Marvel’s Wolverine May Be the Game Logan Fans Have Been Waiting For

Okay, bub — Wolverine is finally getting his claws into PlayStation 5, and Insomniac Games apparently understood the assignment.

After giving us Spider-Man, Insomniac is taking a much darker turn with Marvel’s Wolverine. And this is definitely not Peter Parker swinging through Manhattan cracking jokes.

This is Logan.

Angry. Damaged. Dangerous. And very, very hard to kill.

The big question has always been whether Insomniac could capture what makes Wolverine different from almost every other Marvel hero.

From what we've seen here, the answer looks like yes.

Liam McIntyre Sounds Like Wolverine

You can build the greatest Wolverine game ever made, but if Logan himself doesn't feel right, none of it works.

That makes Liam McIntyre one of the biggest pieces of this entire game.

And he seems to absolutely nail it.

McIntyre gives Logan that rough, growling attitude fans expect, especially when the claws come out. But Wolverine isn't interesting simply because he's angry.

There's pain underneath all that rage.

There's loyalty.

There's compassion.

There's decades of trauma that Logan would probably rather punch through a wall than talk about.

McIntyre apparently understands all of it.

That's what could make his version of Wolverine special. He isn't simply playing the unstoppable mutant who slices through bad guys.

He's playing the man underneath the adamantium.

And if his performance lands the way it appears to, we could be looking at one of those superhero voices fans eventually associate permanently with the character.

Think Kevin Conroy with Batman.

Think Yuri Lowenthal with Spider-Man.

Liam McIntyre may have a shot at joining that conversation.

Wolverine Is Finally Allowed to Be Wolverine

Here's where things get fun.

Insomniac isn't pretending Wolverine fights like Spider-Man.

This game is violent.

Really violent.

When Logan loses control, enemies aren't getting politely knocked unconscious and webbed to a wall.

Wolverine tears through them.

The game embraces the almost animalistic side of the character, particularly when combat begins. That's important because Wolverine should feel dangerous even when you're controlling him.

He's basically a predator with an adamantium skeleton, enhanced senses, claws and a healing factor.

Why wouldn't he fight like one?

Interestingly, that idea also makes the game's stealth mechanics make more sense.

Wolverine isn't exactly Solid Snake hiding because he's afraid someone might see him.

He's hunting.

He's stalking enemies.

He's figuring out where they are before attacking.

And if stealth isn't your thing?

Fine.

Kick in the door and start popping claws.

That's Wolverine too.

But How Do You Make Wolverine Feel Vulnerable?

Here's one of the hardest problems with making a Wolverine video game:

How do you threaten a guy who heals from almost everything?

Insomniac's answer appears to be pretty smart.

The game isn't necessarily about whether Logan gets hurt.

He's going to get hurt.

A lot.

It's about the fact that every time somebody knocks Wolverine down, he gets back up even angrier.

That may actually be the perfect way to turn his healing factor into gameplay.

Wolverine's superpower isn't simply healing.

It's persistence.

You can shoot him.

Beat him.

Throw him through something.

And Logan keeps coming.

That's terrifying if you're standing on the other side of those claws.

This Isn't Just Another X-Men Story

Another interesting choice is that Insomniac isn't simply giving us the X-Men story we've already seen a hundred times.

Instead, the game digs into Team X, pushing Logan into a much darker and morally complicated corner of the Marvel Universe.

That immediately separates the game from a traditional superhero adventure.

And Insomniac apparently takes some pretty big swings with familiar Marvel characters, including Jean Grey and Nathaniel Essex.

Not every storytelling decision works perfectly.

The game's second act reportedly slows down and can feel somewhat disconnected from everything surrounding it.

That's potentially a bigger problem in a linear game because there's nowhere else to go when the main story loses momentum.

But if that's one of the game's biggest weaknesses, I can live with a few slow chapters if the rest delivers.

And Yes — There Are Wolverine Costumes

Come on.

You knew Insomniac wasn't making a Wolverine game without opening Logan's closet.

Players can apparently craft multiple suits inspired by different eras of Wolverine's history.

And Wolverine has had some looks.

The classic yellow and blue.

Brown and tan.

Different comic interpretations.

Different eras.

Different levels of questionable fashion choices.

For longtime Marvel fans, discovering those costumes is going to be half the fun.

Insomniac also packs the game with Easter eggs, references and collectibles that reward people who know Logan's history.

But there's one feature that really has my attention.

Nightmare Doors Could Be One of the Game's Best Ideas

Throughout the game, players can discover optional missions called Nightmare Doors.

And these don't sound like meaningless side quests designed just to stretch the game's runtime.

They dig into Wolverine's past.

That's perfect for Logan because his memory has always been one of the most fascinating parts of the character.

Wolverine has spent years trying to understand which pieces of his past are real, which were manipulated and which he would probably rather forget completely.

Nightmare Doors apparently explore some of that territory while also providing some of Liam McIntyre's strongest performance moments.

So technically they're optional.

But come on.

We're nerds.

We're opening every door.

Insomniac May Have Another Marvel Winner

This is what excites me most about Marvel's Wolverine.

Insomniac doesn't appear to be making Spider-Man with claws.

They're making Wolverine.

The brutality is there.

The attitude is there.

The trauma is there.

The Marvel history is there.

And underneath all of it appears to be an understanding that Logan isn't fascinating because he's nearly impossible to kill.

He's fascinating because of everything he's survived.

That's Wolverine.

And if Insomniac really sticks the landing, Marvel's Wolverine could become more than another good superhero game.

It could become the Wolverine game fans have been waiting decades to play.

Marvel's Wolverine releases September 15 for PlayStation 5.

And yeah…

Your Nerd Side definitely has its claws out for this one.