s complex character, using both allies and villains and an overarching plot to deliver the best Wolverine performance since Hugh Jackman first stepped into the role.
Digital Chumps - Will Silberman - 9.1 / 10.0
Marvel’s Wolverine does not reinvent the superhero action genre like other games in Sony’s portfolio. Instead, it violently refines it with flair and demonstrates how Insomniac has become fluent in beautifully brutal combat. You’ll walk away fully satiated with the presentation, even if there were some missed opportunities to take Logan’s stealth sequences and broader skillset further with the PlayStation 5’s DualSense controller.
Game Informer - Matt Miller - 8.5 / 10
Insomniac’s latest action opus is beautiful to look at and listen to, and it plays like a dream. Whether you’re a fan of the wily mutant lead or you simply gravitate to taut, tightly animated combat like what you’d find in God of War or Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, Wolverine is an intense and unrelenting ride. It may not hit a lot of notes, but like Logan himself, it nails the vitals where it counts.
IGN - Simon Cardy - 6 / 10
Just like its hero’s adamantium core, Marvel’s Wolverine is built of sturdy stuff – it just fails to layer something special atop its initially satisfying action, which wears thin well before the conclusion as a result. I wish there was more variety, as the combat shows its hand early on and the level design plays it safe more often than not. That means this 15-hour campaign is largely carried by its story, which, while not revolutionary, is an enjoyable tale with good character work at times and a strong portrayal of X-Men’s lead. Marvel’s Wolverine is okay, just a step or two below Insomniac’s other superhero efforts.
ACG - Jeremy Penter - "WAIT FOR SALE"
...There was a level of fatigue that I haven't felt in a long time in a superhero game. And it was just more quickly than I expected. But then just as something bothered me, I chopped a dude's arms off and threw him off of a hill. And I was like, "Okay, you know, actually that's pretty damn sweet." So, as you guys know, I rate games on a buy way for a sale, deep, deep sale or never touch rating system. I'm going to say, yeah, I enjoyed it. I think in all honesty though, for the price, I did not feel like it was really spectacular. It's a good game. I think when the controls feel sort of off and just janky, that can be a little bit bothersome, especially more in the platforming and stuff where it just feels almost, oh man, it's just it's not great. And the combat, it's simple. It's not sophisticated, but once you get the skills and adaptions that stack up, I think that that's pretty cool.
The New York Times - Yussef Cole - 70 / 100
For all of Insomniac Games's efforts to soften the tough exterior of a relentless killer, Wolverine spends a vast majority of the game with his signature claws extended, tearing his way through comically vast seas of adversaries. It’s strange to play as a weapon with feelings.
Skill Up - "I DO NOT RECOMMEND"
I know I've been really brutal throughout this review, but the honest truth is that the more I played this game, the more angry it made me. Like, for example, it was only toward the back end of the game that I realized that you actually don't have to press any buttons during quicktime events. The game will automatically complete them for you, even if you don't press anything. like this clip right here. And so I ask you, what are we doing here? Like you've got a game where people die in horrific circumstances again and again. It's M17 plus rated in the US. Insomniac have said repeatedly that they want a gritty, mature story that isn't pulling any punches, a story intended for adults. And yet, we get a game that literally plays itself at times. And when you're forced to put hands on the controller, Insomniac are so terrified that you might experience a fleeting moment of uncertainty about where to go and what to do that they build multiple overlapping gameplay systems to keep you constantly wrapped in cotton wool.
GameSpot - Tamoor Hussein - 6 / 10
Wolverine is a difficult game to grapple with. As I’ve emphasized repeatedly, there’s nothing outright wrong or bad about it. It delivers an authentic, highly playable Wolverine experience. I don’t regret my time with it and, in fact, I left hoping there’s a sequel that makes good on what the game sets up. But at the same time, that inoffensiveness comes from the fact that it’s a barebones third-person action game executed in a no-frills way, with no real surprises. At best, it’s a fun but forgettable experience that’ll entertain you for a few hours. At worst, it shows that just because you can make really good superhero games with one character, that doesn’t mean you can make really super hero games with any character. Insomniac is an incredibly talented developer, but it shines with characters that allow it to flex its well-trained design muscles. Wolverine might be the best at what he does, but what he does hasn’t let Insomniac’s developers be the best at what they do.
GamesRadar - Leon Hurley - 3 / 5
Marvel's Wolverine is never a bad experience, just an underwhelming one full of odd choices. I enjoyed it enough for the most part but never really felt blown away, or like I was getting the game Wolverine deserved. Especially considering this is the same studio that literally let Spider-Man soar on PS5. It also feels lightweight for such a blockbuster release – you'll struggle to get more than 20 hours out of it even if you 100% what there is, and replaying missions just highlights how straightforward many of the areas actually are. There are some nice moments and ideas but they're muted overall by lengthy and monotone combat, inconsistent gameplay, and a track jumping story. Ironically, for a character that's the best at what they do, this is basically OK.
The Guardian - Keith Stuart - 3 / 5
Marvel’s Wolverine remains a lovingly crafted, beautifully polished hack-’em-up that will no doubt thrill Wolverine fans who want to eviscerate as many enemies as possible while looking out for X-Men easter eggs, and pausing once in a while to have story and subtext thrown at them. But despite the full-bloodied use of Wolverine’s claws and a generous array of moves and combos, combat lacks both the bone-crunching impact of the Batman Arkham games and the balletic joy of Spider-Man. As the game goes on and the enemies line up, it feels increasingly like a chore. Logan becomes what he always dreaded: hired muscle. There is so much seductive and emancipating rage in this game, in its story, its combat mechanics, its gloriously conflicted protagonist. But the crescendo always feels like it’s just out of reach, like an argument in another room, or a war on the news.
VGC - Jordan Middler - 3 / 5
Marvel’s Wolverine is fine, but it fails to capture the spirit of the legendary character in the same way Insomniac did with Spider-Man. It's a game out of time, full of dated quest design and combat that excels in spectacle but not much else. Best-in-class visuals pull up the overall package, but this isn't the definitive Wolverine game I'd hoped for.
Eurogamer - Chris Tapsell - 3 / 5
The result, sadly, is a sense that our old boy Wolverine is just caught behind the times. Were it not for the lovability of Logan himself, the animalistic warmth that Insomniac summons through its cast - and the sheer and genuine humanity that can be accessed through that - or the basic pleasure and occasional spectacle its action can offer when spread out into smaller doses, it could've been a bloodbath. Instead, it's just fine. It might be in no small part thanks to the innate nature of the X-Men universe that it's still ultimately enjoyable enough: these stories are all deeply sensitive characters and wearily timely themes. But still, there's still just enough sincerity, character and camp here to keep this old dog alive.
Eurogamer.pt - Bruno Galvão - 3 / 5
Marvel’s Wolverine is a cinematic single-player game offering light-hearted fun and spectacular graphics, produced by a much-loved studio that seems out of its depth. The lack of depth in the combat, the extremely simplified design and the pacing issues made me feel that a 13-hour game drags on longer than it should.
Giant Bomb - Shawn McDowell - 2.5 / 5
I can’t shake the feeling that when this game was being made, it was decided first and foremost to retrofit the Spider-Man game structure with Wolverine’s set of powers rather than build a bespoke game from the ground up purely out of efficiency. This “shortcut” ended up being massively detrimental to the final product. Ripping out a massive chunk of that established structure and doling out its player rewards piecemeal throughout a much more linear game feels like a very messy, incoherent approach. With exploration removed, the remaining storytelling and combat pillars of Insomniac’s house style struggle to support the studio’s ideas. Wolverine is a game with momentary sparks of fun, but its mostly-good combat getting constantly dragged down by mediocre storytelling, poor pacing, and an underwhelming amount of player agency left me very bored far too often.
PlayStation Universe - John-Paul Jones - 9 / 10
Jettisoning the open-world shenanigans of its previous comic-book games, the proudly linear violence of Marvel's Wolverine feels like a refreshing throwback in all the best ways, albeit one that has been lavishly encased in Insomniac Games' reliably premium audiovisual presentation. Boasting some of the most satisfying, if not especially inventive, third-person combat to come along in ages and a truly propulsive narrative that feels as furious and engaging as its titular hero, this is everything you could want from a game about The Man That Says Bub A Lot.
Gameliner - Patrick Lamers - 4.5 / 5
Insomniac Games has once again delivered a very cool game with Marvel's Wolverine, offering a more story-driven and linear experience than the Spider-Man games. While the story feels somewhat stretched towards the end and the combat is fairly simple, the game performs well both graphically and gameplay-wise. If you're looking for a cool, story-driven action-adventure game that will keep you busy for around twenty hours, Marvel's Wolverine is definitely worth adding to your wishlist.
Wccftech - Alessio Palumbo - 8.5 / 10.0
Marvel's Wolverine is a very different game from Insomniac's Spider-Man adaptations, but it shows the developer really understands this hero, too. The combat took a while to grab me, and I wish some maps were larger, but eventually I really felt like the ultimate killing machine Wolverine is supposed. Meanwhile, the story kept me glued to the screen from start to finish.
Eurogamer - Chris Tapsell - 3 / 5
The result, sadly, is a sense that our old boy Wolverine is just caught behind the times. Were it not for the lovability of Logan himself, the animalistic warmth that Insomniac summons through its cast - and the sheer and genuine humanity that can be accessed through that - or the basic pleasure and occasional spectacle its action can offer when spread out into smaller doses, it could've been a bloodbath. Instead, it's just fine. It might be in no small part thanks to the innate nature of the X-Men universe that it's still ultimately enjoyable enough: these stories are all deeply sensitive characters and wearily timely themes. But still, there's still just enough sincerity, character and camp here to keep this old dog alive.
Worth Playing - Chris "Atom" DeAngelus - 8 / 10.0
Marvel's Wolverine is a fun, absurdly brutal beat-'em-up. If you know what you're getting into, it's probably the best playable version of Wolverine yet, finally outclassing X-Men Origins: Wolverine. It doesn't quite match the ambition or success of the Spider-Man games, and its repetition and dull traversal occasionally make the experience feel one-note. But if you're a Wolverine fan or simply want a straightforward, frequently satisfying brawler, Wolverine is the best at what it does.
Push Square - Liam Croft - 8 / 10
Marvel's Wolverine ends the open world streak at Insomniac for an intentional and linear superhuman title that revels in its gory, intense combat system. The campaign structured around it can be overly restrictive and the story quite dull, but as a mission guides you from one fight to the next, it lets the bloodshed do the talking. With superb visuals, amazing character performances, and nice location variety, Marvel's Wolverine sheds its flaws for an endlessly enjoyable superhero experience.
TheSixthAxis - Jim Hargreaves - 8 / 10
Marvel's Wolverine carves out its slot in a packed year for single-player adventures. The comparisons back to Insomniac's previous work are inevitable, and it's true that Wolverine's blood-soaked combat can feel more restrained and limited, but this globetrotting odyssey never outstays its welcome and sets the foundation for what could be a stone cold killer of a sequel.
CGMagazine - Marcus Kenneth - 7 / 10
Marvel’s Wolverine is a fine action game, but doesn’t feel like it trusts itself to be something more. With shallow combat, multiple bugs and poor pacing, this is one of Insomniac's weakest titles.
PlayStation LifeStyle - Shaan Joshi - 7 / 10
It’s a bit of a shame that Marvel’s Wolverine isn’t able to crawl out from under the shadow of its spiritual predecessors. It certainly leans into the brutal, frenetic nature of its hero, and when it’s firing on all cylinders, it offers up some of the best, most action-packed moments we’ve seen this year. If it were a more confident game, it would cut out some of its hand-me-downs in favor of a leaner, more focused experience, but as it stands, players will have to learn to take the old with the new.
PPE.pl - Wojciech Gruszczyk - 8 / 10.0
Marvel’s Wolverine is an intense, brutal and visually stunning adventure that proves Insomniac Games is capable of offering something completely different from the Spider-Man stories. The combat is hugely satisfying, and the story makes good use of Logan and his relationships with other heroes, although the linear structure and the repetitive nature of the fights mean that after around 12 hours, it’s hard to find many reasons to carry on playing. This isn’t a Spider-Man with claws, but a full-fledged Wolverine adventure – gritty, bloody and exactly what this hero needed.
DiscussingFilm - Tyler Taing - 3.5 / 5
Tons of online negativity towards Marvel’s Wolverine leading up to release has made criticizing this game a minefield. Some of it has been warranted, and the rest has been the usual toxic gamer nonsense. Nonetheless, I hope Insomniac understands both the strengths and weaknesses of their Marvel titles thus far and applies that knowledge to make their next project even more ambitious.
But Why Tho? - Matt Sowinski - 6 / 10.0
This is a turn-your-brain-off-and-go-for-a-ride spectacle that occasionally punches above its weight. That works to some extent, but Marvel’s Wolverine doesn’t live up to the creative standard Insomniac Games is known for, and Logan has never been known for playing it safe.
1.4k
u/IlyasBT Sep 10 '26
This is the lowest rating for a BIG Playstation game since Days Gone in 2019.
749
u/rugmunchkin Sep 10 '26
Right when Sony REALLY needed some good PR too. The PS5 gen has gone from disappointing to borderline disastrous.
299
u/AnalBaguette Sep 10 '26
This combined with the news that they tried to cancel Kojima's newest game is a one-two punch to their already terrible PR.
→ More replies (45)→ More replies (28)114
u/darkbladetrey Sep 10 '26
Ps5 was supposed to be great but then at some point they started focusing on the wrong stuff (live service). They just lost Hideo Kojima. Yeah Sony is currently on a crash course.
Fingers crossed Xbox can lock in and be actual compeo
→ More replies (10)222
u/Nodelphi Sep 10 '26
Days Gone is seriously underrated. I totally recommend checking it out, you can pick it up for almost free and it’s a great zombie game.
→ More replies (40)24
→ More replies (36)78
u/SimplyElite7 Sep 10 '26
And then Days gone went on to be a pretty good game that they decided not to sequel after negative reviews from the technical issues. This game tho, seems way too linear, which is fine, but most linear games you probably are best to buy on a sale tbh.
→ More replies (14)
2.7k
u/TandemTuba Sep 10 '26
This is PEAK "buy it in two years for 70+% off, beat it in one weekend, have a good time but never play it again" territory.
544
u/Disastrous_Wing7084 Sep 10 '26
Especially the fact it's coming out within a few days of Control 2, my money might be going towards that one instead
184
u/swizzl73 Sep 10 '26
Can’t wait for control resonant 🔥🔥🔥 Control is one of my favorite games ever
→ More replies (6)→ More replies (30)128
u/Googoo123450 Sep 10 '26
Also Control is $10 cheaper
110
u/ThatFuckingGeniusKid Sep 10 '26
And it's supposed to be 30-50 hours long while Wolverine is supposed to be 12-16 hours long.
If you're gonna ask $70 for 12 hour game then it needs to be better than "alright".
→ More replies (1)24
u/Googoo123450 Sep 10 '26
Even as someone who was stoked for Wolverine, I completely agree. Based on reviews I'm getting it eventually on a deep sale. For $70 I'd get buyers remorse right away.
117
u/Chevstang400 Sep 10 '26
I'll just say. The only reason this game will be something like 70% off in like 2 years IS BECAUSE it has a physical copy and SONY has to compete against cheap prices that physical media brings. As soon as their games stop being printed on physical for good, they will be able to keep the prices high and there's nothing you can do about it. We gotta keep trying to save physical media, not just for people who want it but for digital only gamer's also. Too keep the prices competitive and pro consumer. Also for Art preservation. Yes i see games as Art.
→ More replies (15)69
u/PortraitFX Sep 10 '26
I mean, if that's the option there's also the "never buying that POS" option too. Sony can only get what we are willing to pay for their product... which clearly isn't worth $80 in this case.
→ More replies (1)→ More replies (47)40
2.7k
u/CoffeeFriendish Sep 10 '26
Wolverine is sounding like a discount special I can wait on…
284
u/Tastymuskrat Sep 10 '26
Honestly yeah, I'm not too upset about this. September is packed and I've been trying to decide what games I'll buy and which ones I'll wait on.
→ More replies (6)83
u/zurkka Sep 10 '26
Me here waiting for ace combat 8 next month
Can't wait for the skies to chant in latin once again
→ More replies (3)483
u/iCantCallit Sep 10 '26
It's gonna be a great $25 game
→ More replies (20)126
u/Iliketoruindresses Sep 10 '26
With dynamic pricing it’ll stay above 50$ for a while
→ More replies (5)76
20
u/Playingwithmywenis Sep 10 '26
Yeah, it is a “maybe some day” rather than “must play”.
So many of the positive reviews focus on animation, presentation and spectacle. Almost like the playing the game is secondary to the experience.
→ More replies (1)65
u/BeerGogglesFTW Sep 10 '26
My expectations were low for this one. I enjoyed the Spider-Man games a lot, but I mostly just like being Spider-Man (both of them). The main story doesn't sell me on those games. I think the boss fights are a let down though the whole series.
So to have a game kind of focus on those aspects I found weak? Not for me.
However, it's still Wolverine. If Sony didn't abandon PC, I would have still picked this game up on sale.
But they did leave PC. So, if they were trying to entice me into buying their console, they're not winning me over with this one.
→ More replies (6)→ More replies (27)75
Sep 10 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
→ More replies (2)41
u/jboggin Sep 10 '26
the QTEs pressing themselves was wild to me. How does a developer let that happen by default? I think automatic QTEs should be an accessibility feature, but if you set it as the default, they what are we even doing here?
2.1k
u/Zopi_lote Sep 10 '26
5 years for this, damn
1.1k
u/Honest_Extreme_5354 Sep 10 '26
I love spiderman but web swinging completely carries those games. I'm not shocked this is nothing special.
490
u/SpaceOdysseus23 Sep 10 '26
This potentially could've been averted had reviewers pointed out the abysmal writing in SM2. A good story can still carry a game when the gameplay is middling (Guardians of the Galaxy comes to mind). But when both are mediocre? No chance.
256
u/War_Reborn Sep 10 '26
I'm still extremely hurt by how underwhelming the story for SM2 is. Especially when the story for SM1 was so great, I expected so much from the sequel and it was such a letdown.
119
u/Mlynio48 Sep 10 '26
The story in the 1st game was good, because they hired an actual comic book writer (Dan Slott, who's among more controversial Spider-Man writers, but even he was able to write a good story, primarly because he's a big fan of Doc Ock), but then for the sequel they radomly decided to write the story themselves. Same thing happened in Arkham series where Rocksteady hired Paul Dini to write the first two games, but then they didn't ask him to write Arkham Knight.
→ More replies (8)7
u/DweebInFlames Sep 11 '26
I feel like I should point out Christos Gage is the one who did the most work for SM1 and he's far and away the best Slott era writer.
11
u/Arcturus1800 Sep 10 '26
Been playing through the game and stuff is already disappointing me. Like, I wished they kept Harry and Venom together as Agent Venom while keeping Kraven as the main big bad. Like, it just feels like a letdown to show how close Harry and Peter are, only for them to be enemies to what I assume will be to the end of the game where I am at now.
→ More replies (3)→ More replies (6)42
u/Temelios Sep 10 '26
Which makes the second game’s slogan of “Be Greater” so ironic. Granted, the gameplay was a definitive improvement on what the first game established, but that story felt so underwhelming compared to the emotionally charged first game.
→ More replies (2)→ More replies (19)53
u/oshatokujah Sep 10 '26
GOTG combat was so clunky but you've got it right, that story made me want to stick around. The cast did such a great job with the characters too and after a couple of hours I started to even prefer them to the movie equivalents. Mantis was a real standout for me
→ More replies (8)5
→ More replies (25)62
u/cowpool20 Sep 10 '26
The second game, sure. But the first game had a fantastic story too, I wouldnt say the gameplay carries that one.
→ More replies (3)13
u/Black-----Manta Sep 10 '26
Yeah i think the story of the first and the combat and traversal of the second make an 8/10. Wolverine just has a lower ceiling for the latter two
→ More replies (1)164
u/cashsusclaymore Sep 10 '26
5 years and a complete stop on any extra content for Spider-Man 2. This is bad for them.
62
u/rugmunchkin Sep 10 '26
Yeah, the reviews aren’t terrible or anything. It seems like this is hovering around the low 7 range. But considering it feels like we’ve been waiting F O R E V E R for this game… a 7 is pretty rough.
22
u/War_Reborn Sep 10 '26
Especially for a game that's $70. Even being $60 would make this hurt a lot less imo.
→ More replies (1)44
u/ProbablyFear Sep 10 '26
r/playwolverine on damage control rn
→ More replies (1)10
u/Cheezewiz239 Sep 10 '26
You weren't kidding
17
u/ProbablyFear Sep 10 '26
Nope. Their fav thing atm is “IGN gave this a 6/10 but they also gave mixtape a 10/10 so that must mean their review is wrong!!”
Their delusion is quite concerning.
→ More replies (2)→ More replies (33)117
u/Opposite-Grade3712 Sep 10 '26
I was downvoted into oblivion every time I suggested that this project was a waste of Insomniac’s talents.
Look, comic book stuff is well past its MCU zeitgeist. To make a great game, you need passionate creatives, and as a group they simply were not going to be motivated here, so what we got is as predictable as it is disappointing - a phoned-in, paint by numbers product.
91
u/TheBlueEmerald1 Sep 10 '26
"Traversal is not a part of Wolverine's character" then making teh developers put racing segments in the game really nailed it on the head that they might be out of their minds with this game.
57
u/Deditch Sep 10 '26
it's pretty obvious that they were struggling to interpret wolverine differently than spiderman.
32
u/HeldnarRommar Sep 10 '26
It's not hard. Look to Ninja Gaiden or DMC. Fun brutal combat with great encounters and ways to string out combos etc. They got lazy/full of themselves and thought Spider-Man could easily translate to Wolverine
→ More replies (1)8
u/Logondo Sep 10 '26
I mean look at the last Wolverine Origins game that came out 17 years ago.
It wasn't spectacular but it was fun. It felt like how a Wolverine game should feel.
38
u/TheBlueEmerald1 Sep 10 '26
They really should have picked a character wildly different than Spider-Man then. All they've done from what I've seen is strip the base Spider-Man gameplay down and not replace it with anything.
→ More replies (4)→ More replies (3)19
u/War_Reborn Sep 10 '26
I agree, I think this is true of Insomniac as a whole atm. Definitely talented dev team to be sure, I've heard zero technical issues and the games looks great and well optimized. Ultimately tho, no matter how talented they are, SM2 and now Wolverine show that they lack any actual creativity and delivery very "ok" or "good" experiences not "great" or "amazing" liked we'd hope.
This is further compounded by the fact that, imo, it's priced at the AAA standard of $70, while feeling very much like a AA game. To make myself clear, there is absolutely nothing wrong with a game being AA, in fact this industry would only stand to benefit from having more high quality AA games considering how bloated games have been in the last decade or so both financially and how long development times have been. This game could've been as easy buy on day 1 across the board if it was simply $10-$20 less.
We really need to start voting with our wallets more and tell the gaming industry that we are very open to receiving more great AA experiences and that everything doesn't need to be some huge $500+ million dollar AAA experience. But, these AA games need to priced fairly at either $50 or at most $60. Asking for a full $70, for another AA game that most reviewers say you'll only get 15-ish hrs from should not be ok, especially in a market where truly great games with not only better stories to tell that can take much longer if not double to complete are the same exact price point.
→ More replies (7)
1.5k
u/Empty_Ad3775 Sep 10 '26
Christ, 78 on Metacritic. In a vacuum that's not a disaster, but damn, that's the lowest Insomniac score in what - 13 years? Disappointing.
131
u/jak_d_ripr Sep 10 '26
Yea, the 78 didn't seem to bad until I starter seeing how low some of the actual scores were. 6 from IGN and Gamespot, 5 from Giant Bomb, Do not recommend from Skill Up. Surprised at such polarizing scores from a game that seems pretty safe.
→ More replies (7)62
u/NordWitcher Sep 10 '26
Cause the game doesn't really do anything different and that seemed to be consistent with the big reviewers. Its too much button mashing and hand holding. After a while if you've played enough AAA games, every game starts to feel the same. Even in some games, I can now solve a puzzle by simply looking at it simply due to doing them a 100 or so times by just following a pattern rather than actually solving them.
I remember when I first got into gaming, every small event or sequence felt epic and new. Now they just feel like run of mill and you kinda know what to expect. And with how much hand holding Wolverine has built in its game design I can see why reviewers didn't enjoy it.
Even in games like God of War you have to go out of your way to find hidden chests. Here the game has a big sonar like circle and another sound effect which you can see and hear from halfway across the map. So there's no real need to explore on your own. Then there's random crates that you smash that give you a small XP reward. It just feels stuff to keep people engaged non stop.
→ More replies (1)24
u/StJeanMark Sep 10 '26
Can’t do anything risky, can’t do anything trailblazing when the budgets are so high, so all we get now is safe cookie cutter lowest common denominator games.
380
u/Oakengrad Sep 10 '26
Yeah, I would never turn my nose up at a 78 for a game I was interested in, but given Insomniac's track record this seems quite surprising.
Maybe this type of "linear action game" just isn't their wheelhouse? I know R&C is "mostly" linear but it's a big weapons and tool sandbox. Wolverine here kind of seems like a... One and done weekend type game.
→ More replies (7)102
u/Empty_Ad3775 Sep 10 '26
Yeah, anywhere between a 7 and 8 is good, flawed but a good experience. Its not what Insomniac are known for.
R&C was my childhood, I'll always have time for those, so when this goes on sale I'll be getting it, but as you suggested Ratchet always has great replay value and each run has room for varied gameplay and gunplay, I don't see it this time.
→ More replies (6)18
u/No_Independence3441 Sep 10 '26
Not just that, it’s one of Sony’s lowest for a big budget, single player tentpole title!
91
u/Dealric Sep 10 '26
Remove all playstation related reviews like playstation universe and it will likely drop more around 6 out of 10.
→ More replies (6)30
→ More replies (44)52
u/AG_red Sep 10 '26
The web swinging carried Spiderman. The Arkham combat system Insomniac took is very outdated, the game just boils down to mashing attack with the occasional dodge from very obvious and direct visual cues.
→ More replies (10)
610
u/StuntZA Sep 10 '26
Was really sad when Sony announced their step back from PC-Steam releases, almost specifically for this game.
Now not so much anymore.
→ More replies (15)305
u/god_w Sep 10 '26
They thought people gonna give up PC and buy playstation for this. lol
→ More replies (14)156
u/roguesignal42069 Sep 10 '26
With Sony’s recent anti-gamer behavior, I plan to give up Playstafion and buy PC. Only thing I can do is vote with my wallet
Decades of goodwill destroyed in less than a year. Fuck you, greedy Sony fucks.
→ More replies (10)43
u/Kirb_02 Sep 10 '26
It's ALWAYS Sony (maybe Nintendo too) leading the charge for hating everyone but their own fans in gaming. I remember when Fortnite started cross platform it took months longer than it should've because PlayStation didn't want to.
→ More replies (1)
270
u/Bansheesdie Sep 10 '26
"You do not have to press buttons during quick time events. The game will do it for you."
Insomniac is so much better than that.
→ More replies (4)114
1.3k
u/wewillcu2morrownite Sep 10 '26
Shocking that the 9/10 comes from "Playstation Universe." Shocking, I tell you.
657
u/WrongLander Sep 10 '26
"I didn't think it was that great; until I was reminded of my contractual obligations, and now I feel like it's a 9/10."
→ More replies (10)51
35
u/notthatguypal6900 Sep 10 '26
Got to love the clickbait outlets who clearly are going for engagement over journalistic integrity. If your outlet has the name of a console maker in it, i know I won't get a honest take from you.
→ More replies (1)→ More replies (47)169
u/Electric-Lettuce Sep 10 '26
Basically all the non biased reviews are like 6/10 whereas the only good reviews are coming from PS accounts and fanboys lol
72
u/wewillcu2morrownite Sep 10 '26
Yeah it's wild. It kills me how tribalist Playstation fanboys have become. They are defending all of Playstation's terrible decisions and games while going after all the good things from Xbox and (especially) Nintendo.
→ More replies (20)
426
u/TriscuitCracker Sep 10 '26
Skillup was very brutal. Basically the game handholds and directs you so much it insults your intelligence.
172
u/baldy-84 Sep 10 '26
Bit of a trend in Sony games these days. Alloy would basically solve the puzzles for you in Forbidden West.
→ More replies (7)116
u/Cappahere Sep 10 '26
The Second GOW game would tell you the puzzles solution after about 3 minutes of trying to solve it.
11
u/Rotato-Potat0 Sep 11 '26
3 minutes is very generous. I would spin my camera around to see what I was working with and the fucking head was already telling me what to do
→ More replies (2)42
u/Ragdoll252 Sep 10 '26 edited Sep 10 '26
Yep, and if you tried to point this out you'd get yelled at. This has been a very obvious trend for Sony for about 6 years now. Now we're at the end point and on top of that the game doesn't have a good enough story or gameplay Loop. I think it's all connected, and that Sony's games have gotten consistently worse over the years because of this. Hell Ragnarok was a significant step down from the first one, in large part because of this trend.
→ More replies (2)→ More replies (23)24
u/Juan20455 Sep 10 '26
It has plenty of QTE that you don't even have to press any buttons if you don't feel like it
Like, what?
→ More replies (2)
1.2k
u/swat1611 PlayStation Sep 10 '26
Ouch, Sony are having a TERRIBLE 24 hours between these reviews and the Kojima decision
706
u/dbr3000 Sep 10 '26
24 hours? Try 2 months.
→ More replies (16)343
u/yeethan-02 Sep 10 '26
Try whole year tbh, right when they closed blue point it all went to shit
→ More replies (31)61
u/dbr3000 Sep 10 '26
It did really sound like Bluepoint had a lot of trouble pitching games to Sony that made sense. Except for the BloodBorne remake, which FromSoft denied.
→ More replies (7)169
u/Radiant-Character-61 Sep 10 '26
I'm watching Skill Up's video on Wolverine and it's worse than I thought. Hand-holdy UI, Combat not engaging, Patronizingly stupid game design and a passable story.
This makes X-men Origins Wolverine look like Devil May Cry 5
83
u/Truthforger Sep 10 '26
The real killer in that review for me, was the QuickTime events, that go crazy slow, and you still succeed without pressing a button. How in the world?
59
u/DerixZ Sep 10 '26
Saves money, no need to animate a failed QTE. Don't know if that's better or worse than treating players like idiots
38
u/Tike22 Sep 10 '26
I was literally thinking this like they didnt even want to animate the fail sequences which begs the question why even bother having a qte...
→ More replies (2)→ More replies (1)21
u/Radiant-Character-61 Sep 10 '26
Even telltale games have failed animations for their death scenes and their budgets probably a tenth of what Insomniac has
→ More replies (1)13
→ More replies (2)20
u/dejokerr Sep 10 '26
That shit was wild. If it was an all-ages game, sure. But a bloody, gory mature rated game? I felt angry after watching SkillUp's video; not at him though, but at the game itself. Man
10
u/scarytrafficcone Sep 10 '26
it really is tiresome as fuck that these games that are ostensibly aimed at adults with all the blood and killing and so on also treat people like idiots that have no ability to solve problems or overcome adversity of any kind
humans are great at those things and they need to be in order to survive. It's silly to make games with adult content that are then so patronizingly handholdy. Actually, its even silly to do that to kids. Kids are fucking GREAT at solving difficult puzzles, learning to do challenging things, etc. Have some faith in people
→ More replies (5)48
u/jmarFTL Sep 10 '26
The SkillUp review genuinely made me angry by the end lol.
Like it became clear it wasn't just a mediocre game, it's kind of like offensive in how stupid it thinks the player is.
→ More replies (1)9
u/Skaiiwalker Sep 10 '26
Fr I've been feeling this with a lot of AAA games lately but this looks like a bridge too far. I hope there's a genuine industry shift of design philosophy after this
→ More replies (77)17
u/Great-Independent807 Sep 10 '26
I'm uninformed what did kojima do?
8
u/Dealric Sep 10 '26
Basically sony and kojima split and xbox stepped in to further fund his next game. While reason isnt known its likely either disappointing sales of his last game combined with high costs or kojima trying to force physical edition despite playstation
→ More replies (5)43
u/Soul_Traitor Sep 10 '26
Death Stranding 2 sales amounted to 2 million. The estimated budget for it was between 150mil to 300mil.
At its best, it just broke even. At its worst, Sony lost 150mil.
ETA: since I didn't answer correctly, Sony dropped Kojima.
→ More replies (9)
141
u/Swimming-Ad-6842 Sep 10 '26
Two major things that can be pointed out as why mixed reviews.
The story isn’t that great
to be a narrative driven game.
Wolverine combat wise can get pretty repetitive fast with just clawing this and clawing that… compared to Spider-Man’s ability to fight, shoot webs, and use gadgets to mix things up.
→ More replies (4)103
u/Jase_the_Muss Sep 10 '26
Wolverine was primed for some Platinum style Metal Gear Rising combat with directional hacking and slashing and removing of limbs... not some painting by numbers auto lock auto jump button mashing.
→ More replies (1)27
u/Hoessay Sep 10 '26
when they said the game was going to be linear, I got excited because I thought that meant the combat was going to be the primary focus (MGR was the specific title i thought of)
152
u/Ecapp22 Sep 10 '26
Watch Skillups review. It’s actually hilarious, this game assumes the player has an average IQ lower than the games metacritic score 🤦♂️
→ More replies (6)
323
u/bean_dip317 Sep 10 '26
Skill Up DESTROYED this game
159
u/cahir11 Sep 10 '26
People go after him for being too nice to big studios ("Shill Up" and all that) but when he hates a game he really goes in on it. That Veilguard "every conversation sounds like HR is in the room" line is probably the most memorable piece of writing that game ever produced.
47
u/kymri Sep 10 '26
SkillUp is one of my favorite sources for reviews, specifically because while I don't always agree with him, I know what he's up to and even when I don't agree with his take, he's never dishonest -- different people just like different things.
But man, this review was brutal and disappointing -- in Insomniac, to be clear. However much Spider-Man might have been carried by webslinging, there was enough variety available to the player for skill expression that the combat was plenty of fun even if it wasn't the deepest or most complex ever.
16
u/VoldemortsHorcrux Sep 11 '26
Ralph is super eloquent in how he talks. Even on the friends per second podcast he talks really well without a script. I also disagree a lot and get annoyed with him at times. There was a recent podcast episode where there was a guest on, and that episode he disagrees with basically everyone constantly. It was exhausting. He disagrees a lot in normal episodes too. He's extremely opinionated and thats why he is a popular reviewer, along with his speaking style
→ More replies (1)→ More replies (1)8
41
u/MizmoDLX Sep 10 '26
You could tell he was seriously angry about this one at the end.
→ More replies (1)11
u/KingMario05 Sep 10 '26
Oh yeah. And not loud angry, either. Quiet angry. The kind he only reserves for the biggest disappointments around.
→ More replies (1)→ More replies (5)53
55
u/bhavsart Sep 10 '26
Hand holding, uninteresting combat, QuickTime events that literally don’t change if you do nothing?? This game isn’t even a bargain bin buy.
29
u/VeniceRapture Sep 10 '26
Sony really thought cutting games from PCs would make people buy PS5s for exclusives like this lol
→ More replies (1)
108
u/ChiefLeef22 Marika's tits! Sep 10 '26
Rough playthrough duration:
Main story: 12-15 hours
Platinum: 15-18 hours
82
u/Three_Froggy_Problem Sep 10 '26
15-18 hours for the platinum is kind of crazy, right? I really expected there to at least be some replayability to compensate for the linearity and short length.
→ More replies (3)40
→ More replies (28)27
u/whitemiketyson Sep 10 '26
I'm all for a shorter game over these 200 hour slogfests but a $70 title for at most, 18 hours is a tough pill to swallow.
→ More replies (3)
202
u/Malt129 Sep 10 '26
I hate that there was some weird war over this. I genuinely love the character and what Insomniac did with Spidey but from the moment I saw that extended gameplay walkthrough my excitement plummeted. I know others feel that way too but got treated like they're russian trolls or some other silly shit.
117
u/WonderAmesy PlayStation Sep 10 '26
I agree with you bro i felt like i was tweaking seeing generic gameplay hyped up online
80
→ More replies (1)15
u/ck1241 Sep 10 '26
I feel like I’ve been losing my mind the last few months with so many people are putting it as a shoe in for GOTY at the game awards. Since reveal it has looked exactly like a game that was going to land in the 70s score wise lol.
→ More replies (7)24
u/z4guy Sep 10 '26
Agreed. A lot of the action moments felt on-rails. Not free flowing like Arkham or Spider-Man. Hell gimme MGR:Revengeance but with claws and I’ll be happy
→ More replies (3)
79
u/ThisOneTimeAtLolCamp Sep 10 '26
it was only toward the back end of the game that I realized that you actually don't have to press any buttons during quicktime events. The game will automatically complete them for you, even if you don't press anything
Yikes.
→ More replies (1)
839
u/Lz537 Sep 10 '26
Smelled of mid from Miles away
285
u/PieceAffectionate999 Sep 10 '26
this game score will definitely not be good for Insomniac developer's Morales
→ More replies (7)50
53
u/FightTheDead118 Sep 10 '26
Saw this coming from the first combat trailer. The combat looks way too scripted and on rails. Like every person you kill in the game has an overly cinematic 5 second death scene, and you’re just pressing circle to watch Wolverine kill somebody. I can’t imagine that not getting tedious after a couple hours
→ More replies (4)→ More replies (25)48
24
u/TMPRKO Sep 10 '26
I think these reviews feel exactly like what I expected. Im a big marvel fan, I love the x-men and Wolverine is one of my favorite superheroes. I’m a lifelong gamer. All of this says this game should be in my wheelhouse, and despite that I never felt excited about it or drawn to it.
→ More replies (2)
296
190
Sep 10 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
198
u/krysis08 Sep 10 '26
and a "dont recommend" from Skillup
70
→ More replies (17)25
u/Romalien5 Sep 10 '26
This is the nail in the coffin for me. Oh well, There are plenty of good games this year
→ More replies (1)→ More replies (14)26
109
u/cakethecrazy Sep 10 '26
I had to follow a wolverine scent trail to get to this review thread
→ More replies (2)
107
381
u/TAS1808 Sep 10 '26
Enough of this shit. Back to Ratchet and Clank, please.
160
u/WrongLander Sep 10 '26
Please. Rift Apart is half a decade old already and Ratchet STILL hasn't found the fucking Lombaxes, a plot thread nearing its 20th birthday.
46
u/cubs223425 Sep 10 '26
plot thread nearing its 20th birthday
Ahh, so you'd like a remake?
→ More replies (8)→ More replies (4)36
u/NagsUkulele Sep 10 '26
Insomniac have shown time and time again they think their writing and storytelling methods in their new games are the tits with fries and in reality "they speak like their employers are listening" - Whitelight
23
u/Friendly-Leg-6694 Sep 10 '26
You have to wait another 5 years for that
42
u/FullOfKek Sep 10 '26
Lol my brother they're stuck on Marvel til the end of days
24
u/Redhood101101 Sep 10 '26
If their leaked timeline is true they are now the “Marvel developer” which is a shame.
→ More replies (4)→ More replies (13)12
410
84
u/lostinlucidity Sep 10 '26
Wait for the remaster, The Last of Wolverine Edition, it'll be much better.
→ More replies (2)
49
u/wonderingmarkus Sep 10 '26
Jeff Gerstmann - "It's five hours of ideas stretched across ten hours of video game."
Why did they make a Wolverine game centered around PARRIES!?
12
u/coolman747 Sep 10 '26
The short answer is that Sekiro was very popular so everyone thought that it was because it had a parry system and not how said system is used in the game. Spider-Man 2 also had a parry system even though the first game didn't.
12
12
u/CrustyAmoeba Sep 10 '26
The game plays itself.
Whats really funny is that the game is rated R 18 and yet it clearly expects the players to be children with zero brain computing ability.
36
33
u/PM_ME_UR__SECRETS Sep 10 '26 edited Sep 10 '26
Honestly I'm not surprised its getting mixed reception. Insomniac has always excelled when they get to explore a diverse move set. One of the biggest selling points of Ratchet and Clank games was always the array of weapons and gadgets.
Wolverine is a great character and I know games about him can and have been good. But this doesnt seem like the kind of character that would have benefitted from Insomniac's style. He really only does the one thing - the claws.
I think things would be a lot different if they had gone with someone like Ironman. Or hell, if they'd done a small team. Fantastic Four, or the Defenders or something.
This all said, the reviews I skimmed still seemed okay. Its not a bad game, by most of these reviews. Just kinda mid. And a good handful of people who really did seem to enjoy it. So I'll probably still get it eventually, when its on like a 20 or under sale or something.
→ More replies (12)14
u/Rohen2003 Sep 10 '26
the sad thing is the last wolverine game was from 2009 and that is already delisted. so this game being bad really sucks for those just wanting any ok wolverin game to play AT ALL.
→ More replies (3)
66
u/ajs723 Sep 10 '26
Wow. I would have bet money that this would at least be 8s across the board, even if it was mid.
Sounds like a huge whiff for Insomniac, which is something I never expected to type.
→ More replies (4)
144
u/Iggy_Slayer Sep 10 '26
So as expected there was no deep hidden sauce the game was hiding. Like I try to tell people, previews for modern games and modern advertising basically tells you all you need to know about a game. If a game isn't looking great on previews it very rarely salvages itself by the time it's out.
Everyone said the gameplay was shallow and repetitive and you had a lot of people refusing to listen and thinking it would get way better as the game went on. No, that's not how modern games work.
53
u/Redhood101101 Sep 10 '26
I could tell it was probably going to get repetitive pretty early on. It’s a hack and slash game with only one weapon choice.
→ More replies (4)15
u/SSAUS Sep 10 '26
I got bored watching the gameplay showcases lol. Knew then it probably wasn't going to be for me...
→ More replies (6)9
u/Dealric Sep 10 '26
When you see gameplay reveal and trailers always assumed its best game has to offer. At worst you will be positvely surprised and lose nothing
19
u/MrTreezx Sep 10 '26
Sounds like a game that would have been better suited for Santa Monica studios. If you're going to do a game that relies on big open areas in waves of enemies, then you better get someone that knows how to paint it with an immaculate brush of gameplay and immersion
→ More replies (1)
22
17
u/Ok_Wasabi_8318 Sep 10 '26
Sony is great at making these 3rd person solo games that all are effectively same game with different skins.
→ More replies (2)
8
8
u/syrup_cupcakes Sep 10 '26
"5/10 game but lets give it 8/10 because people will buy it no matter what we give it. And we don't want to tell people the game they bought isn't good because that will make them dislike us"
→ More replies (1)
28
u/dbtjr Sep 10 '26 edited Sep 10 '26
Christmas sale it is. Guess I’ll grab pragmata or 007 while it’s on sale on psn
→ More replies (6)
2.0k
u/[deleted] Sep 10 '26
[removed] — view removed comment