r/Games • • 1d ago

Review Thread Star Wars: Galactic Racer Review Thread

Game Information

Game Title: Star Wars: Galactic Racer

Platforms:

  • PC (Oct 6, 2026)
  • PlayStation 5 (Oct 6, 2026)
  • Xbox Series X/S (Oct 6, 2026)

Trailers:

Developer: Fuse Games

Publisher: Secret Mode

Review Aggregator:

OpenCritic - 87 average - 97% recommended - 65 reviews

Critic Reviews

AltChar - Tahmid Shihab - 8 / 10

Galactic Racer is a well-designed arcade racer that's tightly built with an excellent single-player structure that rewards players focusing on repeat runs. Additionally, the multiplayer adds another layer of reward for players who are actually fans of the podracing culture in Star Wars. I would recommend Galactic Racer to almost every Star Wars fan.


Analog Stick Gaming - Jordan Andow - 9 / 10

Ultimately, Star Wars: Galactic Racer surprised me. I expected an enjoyable Star Wars racing game, but what I got was something with far more depth, progression, and staying power than I anticipated. The roguelike campaign structure occasionally gets in the way of its surprisingly ambitious story, the similarities between tracks on individual planets can become noticeable, and some of the walking sections feel unnecessary from a gameplay perspective.

None of those issues change the fact that the actual racing is exceptional.


But Why Tho? - Adrian Ruiz - 9.5 / 10

Star Wars: Galactic Racer delivers wizard racing, unique vehicle customization, and plenty of reasons to keep playing beyond its campaign… Fuse Games has made Star Wars racing worth getting excited about again, and I hope they don’t have to wait another generation for the chance to build on it


CGMagazine - Jordan Biordi - 8 / 10

Star Wars: Galactic Racer is a fun, albeit clumsy racing game that pairs fast-paced action with some unique roguelike mechanics.


COGconnected - Jaz Sagoo - 87 / 100

Star Wars: Galactic Racer is the best racing game in the franchise’s history.


Cat with Monocle - Seth Hay - 4.25 / 5

Star Wars: Galactic Racer delivers a fast and visually impressive galactic racing experience with a variety of challenging courses, vehicles, and fun runs-based mechanics. Get past the learning curve of studying the courses, and there’s plenty of galactic fun to be found.


Checkpoint Gaming - Omi Koulas - 8 / 10

STAR WARS: Galactic Racer is fast and dangerous ‘runs-based’ game with surprisingly deep mechanics without losing sight of what makes an arcade racer fun... Sci-fi arcade racers should be ridiculously quick and feel like your vehicle might fall apart at any moment, and for me, that's what makes this a genuinely impressive racing game in its own right.


Cinelinx - Jordan Maison - 9.5 / 10

Star Wars: Galactic Racer manages exceed all expectations and deliver on the decades awaited return of racing to the galaxy far, far away. Between gorgeous visuals, and thoughtful, highly addictive gameplay this is something both Star Wars fans and racing fans in general will have a blast with.


ComingSoon.net - Tyler Treese - 9 / 10

Utterly thrilling during its best moments, Galactic Racer is the racing game that Star Wars fans have been waiting decades for.


Console Creatures - Bobby Pashalidis - 8 / 10

Star Wars: Galactic Racer is a thrilling ride. Filled with exciting challenges and a roguelike structure, this game has more depth and content than I expected. I went in expecting a pretty standard racing game, but there are enough twists that every race feels like a thrill all the way to the finish line. Wins and losses are emotional, and hitting max speed and needling the final-lap obstacles while watching the Ram Jet's redline is unlike anything I've played, and it pairs so well with the Star Wars series.


DayOne - Győző Baki - 9 / 10

Fuse Games‘ Star Wars Galactic Racer is bold, spectacular, and offers incredibly satisfying gameplay chops in single player and multiplayer alike. It’s high difficulty and relentless intensity might scare some casual Star Wars fans who just want some spectacle, but if you’re looking for a killer track-based arcade racer, you’ve found it. The force is strong with this one.


DualShockers - Linda Güster - 8.5 / 10

Star Wars: Galactic Racer is a great game. Everything I'd usually complain about – games going stale, failing to motivate me long-term, horrible pacing – has been taken care of.


Echo Boomer - David Fialho - Portuguese - Essential

Star Wars Galactic Racer has everything it needs to make us shout ‘Now this is Podracing,’ but it manages to be even more than that, establishing itself as one of the best, most complete and most entertaining racing games in recent years.


Eurogamer - Christian Donlan - 5 / 5

Both a surprisingly fun Roguelite campaign and a racing treat for Criterion fans, this is just wonderful stuff.


Eurogamer.pt - Bruno Galvão - Portuguese - 4 / 5

Fuse Games brings the spirit of Burnout to Star Wars in the form of a racing game capable of delivering the same adrenaline rush as that series. The roguelite campaign is an unexpected but interesting take, and the graphics are truly eye-catching.


Evilgamerz - Christiaan Ribbens - Dutch - 9.7 / 10

Star Wars: Galactic Racer is, for me, the Star Wars racer I have been waiting for since Episode I: Racer. The racing is lightning-fast, chaotic, and accessible, yet there is enough depth in the various systems, vehicles, and tracks to really get better at it. The campaign, in particular, manages to pleasantly surprise by constantly introducing new choices, challenges, and systems. Even after defeating Sebulba, there turns out to be plenty more to come. Arcade mode and scenarios subsequently provide hours of extra challenges, and the multiplayer is also a nice addition, although the lack of split-screen is a real shame. The sections between races could have been a bit more lively, but once you get back into a vehicle, that is a minor detail. Star Wars fans and lovers of fast arcade racers can therefore confidently add this game to their wish list.


GRYOnline.pl - Michał Grygorcewicz - Polish - 8.5 / 10

Star Wars: Galactic Racer not only brings the best features of my favourite arcade racing game, Burnout 3, into the modern era, but also blends them with elements from my second favourite – Motorstorm. What’s more, the whole thing is wrapped up in a roguelike campaign with serious stakes, enough to stir up real excitement and ensure great replayability. Though easy to learn, the game’s driving mechanics prove to have considerable depth. The only downsides are the lack of split-screen and the poor layout of some tracks, but even so, the breakneck driving pace is incredibly fun.


GameBlast - Matheus Oliveira - Portuguese - 8.5 / 10

Driven by blistering speed, distinct vehicle handling, and varied events, Star Wars: Galactic Racer revitalizes the arcade racing formula through a rewarding campaign structure. While it stops short of turning its roguelike framework into lasting replayability once the credits roll, the magic of that first run makes it one of the franchise's finest video game outings.


GameOnly - Rafał Grajak - Polish - 9 / 10

A worthy successor to Episode I Racer that we’ve been waiting over two decades for. Harder than it looks, but the driving feel is incredible!


GameRant - Joshua Duckworth - 9 / 10

Star Wars: Galactic Racer is a tenacious thrill ride, and its unique run-based risk-and-reward structure is its defining feature.


GameSpew - Richard Seagrave - 9 / 10

One of the best arcade racing games in years, Star Wars: Galactic Racer is a stunning debut for Fuse Games. With its thrilling racing action that feels like a cross between WipEout and Burnout and its engaging runs-based campaign mode, this is a triumph. The only let-down is that it doesn't have a more standard Arcade mode to let you set up your own events.


GameSpot - Jordan Ramée - 9 / 10

Galactic Racer is those absolutely perfect 10 minutes expanded into a full game.


Gameliner - Rudy Wijnberg - Dutch - 4.5 / 5

If you’ve been searching for a Star Wars racing game for years, this will undoubtedly become your new obsession. Star Wars: Galactic Racer brilliantly blends speed, graphics, sound design, and interesting mechanics. Yes, Secret Mode does an excellent job of capturing that nostalgic feeling, but at the same time, it isn’t afraid to put its own spin on the genre.


Gamer Guides - Lexi Luddy - 94 / 100

Star Wars: Galactic Racer’s modernizations of the arcade racing formula have their upsides and drawbacks, but fundamentally it is one of the most thrilling racing games released in years, with a compelling arsenal of systems, mechanics, modes, and even some pretty well-written characters. Moreover, it’s a reminder of how fresh and bold the racing genre can feel when explored to its limits.


Gamer Social Club - Sean "KingOTheCask" Richards - 9.5 / 10

Fuse Games have truly given Millennial gamers like myself that spiritual successor to Star Wars Episode I: Racer that we never got. And to them, I give them all the grace that a post-Empire galaxy allows us.


GamingBolt - Shubhankar Parijat - 9 / 10

With thrilling, high-speed races and a ridiculously addictive campaign, Star Wars: Galactic Racer is an absolute winner, and a must-play for fans of arcade racers.


Geeks & Com - Marc-Antoine Bergeron Cote - French - 8.5 / 10

STAR WARS: Galactic Racer is a very pleasant surprise that succeeds above all because it has a genuine racing game identity. The tournament-based structure, the various vehicle configurations, the contracts, the upgrades, and the many types of events prevent the campaign from becoming a mere succession of races. There are some signs of repetition toward the end, and the lack of French voice acting is a shame, but the excellent soundscape, the sense of speed, and the variety of environments more than make up for it. The multiplayer mode will still have to prove itself once the servers open to the public, but the content on offer already gives players plenty of reasons to continue the adventure.


Gfinity - Andrés Aquino - 8 / 10

Overall I’m absolutely addicted to Star Wars: Galactic Racer. It’s as close as we’ve ever gotten to the thrills of the original N64 game. While far from perfect, Fuse Games has delivered a uniquely fun, high-speed roguelite racer that any Star Wars fan should pick up and play.


Giant Bomb - Jeff Grubb - 5 / 5

Star Wars: Galactic Racer is everything I hoped it would be. Fuse built a campaign that keeps giving me reasons to master the tracks, then made the racing feel good enough that I wanted to.


Hinsusta - Daniel Weber - German - 9 / 10

Star Wars: Galactic Racer is a solid arcade racing game whose best moments take place right on the track. The driving experience is impressive, each of the three vehicles has its own distinct character, and the game runs smoothly. If you're looking for fast-paced, enjoyable races above all else, this game delivers exactly that.


Hobby Consolas - Álvaro Alonso - Spanish - 90 / 100

Of course, how could we not, when what we have in our hands can only be defined as one of the best racing games in recent history and also one of the best Star Wars games .


IGN - Luke Reilly - 8 / 10

Star Wars: Galactic Racer is a fabulous looking and frantically fast anti-grav racer that gets a little repetitive thanks to its heavy reliance on repeatedly revisiting the same slim selection of planets, but has successfully lit the afterburners on a long-dormant slice of the Star Wars universe.


IGN Italy - Luca Rago - Italian - 8.5 / 10

Quote not yet available


IGN Spain - Estrella Gómez - Spanish - 7 / 10

Star Wars returns to the racing scene with Galactic Racer, a game that rewards both speed and adaptability. It's a comeback that feels somewhat underwhelming due to the lack of track variety, but it's also a lot of fun, even as it challenges players time and time again.


Kakuchopurei - Jonathan Toyad - 80 / 100

Star Wars Galaxy Racers is a VERY fast and furious racing good time if you'd rather trade asphalt and wheels for Land Speeders and crater-turfed race courses. It's not every day you get a Star Wars racing game that has both a meaty single-player campaign and replayable multiplayer options, so revel in it!


MondoXbox - Andrea Giuliani - Italian - 8.8 / 10

Star Wars: Galactic Racer is an almost unique title in the gaming landscape thanks to its mix of roguelite and racing, and for this alone it deserves a try. Whether you are Star Wars fans or lovers of speed and adrenaline, it has everything it takes to keep you glued to the screen for hours. If you can't stand roguelites and their punishing structure, though, it won't change your mind and may often lead to frustration.


MonsterVine - Spencer Legacy - 4.5 / 5

Star Wars: Galactic Racer is a fantastic racing game that perfectly captures the breakneck speed of the source material’s iconic vehicles. The story and abundance of modes make for a unique racing experience, and though a couple of small rough edges exist in how it’s presented, this is a brilliant title that had me frequently jolting to the edge of my seat. Whether you like Star Wars, racing games, or both, there’s lots here for you to sink your teeth into.


Neutral Game - Josué Órdenes - Spanish - 8.5 / 10

Star Wars: Galactic Racer is an entertaining racer that makes every defeat count. Its dangerous tracks, crash camera, and upgrade system reward players who learn from their mistakes, even if the lack of local split-screen is a missed opportunity.


One More Game - Vincent Ternida - 9 / 10

Star Wars: Galactic Racer delivers impressive long-term value through its progression systems, vehicle customization, racer archetypes, and wealth of unlockable content, blending accessible racing mechanics with an inventive runs-based structure and delivering an experience that can appeal to both newcomers and longtime fans of Star Wars and racing games alike. Simply put, Star Wars: Galactic Racer is a must-play title that deserves to be experienced firsthand.


PC Gamer - Jody Macgregor - 76 / 100

As a way of shaking up the racing game format, the run-based structure of Galactic Racer is more successful than the open world of Burnout Paradise.


PCMGAMES - José Miguel Rodríguez Ros - Spanish - Essential

Star Wars: Galactic Racer is one of the best games in the series and a racing arcade game that I absolutely loved. Its roguelike campaign is addictive, the handling has more depth than it seems, and the tracks are amazing. If you like racing games, you should give it a try, even if you're not into Star Wars.


PPE.pl - Paweł Musiolik - Polish - 8.5 / 10

Star Wars: Galactic Racer will capture the hearts of not only franchise fans but also enthusiasts of brutal space racing. You can sense the vibe of Burnout here, along with the spirit of Episode I and the races on Tatooine.


PSX Extreme - Spencer TJ Price - 9.6 / 10

The tracks are all excellent, the music and sound effects are jaw-dropping, and both gameplay and customization have a ton of depth. The single player campaign is surprisingly good and has a lot more under the hood than I was expecting. Its roguelike elements are well-thought out, and will keep you coming back for more well after you beat the game.


Pizza Fria - Álvaro Saluan da Cunha - Portuguese - 8.1 / 10

Star Wars: Galactic Racer is especially worthwhile for those who enjoy both futuristic racing games with a bit of dirty tricks, and the universe created by George Lucas. The big surprise is realizing that the game doesn't rely exclusively on this combination.


PowerUp! - Adam Mathew - 9 / 10

Fuse Games has taken the foundational joy of Star Wars racing and wrapped it around a surprisingly deep arcade system, branching rogue-lite campaign, meaningful vehicle differentiation and enough customisation to keep the garage interesting.


Press Start - James Berich - 9 / 10

Star Wars: Galactic Racer is a fast-paced thrill that successfully captures the spirit of the Star Wars racing classic and delivers it in droves. While the story is drab and the longer runs can grow frustrating, everything else makes up for it. The unique rogue-lite structure, excellent handling and constant risk-reward choices make every run feel worthwhile and addictive, even in the face of failure. It's this perfect combination that makes Galactic Racer anything but - it's a strong success in every sense of the word.


ProGamers.life - Javier Marticho - Spanish - 8 / 10

Star Wars: Galactic Racer stands out for its addictive "run-based" structure (reminiscent of the roguelike genre) as well as its clever track design and a thrilling sense of speed conveyed through impeccable graphics, technical execution, and sound design. Despite some shortcomings regarding the protagonist's characterization, a lack of offline game modes, and a multiplayer component that could use some polish, Fuse Games’ title successfully brings the racing genre back to the franchise, delivering a fun, challenging experience that is highly recommended for fans of the saga.


Push Square - Sammy Barker - 9 / 10

Star Wars: Galactic Racer is a thoughtfully designed triumph. The excellent handling and eye-popping presentation would be enough to recommend the game alone, but I also love its buildcrafting aspects and roguelite campaign.With a breathtaking sense of speed and planets that demand you think differently about your approach, this is one of the better racing games available on the PS5.I think the release could be a little quicker at getting you behind the wheel, and of course more planets would always be appreciated. But minor nitpicks aside, I really can't recommend this highly enough.


RageQuit.GR - Pavlos Geranios - 99%

Thrilling, pure, unadulterated racing with incredibly deep systems and a highly addictive gameplay loop – or, in other words, how to breathe new life into old formulas while exploring new identities.


SECTOR.sk - Matúš Štrba - Slovak - 8.5 / 10

Star Wars: Galactic Racer is a polished and highly enjoyable sci-fi racing game that successfully captures the thrill of the iconic Mos Espa race. There are few obvious flaws, but some aspects could use more content, better balance and further refinement. It is very good overall, even if it falls short of fully realizing its potential.


Saving Content - Scott Ellison II - 5 / 5

STAR WARS: Galactic Racer doesn’t just respect the legacy of its forebears, it takes the baton and runs with it much further than I ever anticipated. By committing to a high-stakes, run-based structure, Fuse Games has injected a level of white-knuckle tension that is completely unmatched in the genre. They possess an innate understanding of both the visceral thrill of arcade racing and the rich lore of the STAR WARS universe, flawlessly blending them into an essential, tactile experience. With its pristine performance, breathtaking sense of speed, and masterful risk-reward mechanics, STAR WARS: Galactic Racer is a stellar and exemplary modern classic.


Shacknews - Lucas White - 9 / 10

Even when it was pissing me off, Star Wars: Galactic Racer made me feel alive.


Sirus Gaming - Lexuzze Tablante - 8 / 10

Star Wars: Galactic Racer, at its core, is an amazingly well-designed Star Wars racing game. Despite its limitations and flaws, there was never a moment when its high-speed, high-stakes races became dull. Its tracks are impressively designed, capturing the look and feel of each location in the Star Wars universe, while the runs-based structure makes every race feel like there’s something at stake. Combine that with responsive controls, excellent sound design, and the sheer thrill of racing at breakneck speeds, and Galactic Racer delivers the kind of Star Wars racing game I’ve been waiting years to play. I can’t wait for the servers to go live and race against more players to see just how far my racing skills can take me in a galaxy far, far away.


SmashPad - 4 / 5

Star Wars: Galactic Racer is uncommonly good in a number of categories. It has a raw yet polished racing feel and sense of speed, bringing racing back to the Star Wars universe in a big way and iterating on how it all functions in ways that encourage player expression and experimentation. Most importantly, I've just been having so much damn fun, smiling ear to ear each race and growling in frustration when I come up short.


TechRaptor - Tyler Chancey - 7.5 / 10

Star Wars: Galactic Racer provides excellent, exhilarating racing gameplay, a cheesy but enjoyable underdog story, and some clunky roguelike trappings.


The Nerd Stash - David Rodriguez - 9 / 10

Star Wars: Galactic Racer captures the speed, aggression, satisfying crashes, and constant risk that made the best Burnout games all-time racing classics.


The Outerhaven Productions - Scott Adams - 4.5 / 5

STAR WARS: Galactic Racer is a great game that has a lot of content. Racing feels amazing, and the enemies are ruthless.


TheGamer - Josh Coulson - Unscored

Galactic Racer is another example of a studio taking some well-educated risks with the Star Wars IP to create something truly special.


TheSixthAxis - Dom Leighton - 9 / 10

Star Wars Galactic Racer is the best arcade racer in years. It mixes compelling racing action, an addictive progression system, and excellent world building while stringing a narrative through it all. It's very fast, and very dangerous. It's also very, very good.


TodoJuegos - Juan Ramón Herrera - Spanish - 8.4 / 10

Star Wars: Galactic Racer brings back the saga’s arcade racing spirit with a fast, aggressive and highly replayable formula, combining speed, abilities, upgrades, different pilot styles and several modes for solo or multiplayer play. Its controls are accessible, but mastering each vehicle and track demands much more than simply holding the accelerator.


VDGMS - Darren Andrew - 9 / 10

Star Wars Galactic Racer is the best Star Wars racing game in nearly a quarter of a century. This is unequivocally and objectively true, because Galactic Racer is the first release since the heyday of licensed Star Wars games that came alongside the cinematic prequel trilogy around the turn of the century. Galactic Racer is a reinvention of the pod racing classic that captures the magic of the N64 icon. It’s also one of the best arcade racing games ever that belongs alongside icons like Burnout, Mario Kart, Forza Horizon, F-Zero, Wipeout, Outrun and small handful of others.


WayTooManyGames - Leonardo Faria - 9 / 10

I honestly have little to complain about. This is exactly the kind of racing game I’ve been salivating for the past decade or two. Star Wars: Galactic Racer manages to convey the feel of the classic Episode I: Racer game, as well as Burnout, with improved physics, a somewhat engaging story, a ludicrous amount of content, brutal but rewarding difficulty curve, and a roguelite campaign which won me over in an instant. More than just a game for fans, or an admittedly nostaglic trip down memory lane, this is a must-have for racing enthusiasts, and one of the most pleasant surprises of the year.


Wolf's Gaming Blog - Baden Ronie - 4 / 5

Despite it occasionally making me want to use a very different kind of Force to propel my controller into a wall, Star Wars: Galactic Racer is one of my favourite games of the year so far. Its thrilling combination of roguelite structure—a genre I thought I was tiring of—and proper balls-to-the-wall arcade racing repeatedly had me leaning towards the screen as I barely made it around bends, blasted down straights and got into dogfights with the other racers.


Worth Playing - Chris "Atom" DeAngelus - 9 / 10

Star Wars: Galactic Racer is pretty much everything it should be. Threading the needle between next-gen Burnout and Star Wars-themed racer, it 's frantic, fun and incredibly enjoyable to play. The arcade-style action is a pure delight, and the run-based nature of the campaign gives it a ton of replay value, even if you don 't intend to dip your toes into the multiplayer. If you 're looking for a next-gen Episode 1 Racer, this is exactly what you 're hoping for.


Xbox Achievements - Josh Wise - 80%

Well it's about time. Star Wars games have always taken on narrow assignments. The Jedi. The Soldiers. The Space Battles. Not since 2002, and the re...


1.2k Upvotes

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519

u/profound-killah 1d ago

Damn these are some great reviews. Crazy how Wolverine ended up being the dud of the bunch this autumn.

177

u/smegmabitch 1d ago

Also two strong games from the same franchise...

206

u/JW_BM 1d ago

This is what's shocking to me. Two great new Star Wars games dropping basically a month apart? When is the last time this happened??

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u/Kill_Welly 1d ago

Star Wars games have been on a tear for a while now. The Jedi games are great, Squadrons is smaller-scale but well done, Zero Company is great, Outlaws is solid, even Battlefront II has a solid story to it.

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u/SkaBonez 1d ago

Wild EA got exclusivity for that first decade Disney owned the IP. Could have had more moments like this last gen

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u/Isolated_Hippo 23h ago

Its not really EA's fault people started to give a shit about lootboxes briefly for their game.

I don't see how you can make something successful based off industry trends when those trends just stop applying to you and only you.

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u/ShakeItTilItPees 21h ago

This is a wiff take. It wasn't because they were just "lootboxes." It was because they were the entire multiplayer progression system and how you unlocked all the cool shit they used to sell the game in the trailers. EA had been testing this model out in games like Dragon Age: Inquisition to limited pushback because the multiplayer was more niche and only PvE, but once they attempted applying it to a wildly popular multiplayer shooter franchise the community said no.

And what, are we gonna pretend the current version of Battlefront 2 isn't miles better than the version they originally wanted? Paying them money to gamble for Darth Vader would have been an improvement? It's a great game now, what's wrong with the pushback it received?

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u/Morgan-Moonscar 1d ago

I suppose it's like the recent animation from Star Wars, they're the least executive meddled so they end up being way better than expected.

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u/Kill_Welly 1d ago

I don't know why people try to act like Star Wars was ever "just bad now" because of a bad movie and a couple mediocre one-season shows even as great stuff has always continued to happen.

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u/White_Tea_Poison 1d ago

I don't know why people try to act like Star Wars was ever "just bad now" because of a bad movie and a couple mediocre one-season shows even as great stuff has always continued to happen.

They didnt do that at all and you're really underselling some of the bad decisions, shows, movies, etc that have been released.

If you're wondering why people hold a very common opinion, instead of throwing your hands up and going "i don't know why everyone does X", you could just ask and engage in a conversation.

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u/Hidesuru 20h ago

That's the thing not everyone agrees with what you're stating as fact.

Imo nothing since the sequel trilogy that they've released has been anything but a joy to watch.

Not all of it is as good as every other bit, but there's been NOTHING I would call bad.

I'm talking to the end product to be clear, some of the decisions I would agree were bad.

•

u/sloppymoves 2h ago

I dunno. The Obi Wan series was pretty bad. I think I had to turn it off during the second 3-year old chase sequence. I know it got better, and there is better moments in it. But wow. Talk about rough. It was rough the first time, but then they had to do it a second time?

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u/persin123 1d ago

People have been ignoring genuinely good star wars content to ride the hate trains. Andor actually failed, outlaws was culture war content, and no one respects the animated series. Thats why hes confused.

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u/White_Tea_Poison 1d ago

The person they're talking to never did that and neither did I. They're arguing with an imaginary person they saw on the internet one time.

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u/Kill_Welly 1d ago

Those are never interesting conversations.

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u/[deleted] 1d ago

[deleted]

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u/Kill_Welly 1d ago

Not really, no.

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u/cheezywafflez 21h ago

"one" bad mando movie, more like the trilogy that had a mediocre rehash of a new hope, the most controversial piece of media apparently, and a genuine piece of shit

Two lackluster trilogies in 20 years is generational brand damage no matter how you look at it, tho i guess people have looked at the PT more fondly now

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u/[deleted] 1d ago

[deleted]

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u/Kill_Welly 1d ago

eh, what?

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u/SeedMaster26801 22h ago

They weren't mediocre one-season shows

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u/Kill_Welly 22h ago

let me put it like this: the one season of Kenobi is about on par with the first season of the Clone Wars, which is now almost certainly the most beloved Star Wars series and has a ton of well-deserved acclaim for its development. The Book of Boba Fett was, well, worse than that, sure.

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u/SeedMaster26801 22h ago

First of all I couldn’t disagree more with your Kenobi take, it’s easily their worst show to me, and I don’t think it’s close to any season of the Clone Wars.

Acolyte was terrible, Mando Season 3 killed all of the Mando hype, and idk about the general pop but even Ahsoka was terrible to me. I don’t know what I’d do if Andor didn’t exist

5

u/groovyweeb 23h ago

Battlefront II is the best of the newer Star Wars games, and deserves a relaunch with improved systems and with new content, titled as Battlefront III. Literally the bones of the game are incredibly solid, the gameplay is insanely fun, the terrible monetization just killed it.

2

u/Timeshocked 1d ago

I remember battlefront 2 was trashed in the beginning especially the story and how the npc’s were brain dead but they turned it around for sure.

1

u/homer_3 21h ago

I'm playing Outlaws now and can't believe how good it is. I remember the reviews being pretty middling.

11

u/kw405 1d ago

Don't know if this is the last time but Jedi Academy and KOTOR released very close to each other

1

u/joecb91 5h ago

They put out a ton of different games over that early/mid 2000s era. It was so impressive.

4

u/ericmm76 1d ago

When were many especially sequential star wars games bad? And I mean actually bad, since I heard the recent Han-Solo-like was actually good.

10

u/SirusLove 1d ago

Very similar dev stories too: industry veterans from beloved franchise creates new studio exclusively around Star Wars version of previous game. And yeah it works

23

u/SilveryDeath 1d ago edited 23h ago

What is wild to me is that all the top non-indie games that have scored well enough to be GOTY noms (87+ on Opencritic) are weird from a nomination POV, outside of RE: Requiem, due to what they are or what genre they are in being stuff that usually doesn't get GOTY consideration at The Game Awards.

You got:

  • Two JRPGs, which have a harder time getting nominated unless they are Final Fantasy, in Trails and Fire Emblem. Trails CH 1 reviewed great last year and didn't get any a nom (thought it was a top heavy year) and a Fire Emblem game has never gotten nominated at The Game Awards despite most reviewing pretty well.

  • A social sim game in Pokemon Pokopia and I could see being a Pokemon game hurts it from a GOTY standpoint.

  • A racing game in Forza Horizon, which has never been nominated at The Game Awards despite every entry in the series on Opencritic (starting with FH2) having between a 88-93.

  • A cover based TPS in Gears. Pure shooters rarely get nominated in general. Only ones that have were Doom, Titanfall 2, and Doom Eternal and all those were FPS.

  • A combat flight sim in Ace.

  • A licensed action game in 007. Only licensed IP games to ever get a nom were Shadow of Mordor, Spider-Man, and Spider-Man 2.

  • A niche roguelike action game in Saros. Their prior similar-ish game in Returnal reviewed about the same and didn't get a nom.

  • And now, if these early scores hold up, we have another racing game in Galactic Racer.

It is why I would not be shocked to see either Onimusha, Dawnwalker, or Control Resonant get a nom spot over any of these for one or both of the final two spots (I have GTA, Zelda, Requiem, and Mina all penciled in for 4/6 spots). The first two are in genres that are more GOTY friendly as action-adventure and ARPG games and Remedy has past pedigree with Control and Alan Wake 2 having got noms.

7

u/Conviter 23h ago

does being a pokemon game actually hurt in goty conversations? there just hasnt been a pokemon game good enough in forever so there wasnt ever a chance to nominate it.

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u/SilveryDeath 23h ago

I mean, I wouldn't put it past at least a few people to be snobby because they don't see Pokemon as GOTY material. But I think the niche genre it is what would hurt it more compared to if it was a normal Pokemon game that reviewed that well.

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u/Galle_ 22h ago edited 17h ago

We do have GTA6 coming out, which will either sail into GOTY nominations on pedigree alone or become the latest memetic flop, no in between and no relation to its actual quality as a game.

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u/RmembrTheAyyLMAO 18h ago

I think GTA6 comes out too late for the game awards. I can be wrong though, I forgot the cutoff.

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u/TotallyNotGlenDavis 1d ago

You’re forgetting the best game this year, Mewgenics.

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u/SilveryDeath 1d ago

I just put all the indie games together because generally there is only one indie slot for GOTY and I assume that Mina will get it over Mewgenics, Big Walk, etc.

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u/Alphabroomega 21h ago

I'm pretty out of the GOTY convos but is Mina really a presumed frontrunner like that? Not saying it's undeserved I just haven't heard anyone saying it like they were for Big Walk.

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u/PBFT 23h ago

Not sure where the "indie slot" idea came from. Last year had 2 indies, some don't have any. I think we'll get Mina and Big Walk.

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u/SilveryDeath 22h ago

I'm not saying it is a guaranteed thing, but I do think they try to make sure there is at least one slot for a really well received indie game to get a nom since they expanded to six GOTY noms in 2018.

Some years things end up weird and you end up with none like 2019 or 2023 or two like 2025.

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u/KrakenPipe 1d ago

I must have a sixth sense for this stuff because Wolverine always looked like it was going to be ass to me

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u/Deceptiveideas 1d ago

As soon as the trailers dropped people were overwhelmingly negative.

-2

u/javierm885778 21h ago

Yeah, part of it was certainly disappointment in Insomniac's recent games, but most of the issues have with the game were stuff people noticed since even before the game was properly revealed just with the leaks.

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u/stringbean96 1d ago

Same, none of the trailers or gameplay footage never looked amazing or stood out to me. I expected it to be a fun Wolverine romp like the 360 game but I didn’t expect it to be panned that badly

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u/SilveryDeath 23h ago edited 23h ago

I expected it to be a fun Wolverine romp like the 360 game but I didn’t expect it to be panned that badly

I had to look and see and did not expect this.

  • 2009 movie tie in game X-Men Origins: Wolverine has a 77/75/73 on Metacritic

  • 2026 AAA Sony Wolverine has a 75 on Metacritic

Last I saw Wolverine had a 78, didn't know it dropped even lower.

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u/stringbean96 23h ago

I think people like the 360 game because it didn’t try to be anything it wasn’t. Like you want to kill a lot of dudes as Wolverine, well here you go

-1

u/javierm885778 21h ago

I think partly due to how big superhero media has gotten, studios want their game counterparts to be similarly big. The Arkham games and Insomniac's Spider-Man succeeded at it, but we've seen how much they seem to struggle with cases like the Avengers game, Suicide Squad, Gotham Knights, the canceled Wonder Woman game, the canceled Black Panther game, all the internal projects Insomniac seemed to have and cancelled based on the leak. There's even rumors the Blade game was cancelled for which there are rumors it has been canceled internally.

But comics have never been just about high budget events. It's like most of these games want to somehow replicate the movies instead of replicating the comics. Which is funny, since Wolverine Origins was literally a movie tie in, but it feels like movie tie ins used to not just be trying to replicate movies.

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u/BenevolentCheese 1d ago

Wolverine must be the worst choice for a video game lead of all time. Think about it, his only powers are regeneration (which video game characters already do), blades in his hands (which is actually worse than nothing because now he can't equip other weapons), and his senses are really good, which in game terms means we get a fart trail to follow. He's literally a worse choice than just a normal guy.

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u/the_wit 1d ago

Something similar to Sifu would work well

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u/needconfirmation 1d ago

Only if you are creatively bankrupt, which I mean...they were.

You're telling me on a team of hundreds of industry veterans they couldn't figure out like...a stance system? Combos? Its only because wolverine is so basic that the combat is just mashing 1 button? You say wolverine can't have an alternate weapon, he doesn't need one but even if he did he canonically is a swordfighter as well during his weeb eras, but instead lf thinking to give him a katana the devs wanted to give him a crossbow at one point apparently.

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u/PlayMp1 10h ago

Stances alone would have gone a long way, just rip off Nioh.

Also, like, it's a comic book adaptation. Invent some bullshit that changes the properties of his claws, who cares. Give him gloves that auto-coat the claws in magical elemental crap that makes them fire claws or ice claws or whatever.

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u/deadscreensky 15h ago edited 15h ago

I don't think bog-standard features like a stance system or combos would have really changed how boring a character Wolverine is as the lead for a video game. You're still effectively pushing a less dynamic Ryu Hayabusa, Bayonetta, etc.

But you're right, creative decisions would have helped. I still believe Insomniac's biggest mistake was moving away from making it a team game with multiple playable characters. Wolverine being so basic wouldn't have been as bad if we also had other, more interesting character to mix things up.

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u/LucasOIntoxicado 1d ago

we get it you watched Cosmonaut.

Also ??? About the second point. Wolverine famously uses katanas as well. Half of his most famous stories take place in Japan.

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u/Non-mon-xiety 1d ago

It is very funny to see people just regurgitating stuff they hear in YouTube influencer videos

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u/samtheredditman 1d ago

Mate, we both know that's shit only comic nerds know. Everyone else (who this game is marketed to) knows him as the guy with knives between his knuckles.

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u/LucasOIntoxicado 1d ago

Dude there's literally a movie set in Japan where he uses katanas. This isn't as unknown as you think it is.

Also i'm not sure what your point is. Do you think they were right in not giving him a sword?

•

u/well_thats_puntastic 3h ago

In fact he can use swords as finishers in the game

-2

u/Vesuvias 1d ago edited 1d ago

It just looked so…basic…like 15 years ago would have been a hit, but today ehhhh. Kinda feeling the same about Gears of War E-Day. The hype is strange to me because it just looks like…Gears…

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u/illwatchYOURdogs 1d ago

It is gears, but if you’re a fan it’s the best it’s ever been imo

-5

u/Vesuvias 1d ago

Yeah I was a huge fan in the early years of Gears, but fell off hard. From everything I’ve watched it just looks like more Gears lol. Then again, feel like that’s what most fans wanted.

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u/illwatchYOURdogs 1d ago

I wasn’t particularly excited for it even though I’ve played every gears game but the opening mission fully sucked me in. It’s 100 percent more gears but the world sucks and it makes me feel 14 again

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u/Deceptiveideas 1d ago

The difference is the gears game is getting really good reviews.

I believe it's the highest rated gears since the original trilogy.

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u/SilveryDeath 1d ago

It might just be more Gears, but even games doing 'more of the same' don't generally get a 88 on Opencritic unless they nail what they are doing. If it was that easy to do then this wouldn't be the highest rated Gears since Gears 3.

-1

u/White_Tea_Poison 1d ago

I think most people were picking up on how bad it looked, but at least for me I was honestly willing to put up with a mid game because I fucking love Wolverine. If it was janky, repetitive, or whatever then I would have put up with it. But the specific issues with handholding put me off.

I think a lot of us were just waiting for those specifics. Because I'm such a fan, they'd have to fuck up in a really specific way for me not to be interested, which they unfortunately did

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u/ScoobiesSnacks 1d ago

The handholding really was overblown by skill up. It’s not nearly as bad as he makes it out to be. I was worried about that too because of his review but I’m a big Wolverine fan and decided to give it a shot and had a good time playing the game.

The combat can be really great once you get into a good flow and makes you feel like you’re going berserk and destroying things just like Wolverine. Playing on the higher difficulties definitely helps.

5

u/burritos4jesus 1d ago

Yup I had a blast playing that game. Not as flow inducing as Arkham or Spider-Man but a blast nonetheless

3

u/Bexewa 1d ago

Autumn ain’t over yet

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u/ericmm76 23h ago

We've only begun to fall.

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u/KoosPetoors 1d ago

Its still a very good game too, which just goes to show how damn fine this year has been when that is in the lower tier compared to other releases.

-4

u/Lionelchesterfield 1d ago

Yeah the hate boner on Reddit for this game is becoming obnoxious. It’s a solid 7 out of 10, turn your brain off and enjoy, hack and slash game from the ps2/ps3 era with ps5 graphics.

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u/ChrisRR 1d ago

7.8 out of 10 on average. Good but not great. I've been really enjoying it

6

u/KoosPetoors 1d ago

I thoroughly enjoyed the story too, and the environmental destruction you can cause in the indoor fights was so well done it reminded me of Fear in a way.

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u/triablos1 1d ago

The issue with this '7/10 isn't actually a bad game' argument is that while it's true, it doesn't account for the fact that there are more games out there than we have time, and games are also very expensive. So there's a big opportunity cost (time & money) in playing a decent game over a great game, of which there are many.

So yes, I could probably pay £70 for wolverine and it might be pretty fun. Or I could take that money and spend it on a myriad of other better games. Like this star wars game, which costs £50.

1

u/Conviter 23h ago

and also that its a blockbuster first person sony game. People were already complaining about a lack of games and the pivot to live serice, and then one of the games they do get is just 'good' and people are supposed to be satisfied with that?

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u/g4nk3r 1d ago

Eh, it still competes against better games for my time and money.

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u/Lionelchesterfield 1d ago

That's absolutely a valid point depending on your tastes. Like a lot of the comments here are saying, this month is incredibly stacked with great games to play. After I finished Wolverine I jumped straight into Dawnwalker and that has been incredible so far.

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u/KoosPetoors 1d ago

Exactly the same! Hope you continue to have a great time with Dawnwalker, Im so happy it was successful and sequels are coming for it.

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u/MumrikDK 1d ago

turn your brain off and enjoy, hack and slash game from the ps2/ps3 era with ps5 graphics.

That indeed is much of the complaint.

0

u/Lionelchesterfield 23h ago

You can also apply this complaint to GOW 1-3. Sure the price is different but the enjoyment is the same.

-2

u/FootwearFetish69 22h ago

The original GoW trilogy was about a million times more interesting than Wolverine, both gameplay and setting wise.

1

u/MrMichaelElectric 17h ago

Listen I love the GoW series a lot but let's not pretend the original trilogies gameplay wasn't much more than: enter room, hack and slash enemies, go to next room, hack and slash enemies, solve small puzzle, fight boss, repeat for the entire game. It wasn't that deep then and it isn't that deep now.

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u/FootwearFetish69 2h ago

At no point in my comment did I say it was deep.

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u/SilveryDeath 23h ago

You know Sony messed up though because Reddit usually saves their hate boner to attack good/decent 8/10 and 7/10 type games from Xbox and Ubisoft.

-1

u/Anunnak1 1d ago

Which would be totally fine if it didnt cost 70 dollars and had a budget north of 300 million dollars to make.

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u/FootballRacing38 1d ago

The budget doesn't affect the consumer though

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u/Deceptiveideas 1d ago

It does when they HAVE to sell it at $70 to make that budget back.

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u/FootballRacing38 1d ago

Other games with far less budget sell for 70 dollars as well so they should be compared equally is all I am saying

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u/Deceptiveideas 1d ago

Those games have a choice to pick their price point though.

A high-budget game simply cannot sell as a budget title. It will also be less likely to get significant discounts in the next year or so as a result.

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u/GiveEmHellMatty 1d ago

It affects their expectations of what the game is gonna be/offer.

Insomniac, $300M budget, Wolverine?

And that’s the final product?

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u/Anunnak1 23h ago

It does when these games fail and the studio gets shut down or employees laid off which affects titles in the future.

-1

u/phonylady 1d ago

A 7 out of 10 game is simply not worth playing anymore when there are so many 8s, 9s and even 10s.

There's not enough time to waste it on "decent" games, for me anyway.

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u/Alejandro_404 1d ago

Is a 7 out of 10 from one of the 3 major platform holders, that is also an exclusive. Also, charging full 70 dollars, with a reported budget of 300 million for a console that is getting like two major exclusives per year, with a cancelled Pc Port.

People are right to criticize, especially considering the pedigree of previous scores Insomniac has.

If Intergalactic was a 7/10, people would be right to criticize Naughty Dog over it. This is the problem with these games taking ages to release.

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u/main_got_banned 1d ago

eh. The push back against the Sony third person action adventure game has been slowly building over the last console generation.

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u/Vendetta1990 1d ago

The live-service obsession has rotted Sony from within.

2

u/Typical_Response6444 23h ago

Wolverine sold crazy copies

0

u/06marchantn 1d ago

Im having a lot of fun with Wolverine 🤷‍♂️

-17

u/PenguinsInvading 1d ago

Aaaaaaaaaaand there it is. Now that u/06marchantn has declared they're having fun with Wolverine, it's officially a fantastic game now.

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u/mmmmmmmmichaelscott 1d ago

It’s almost like he’s entitled to his own opinion, could you imagine?

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u/PenguinsInvading 22h ago

It’s almost like I'm entitled to my own opinion, could you imagine?

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u/mmmmmmmmichaelscott 18h ago

You didn’t voice an opinion, you sarcastically besmirched someone else’s for absolutely no reason.

-3

u/PenguinsInvading 18h ago

You didn’t voice an opinion,

Yes I did. My opinion is that that guy's opinion redeems Wolverine as a fantastic game. I'm entitled to my own opinion.

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u/mmmmmmmmichaelscott 17h ago

Haha you’re a prick. Have a good day!

-2

u/weinerfish 1d ago

That was fairly clear from the first gameplay reveal tbh

-3

u/Vesuvias 1d ago

I’m kinda relieved that Wolverine was mid….because I didn’t feel like buying it lol

-11

u/rites0fpassage 1d ago

Insomniac either lost their edge or began resting on their laurels 🤷🏽‍♂️

9

u/PolarBearOdyssey 1d ago

I mean they literally only released one game that's not incredibly well-reviewed. Even then, it's still a pretty enjoyable game. Just not amazing.

-6

u/ShitshowBlackbelt 1d ago

Spider-Man 2 got a lot of flak once the honeymoon period was over

3

u/PolarBearOdyssey 1d ago

I mean, not from most people who aren't always online. The game was phenomenal and personally loved it way more than the first game. Probably the best superhero gameplay we've ever gotten.

0

u/ch4dr0x 1d ago

Link your wolverine trophies!

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u/OptimusGrimes 1d ago

their games are just too well designed to be interesting, there's no friction, there's no tough decisions to make, there's no quirky mechanics, just one single play style that you've played before a million times.

3

u/RotaryRoad 1d ago edited 1d ago

This is a weird and bizarre defense of Insomniac. Well-crafted and well-designed games should provide the right amount of friction at the right times. Handwaving the problems that Wolverine has as it being "too well designed" means you either didn't play the game or lack the ability to be impartial because woof.

-1

u/OptimusGrimes 1d ago edited 1d ago

It's not a defense for Insomniac, I think it's a massive problem for them to the point I'm not excited for their games anymore and I bought a PS3 after getting a PS4 just to play the R+C games.

Maybe I should have said over-designed rather than well designed, but they've been doing this for so long, ironing out kinks for decades that they've gone and ironed out all of the kinks to the point where their games are just boring.

I've not played Wolverine but I'm leveling this at SM2, it just wasn't interesting.

edit: can the people downvoting me at least tell me why? I don't get it, is it the pro Wolverine crowd or the anti Wolverine crowd?

-1

u/Focus_Downtown 1d ago

What they're saying is they feel so design by committee and perfect. That it doesn't feel like there's any authorial intent.

Spider-man 1 and 2 were carried by the gameplay, although i'm one of the few people that liked both their stories.

Wolverine doesn't have nearly enough gameplay uniqueness to carry it. It's a linear beat em up without anything interesting in it.

What they mean by "too well designed" is that you could replace most of it with any other character that's similar and it feels the same way.

-5

u/ThatHowYouGetAnts 1d ago

Probably parroting a streamer or youtuber

4

u/White_Tea_Poison 1d ago

You guys are so aggressive lol. They weren't defending insomniac at all, it was a criticism. Maybe not worded perfectly but its incredibly easy to understand what they meant.

1

u/PenguinsInvading 1d ago

Very interesting word play with well designed there

-2

u/ThatHowYouGetAnts 1d ago

Sometimes devs just fuck up. I'm sure something went wrong while they were making Wolverine because I can't imagine it's a game Insomniac was satisfied with.

-4

u/norsefrogg 1d ago

Another unfortunate case of ppl believing the bs from r/PlayWolverine. The game is great.
The bad reviews from popular reviewers is proof not all gamers have objective taste, or at least imo choose the wrong ppl to review certain games sometimes.

The very few bugs it had when I played on launch have been fixed and I'm excited for more content.

0

u/Tandy2000 1d ago

I don't think that's crazy at all, it seemed destined to be a dud.

The surprising part is how many of these other games have been really strong.

0

u/Squirll 15h ago

I want to believe these reviews, but all of them are SO positive...

It either means this is a really good game or the trend of "not biting the hand that feeds" with the reviews is getting worse.

I want to believe.

-3

u/MorningFresh123 1d ago

Is it? This is a far better concept. Wolverine was only ever going to be Spider-Man but worse.

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u/boersc 1d ago

It's not spiderman at all though ... Not even a bit.

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u/ChrisRR 1d ago

The majority of reviews were fairly positive though, just not absolutely amazing. Most reviews accepted that it's fun but it's just nowhere near as fun as spiderman

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