Gabriel Stanford-ReisingerI’ve come to appreciate modern superhero games. Classic hero games were so much more hit or miss than their modern counterparts, similar to movies adapted from video games — there’s something there that doesn’t always capture the essence of what it means to be a superhero.
Of course, there are always stinkers out there that simply don’t feel as good to play as they really should. In retrospect, I was way too generous with Gotham Knights, and if I were to do it over, I’d probably have given it a much lower score. Meanwhile, Iron Man, while new for the time, was absolutely a boring slog.
On the flip side, there are the games I adore in the genre. While I haven’t played it in such a long time, I fondly remember Ultimate Spider-Man. Its pleasing comic book visuals, iconic villains, and well-put-together story made it stand out, to me. Meanwhile, in modern times, we have the just released Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, which hits just about every mark for a true superhero fan. So… what the hell’s up with Wolverine?
What Up With Wolverine
In case you’ve lived under a rock, during the same event that led to the reveal of Spider-Man 2 in 2021, Insomniac Games announced Marvel’s Wolverine with a sizzle trailer that gave us absolutely nothing. I kind of just watched it and shrugged it off cause — at the time — I wasn’t greatly invested in Insomniac’s latest works. After playing Spider-Man 2, though, it’s got my mind racing in what type of game Wolverine will be.
We know the general sizzle stuff like focusing on Wolverine and being a “full size” game with a “mature tone,” which probably means that it’s a lot more gritty than everyone’s favorite webslinger. We also know that it’s going to offer “cutting-edge gameplay,” whatever that means.
We don’t know if it’s gonna be an open world, how you’ll traverse said world, or what the broader story is. If I had to guess, it’s probably just an origin tale packaged into a test game — if it goes well, then Insomniac will probably work on Spider-Man 3 and then Wolverine 2.
Feels like Elder Scrolls All Over Again
At this point, I’m just left to assume it’s a linear narrative until further notice, as Weapon X just doesn’t have any powers that could lead to a clean open world, which at this point, Insomniac needs to really amp up its storytelling and other aspects to make up for what it’s conditioned players with — open world superhero games with strong narratives.
Quite frankly, it feels like Insomniac isn’t completely sure, either. I wouldn’t be surprised if, at the turn of the year, Marvel’s Wolverine will still have nothing but that sizzle trailer that people freaked out over.
Don’t get me wrong, it can be an epic experience, and with Insomniac at the helm, assuming it can pull similar magic that its Spidey games have, it could be the next big blockbuster for Sony.
I just fear that Sony pushed the Burbank-based dev to reveal its cards too soon. I’m probably crazy, but hey, aren’t we all a little wary of new superhero games?