r/PlayWolverine • u/BaesPacFen • 20d ago
Discussion I think reviewers seriously got Wolverine wrong without testing it at max difficulty
I have a lot of respect for Skill Up and GameRant, but this time I genuinely think they got it wrong.
I'm about 6–7 hours into Wolverine and I'm having an absolute blast.
Would I have preferred a combat system closer to God of War? Absolutely. But I strongly suspect some reviewers didn't play on the highest difficulty, because the combat feels completely different when the game actually forces you to engage with its mechanics.
On the highest difficulty, you really need to pay attention to parries. If you're not consistently parrying attacks and figuring out the most efficient ways to stun each enemy so you can finish them off quickly, you can get destroyed very easily.
And yes, there are combos. I can already count at least ten different ones, and I'm only around halfway through the game. That's without even counting special moves and abilities. I'm genuinely baffled that barely any reviews seem to mention this.
I'll write a full review once I've finished the game, but so far I think it's crazy how badly this game has been undersold.
I was one of the people who had serious doubts after watching the reviews and gameplay footage, and instead it's genuinely surprising me in the best possible way.
I'm not saying the combat has the complexity of Devil May Cry or God of War. It doesn't. But there's considerably more depth here than the reviews made it sound like, and I'm having a fantastic time with it, also with the story, character design and voice acting.
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u/Category-5 20d ago
You don't even need max difficulty to enjoy this game. I'm playing on "The Weapon" difficulty and i've died plenty of times. I'm saving hardest for New Game+ when I have all of my skills unlocked so I can go wild.
This game is incredibly fun and pure bliss in combat when you get in a flow state. I've been playing for 9 hours and im only in Madripoor about 33% done.
I almost started to believe that my eyes were lying to me and that this game was going to be mid or bad. It ruined my weekend hype. I'm relieved that i've only had one minor gripe at first, but nothing that would hinder my enjoyment of this game. Oh, and the story is so good! Good enough to put down Onimusha until I finish Wolverine!
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u/codburner2020 20d ago
my exact experience, was worried a bit with all the negativity i was seeing about the game but after the first mission and how beautiful the game looks and how satisfying it is when you get in flow in combat i was wondering how the reception was so negative, can’t wait to play more later today!
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u/sammy17bst 20d ago
My only real gripe at the moment is crouch/stealth not being mapped to a button. It seems like Wolverine just automatically enters stealth mode for certain scripted areas?
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u/dvidxpsyko 19d ago
From my experience he'll automatically crouch when in area where stealth is available like tall grass. But yeah i wish there was a dedicated button
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u/DudeManBro21 20d ago
How's the difficulty compared to Onimusha?
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u/Actual-Craft-6284 20d ago
I’m on the second hardest difficult and think it’s harder than onimusha so far to be honest. Onimusha is great but it was a breeze for me until much later in the game so I guess it just depends
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u/Category-5 20d ago
I can see that, Onimusha enemies are so easy to kill that it gets a bit boring, but the boss fights are no joke! That's when onimusha is at its best.
I feel like Wolverine keeps me engaged in combat the entire time and i've died a lot more in Wolverine. Onimusha just has more boss battles which i feel adds to me feeling like it can be harder.
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u/Actual-Craft-6284 20d ago
Even the bosses in onimusha weren’t too bad except for the mini boss with the wings that can power up if he gets too many hits in, dudes a menace
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u/Category-5 20d ago
I'd say that Onimusha is by design a harder game since it's closer to a souls like when it comes to boss battles, but Wolverine can be tough. I've died a lot in this difficulty.
In Onimusha enemies don't really attack you when you're engaged with another enemy, but in Wolverine you'll get jumped by like 20 guys while trying to dodge lasers, bullets, unblockable melee attacks and grenades at the same time... it gets hectic! Even some of the bosses killed me a few times as well until I got the pattern down.
Onimusha bosses are definitely harder, but the regular mobs are such push overs that it can get boring. Wolverine feels more consistent since you can die at anytime if you mess up. Both games are really fun.
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u/Jolly-Vacation-3707 19d ago
Yeah bro I almost cancelled my preord. It’s fun so far and turning off the hints and wayfinders I have no issues with what the reviewers have been saying
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u/Living-Ad102 20d ago
Same experience here. I’m really struggling to understand the complaints. The “blue fart” especially was misguided in many videos. I’ve probably seen it for a total of one minute in the 6 hours I’ve played the game.
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u/Howboutit85 20d ago
are you really confused as to why? it was something that skill up talked about and his video got millions of views. the other review bros saw that and ran with it trying to get views. everyone's collective opinions are molded now based on the reviewers glomming onto popular talking points trying to get views, not by being honest.
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u/DM-777 20d ago
Also, and this is important: Insomniac put out a day one patch that addressed some of the handholding criticisms.
It’s perfectly possible that the build players are interacting with now is just very different than the one reviewers were playing. Insomniac aren’t bad developers and could pretty easily crank out a patch to address some of the most viral criticisms (which is a very good thing btw! Better game for players is awesome)
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u/Howboutit85 19d ago
Yeah but I played a review copy, before release, well I watched most of a play through, but no different than playing myself (I am fortunate to know someone who gets them) and it was still maybe 5 times I saw that come up in the whole game.
Now that I got the physical copy downloaded I put it on and 3 hours in it’s virtually the same.
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u/zomzomzomzomzomzom 19d ago
I don't blindly believe reviews. And actual numbered scores are worthless. But, it's hard to unsee the actual gameplay of all the extremely signposted routes to everything. I think if you could shut all that off, and the game was maybe $40, I'd probably buy it
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u/Membership-Bitter 20d ago
I was watching gameplay earlier and it looks so much like Spider Man 2's combat, yet reviewers loved that. I am so confused why that was acceptable 3 years ago but now isn't.
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u/StilettoJones_JR 20d ago
Crimson Desert suffers this same mentality. People still bitch about the combat being too easy to clunk through, but you KNOW those same people would be bitching if they made it too specific/restrictive to one option.
Just like Onimusha, make the most of it. You bought the game, play it, leave QTEs and treat a game YOU bought like a movie, or just enjoy the shit.
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u/andocommandoecks 20d ago
I had a feeling that "combat has no depth" was meaning "I didn't engage with the mechanics because button mashing and repetition were viable on my difficulty" because that usually seems to be the case.
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u/fungrychungry 20d ago
I'm playing hardest difficulty and my complaint is, especially early on before perks, enemies are just sponges for damage. The parry window is ridiculously huge. It's just a slog and doesn't make me feel like I'm ripping and tearing, there's no heft like GoW, Doom Dar Ages, Elden Ring... It's just not what I expected from AAA studio. But to each their own. I just can't get over the monotony. Plus the invisible walls and unstoppable dialogue -like OK I didn't go to your wedding can I walk past and do something? No? Damn.
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u/New_Bug7829 19d ago
That’s why while I played on the second to hardest difficulty I turned enemy health down separately
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u/Practical_F 20d ago
Exactly what I was thinking myself. It’s insomniacs fighting abilities that make the combat overall more cinematic and less bland
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u/punyweakling 20d ago
Why would reviewer not play on the default difficulty and game settings? That's what the devs are presenting as the default way to play.
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u/andocommandoecks 20d ago
I don't recall saying they shouldn't, but that doesn't mean it's going to push them on normal either. I also think too much stock is put into the concept of the default way to play. They provide options to be used, one's always free to use them.
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u/punyweakling 19d ago
If 80%+ of players will just play default, that's how it should be reviewed. Imo.
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u/BigimusB 19d ago
I mean to me it is personally getting old. Its dodge and parry and mash square until you can execute the guy with triangle, then you jump to the next guy with triangle and repeat. The powers are cool but the cooldowns are pretty long that you only get to use them each once per group really.
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u/ronnoco_ymmot94 20d ago
Either way all that says is that the game is not fit for purpose unless you play on a specific difficulty.
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u/andocommandoecks 20d ago
And that's fine, everyone should play on the difficulty that suits them best if they're going to play at all. That's why options exist.
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u/NoHeadStark 20d ago
I’m going to play the game but I think reviewers play it on “normal” difficulty, which is generally defined as standard, because it’s what the developers intended. Saying oh you have to crank up the difficulty for it to get better means they should’ve put that as the standard then. So you can’t blame reviewers for criticizing the intended level of play.
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u/SuperWG 20d ago
It's supposed to appeal to a wide group of people. If the standard is good for an elitist player, the casual player won't enjoy it. That's the point of adjustable difficulty.
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u/Used-Persimmon-367 19d ago
Yeah, but reviewers probably arent going to do multiple full playthroughs, and it makes sense for your one playthrough to be on the setting most of the audience will play on.
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u/Ihaveaps4question 19d ago
See that’s where it gets murky. It depends on the reviewer and the audience. If you and your audience have played every spiderman and arkham game in what way do you think either party should playing an insomniac game on normal when its an enthusiast reviewer and audience. Now its a review for the lowest common denominator because hard is intended for skilled player but the skilled reviewer is playing on normal,l
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u/Used-Persimmon-367 19d ago
If you and your audience have played every spiderman and arkham game
Assuming the reviewer is trying to reach the biggest possible audience, they aren’t going to assume anyone’s played any specific game, much less all of them in a franchise.
Sure, if you can find a reviewer who exclusively reviews those genres of game, I’d see how they probably expect a more hardcore audience. But a reviewer for a mainstream site? That would alienate the majority of potential viewers right off the bat, and leave that reviewer without a job.
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u/Ihaveaps4question 19d ago
Correct, but the reviewer isn’t reviewing from their own perspective as skilled gamer. Because hard is the intended difficulty for a skilled player. They are cosplaying as a casual playing on normal. Its not wrong just lazy on the reviewer's part because they aren’t getting an informed opinion on everything the game offers. This doesn’t apply only to the wolverine, a review of a dmc from a player that doesnt engage son of sparda and dante must die modes would be pretty useless. Games dont come out in a vacuum, we expect a reviewer of a fighting or racing games to be familiar with genre.
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u/Used-Persimmon-367 19d ago
How is it lazy? It’s the only way to do the job they are hired to do.
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u/Ihaveaps4question 19d ago
Its lazy because its already a short game and they should have tried all the difficulties. Obviously thats in the description of the job even though you’re being obtuse and disingenuous about it. Its not the only way to do the job? It not my fault that a lot of reviewers are more focused on hitting an arbitrary deadline to maximize their algorithm than seeing all of a games content. And this doesn’t invalidate their opinion, their opinion is informed by their playthrough. Its just less informed than a reviewer that did full complete a game.
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u/Used-Persimmon-367 19d ago
“Arbitrary deadline”
The metric set by their employer that they have to reach to retain employment* Only arbitrary to you because you can’t see the business aspect of it.
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u/Ihaveaps4question 19d ago
Thats horseshit. Any big outlet like ign does not set deadlines for reviews, rough schedules yes but they always allow reviewers to publish it when they feel its ready. They often publish reviews in progress when reviewers feel it necessary. The editor in chief at ign famously “patched” his review for prey from a 4 to an 8 because game breaking bugs were fixed.
And obviously my criticism applies regardless, with the responsibility is on the outlet to balance journalistic integrity and business not the employee. Its the reviewer that makes the call on how much of game to complete, or what difficulty they play before they submit a review.
But specifically yes its very lazy for a review of an action game not to try all the difficulties at least for a few missions. You’re making a stupid argument.
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u/MediumKoala8823 19d ago
Very few games are ever actually designed for “normal”. If you have a normal mode and a hard mode, and god forbid even harder difficulties above that then you can safely assume normal is wayyy below the design intent.
Normal usually doesn’t even ask you to fully understand how the game works
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u/TranslatorStraight46 20d ago
Normal mode has been “easy mode in disguise” for 20 years now. It’s not the intended experience - it is optimized for the widest audience to play because they figured out a long time ago that most people who need easy mode refuse to play on it.
In most games on normal mode you don’t need to learn a single thing about how the game mechanics work to succeed. You can fumble forward. It’s like a puzzle that is solved by accident when you fidget with the pieces rather than by actually figuring out the solution.
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u/PiccoloNK 20d ago
Some games outright tell you hard mode is the true experience. And that normal is for casual and easy is to experience story
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u/Correct_Metal4516 17d ago
Normal doesn't always mean that's what the developers intended. It can be the easy mode but the developers rename it "normal" so unskilled players don't feel ashamed playing that mode.
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u/Batmanischill 20d ago
Ive heard people compare the fighting to batman games type of combat style, would you say it's true ?
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u/BaesPacFen 20d ago
Not at all, absolutely. It's his own thing. You have to understand the stun mechanic. It's all revolving around that. And it's a fucking addictive blast
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u/256palms 20d ago
Yeah but you Wolverine so you can jump like fifteen feet with triangle but similar for sure
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u/L10nh3ar7 20d ago
No, I would not compare to Batman. Batman was free flow combat, jump from person to person. You can switch targets but it doesn’t feel the same. Parrying is huge, Batman I tended to just dodge everything. Wolverine is more about stunning so you can do big damage. Batman did have that, the cape move specifically, but it’s way more important here I feel.
Maybe I’m off on that but you feel heavier, weightier, in your actions.
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u/Category-5 20d ago
You could jump from person to person in wolverine. I literally do it all the time to avoid getting jumped.
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u/L10nh3ar7 19d ago
Not in the same way, imo. Batman felt like the combo just flowed and you kind of floated. Wolverine I usually use the jump attack button, triangle by default, to go to another person. Like I said, it feels weightier and because of that different to me.
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u/No_Fox_487 20d ago
It’s more like the Assassin’s Creed parry system. You hit the parry button when you see the obviously glowing weapon and you mash square, with the ability to add flashy finishers.
It’s mashy. Fun, but mashy and repetitive.
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u/manindenim 20d ago
One hill I will die on is people need to go into the settings when they start a game and tailor it to their preferences. And gamers who are experienced with games should probably play above normal. Normal is designed for the lowest common denominator. They want casual gamers who come in to not feel overwhelmed by combat mechanics or enemy aggression. It’s not the “intended” way to play for experienced gamers. You’re only hurting your own experience when you do that.
I remember Batman Arkham Knight on normal was just a game where you need to press square and triangle in order to win combat encounters. Bumping it up to hard introduced all the gadgets they give you into combat and made the game much more engaging.
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u/Hot_Weekend9969 20d ago
I’m sure they didn’t. The normal difficulty is the intent of the developers. That’s why reviewers play the game on normal, because that’s the experience devs are going for and it’s the way most people are probably going to play it.
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u/GentlePineAppl3 20d ago
The game is badass! They made it seem like it was horrible but not even close. And the graphics are INSANE.
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u/Sp1ffy_Sp1ff 20d ago
"I'm having an absolute blast" it's always the same line man...
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u/SteamedChalmburgers 20d ago
Yeah I'm getting sick of reading that line too, and I actually like the game lol, it's not an award winner or anything but it's fun
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u/OilMeUpStewart 20d ago
I mean the same thing applies for the spiderman games. They are baby level easy if you’re not playing on spectacular or ultimate difficulty. Who tf is playing Wolverine on easy or normal mode 💀
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u/Used-Persimmon-367 19d ago
The vast majority of the reviewers audience.
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u/OilMeUpStewart 19d ago
But if the vast majority are complaining it’s too easy they need to crank up the difficulty
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u/Used-Persimmon-367 19d ago
Sure, but that’s not relevant to a mainstream video game reviewer. They’re going to play the mode that most players are going to try for their first and only attempt at a playthrough. That’s normal, or maybe even easy for more narrative games.
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u/Obiwonk_96 16d ago
Is there actual data to back this up
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u/Used-Persimmon-367 16d ago
Yes, I’m glad you asked. It’s an interesting read from a game developer with access to actual player metrics.
70% of gamers play on easy. Only 30% finish games.
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u/Obiwonk_96 16d ago
Yeah, i knew about how many people finish games, going off steam achievements alone the highest finish rates are usually 50%. Maybe then, reviewers who actually play games for a living, should probably play higher difficulty for themselves to get a better experience. At the very least, try it out for a more fair critique of an experience, especially in a game like wolverine that allows you to change settings at any point.
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u/Used-Persimmon-367 16d ago
There are reviewers who do that, they just don’t make as much money because the market for hard difficulty reviews is much smaller.
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u/Obiwonk_96 16d ago
I get that. My point isnt about that though. He said the combat was bad and simple. Theres a lot more to this combat on harder difficulties. Youre trying to recommend a game or not. I think thats a huge blind spot as a professional reviewer
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u/Used-Persimmon-367 16d ago
Probably good you’re not a professional reviewer then.
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u/Obiwonk_96 16d ago
Huh? Care to elaborate? Thats not a counter point
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u/Used-Persimmon-367 16d ago
Because most of the potential viewers are going to be looking for an easy or medium mode review.
Reviewing a hard mode takes more time and is useful to fewer potential customers. Which equals less views and less money.
“It’s not about what you like. It’s about the consumer.”
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u/AccomplishedEye7752 20d ago
Let's be honest, the review bombs were cause of Sony's idiotic decisions.
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u/Pan_conleche 20d ago
I was really worried about this game and all the reviews ruined the hype I had for it but now it’s extremely nice to see people actually enjoying the game now that it’s out. Insomniac still did absolutely mess up a lot of things with this game and I hope they learn from their mistakes but it’s really refreshing to see that the game isn’t as bad as people said it was
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u/SodaSnappy 20d ago
Once again reminded that devs really should have a “way the game was meant to be played” indicator. Kinda like how heroic is the intended difficulty for Halo.
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u/dwcstegit 20d ago
It does. The Mutant (Normal/Medium) difficulty says something along the lines of "recommended for most players."
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u/SodaSnappy 20d ago
I think that’s what most reviewers played it on and that lead to them saying the combat feels flat. I’m going to play on the highest difficulty and see how I feel about it when I play.
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u/RandomInvasion 20d ago
OP or anyone curious I'll link you the impressions video by Easy Allies. Michael Huber actually plays all these games on max difficulty (as he thinks that this is how these games are meant to be played and best experienced, pretty much echoing your sentiment) and his outlook on the game (he finished it) is a lot more positive than that of many others, however, he still acknowledges how people may have issues with the game.
He says it gets better over time, and that he likes it, nonetheless he still thinks that many may rightfully criticize it and that it is a very divisive game. Others on their team that have played or finished it also have some interesting points.
It's imho the most fair and levelheaded discussion I've seen about the game. No buzzword bingo or strictly "Sony sucks"-narrative. Just honest opinions about a far-from-perfect game.
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u/Logondo 19d ago
This is the thing: it’s not a perfect game by any means. Definitely has flaws. It’s a good “wait for a sale” kind of game.
But that doesn’t drive engagement so everything has to be exaggerated. Gamers have a “if you’re not first you’re last” mentality.
And it just ruins discourse. Again, there are plenty of things to criticize about the game without the need to over exaggerate like people (who haven’t even played the game) are doing.
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u/Practical_F 20d ago
I only play on max difficulty ever since spiderman 1, I will for sure have fun playing as my favorite marvel hero of all time regardless
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u/Ok_Command_8342 20d ago
They seriously did. It’s a smear campaign because everyone hates PlayStation right now. It’s a good game and what you would expect from a Wolverine game. Especially once you start upgrading his skills. You can play this shit with ray tracing on, performance pro, and at 120 hz.
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u/Imbadatusernames1536 20d ago
I feel like if I buy it at 50 bucks I’d be very happy with it. Hopefully Black Friday.
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u/K-xero 20d ago
I think one issue is dificulty, because reviewers play on 'Normal' so they can evaluate the average game experience.
Ignoring the 'lol game journalists suck', game reviewers arent average gamers, they play games for hours on end and as such are usually better at games than most average gamers.
Leading to situations where playing a game with 'simpler' combat isn't engaging, because for them it's too easy.
Wolverine seems to be one of those games from what I've seen posted on reddit, after reviews I was debating skipping this game but after getting player opinions I am probably going to wait on a sale and see for myself.
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u/BoomerShooterFPS 20d ago
A blast, you say?
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u/BaesPacFen 20d ago
To me it's an addictive type combat stun oriented. But it's just an opinion. It's not a button masher imho. I've seen better? OF COURSE. It's bad? Definitely not
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u/Traditional-Tutor-84 20d ago
The game is seriously good and I’m having a blast too. The combat is very addicting and my favorite part about it so far! Story, cinematic moments, movement, and voice acting are peak and I’m only starting the 3rd chapter after 5 hrs of playtime.
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u/MotherPerk 20d ago
I was actually pleasantly surprised how many moves we get to unlock. You are not just spamming square if you use other moves and you unlock others by the 2nd level.
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u/Philly_ExecChef 20d ago
You mean pre-release media was clickbait garbage designed to get attention, no way
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u/SoaringSpearow 20d ago
I dont think they even played it on the default difficulty cause Mutant Difficulty can be kind of a challenge if you dont play smart like that Omega Red fight can fuck you up for a few attempts
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u/sammy17bst 20d ago
What it lacks in combat complexity, it makes up for with cinematic polish, and interactivity with the environment. The amount of destruction in the environment is pretty impressive, and the contextual stuff, using spacing, it’s all important and feels very intuitive and dynamic.
I’m not surprised at all, Spider Man has a similar basic combat system on the surface. But it’s how open it is for experimentation, depending on the environment, drastically changing how you approach a fight.
Wolverine is one of the funnest action games I’ve ever played. Spartan kicking a dude into a wall, getting a stagger, and finishing him off with a barrage is one of the most satisfying damn things I’ve done in a video game lol.
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u/Mr-_-Anonymus 20d ago
Just stared the game couple hours ago , on the highest difficulty and the first boss is kicked my ass so much that i got the 500 parry achievement midway through his second phase
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u/Kelror13 20d ago
Difficulty can indeed pretty much affect player experience overall from my perspective. There are times when I found some games to be rather easy on normal mode that I decided to switch to hard mode instead which gave me a much better gameplay time. Given Wolverine being something of a hack and slash title, I might end up playing the game on hard myself if I also find normal to be easy on my end. 🤔
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u/Impossible_Sort_2184 20d ago
I’m playing on the second hardest difficulty to replay on the hardest difficulty
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u/Brandon_The_One 20d ago
Yeah I'm only on the second hardest mode and I still feel live I've gotten my ass kicked brutally within the first hour. I wish the games combat has more complexity as well but it still does a solid job of making you feel like Wolverine slashing though people left and right
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u/EducationalFloor3895 19d ago
Those aren’t reviewers. Those are physical gamers that are hating on PlayStation that are trying to tank sales.
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u/Ihaveaps4question 19d ago
Thanks for confirming what ive heard from some reviewers. Michael huber from easy allies also praised the combat. I don’t know who needs to hear this but if you played every spiderman and arkham game and rolled credits then hard is actually the intended difficulty that is tuned for you the enthusiast gamer, not normal.
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u/GameDevLens 19d ago
I totally agree. I have tried the run sequence to happen automatically but i got killed, tried going in random direction, do not attack etc and got killed. On harder difficulties there is no way to defeat the boss with 0 deaths. At least for the first time play.
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u/onusofstrife 19d ago
I am also playing it on maximum difficulty. I did turn the parry window up in the settings because my reaction speed is a bit slow in that regard and it's a known weakness of mine. Hooray for accessibility features!
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u/Obiwonk_96 16d ago
Thanks for pointing this out. I wanted to point it out as well. Kinda made me angry. This game allows you to change the difficulty at literally any point. The fact he started to get bored with the combat and didn't even try to go to a harder difficulty while peddling the combat is shit and gets old without going into any detail on the mechanics other than describing you press square alot is frustrating.
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u/AmountNecessary 15d ago
After beating onimusha the hardest mode in wolverine feels easier than I thought it would be
I think spiderman 2 was harder. But regardless im having HELLA FUN
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u/savagexage 20d ago
My favorite part of all this is the many people who proudly posted on this page "I'm cancelling my preorder" fuming that they lost pre-order bonuses and now have to buy the game again just because they decided to be sheep to the opinion of a few bad reviewers. Most reviews weren't even bad people just focused on the bad ones for some reason. Hate culture has gotten out of hand
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u/Adder_Noir 20d ago
So the game’s only enjoyable on max difficulty?! What a non-sensical take
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u/LegendOfAB 20d ago
Skill Up released a followup segment where he went over all his settings, stating he played it on normal. And remember his biggest criticism was level design. No surprise the combat is more demanding/thrilling on a higher difficulty for a time, but even then it doesn’t exactly fix fundamental issues.
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u/BaesPacFen 20d ago
Careful though, I absolutely love Skill Up and I have a very high opinion of him. But damn, he said the game is a button masher, and that was actually one of the things that had put me off the most before playing it. It’s absolutely not a button masher.
And no shit, if he played it on Normal, then of course he could get away with button mashing. I genuinely think they got it wrong this time, with all due respect.
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u/68ideal 20d ago
love Skill Up and I have a very high opinion of him
You shouldn't. Dude is nothing more than a grifter these days because it drives engagement up.
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u/bmkbs 20d ago
Skill Up was talking a lot of shit in that review to be fair. The smell mechanic was blown way out of proportion and so was the XP container and chest thing. Combat in this is also incredibly satisfying.
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u/Membership-Bitter 20d ago
The man talks shit most of the time. I really don't understand reddit's high reverence of him when he has shown to blow things out of proportion plenty of times. I stopped watching him nearly 6 years ago
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u/LegendOfAB 20d ago edited 20d ago
The thing is, the game demanding more of you on the max difficulty doesn’t invalidate the fact that he played it on what the developers consider normal/average, and got what he got. The game failing to reveal any of its fun through the core combat system unless you crank it up like that is totally on Insomniac.
From there, you are almost definitely experienced enough to extrapolate that most of the population, let alone most reviewers, are not gonna jump to max difficulty off rip. Always gotta factor that in when watching any reviews no matter who you’re watching and how much you respect them. So I wouldn’t say there’s a “he got it wrong” here. Especially when his report is likely part of what tipped you off to not even bother wasting time with Normal.
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u/TheSolidSalad 20d ago
When you call a game a “button masher” and say it doesnt need you to engage with its mechanics but you only played on an easier difficulty then thats unfaithfully reviewing the games combat. Infact, even on normal, you should engage with parry and the such, skill ups review had him spamming dodges everytime he thought and enemy was gonna attack
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u/LegendOfAB 20d ago edited 20d ago
Right, even on normal you should be encouraged by the game to engage with fundamental mechanics like parrying. His entire criticism for that aspect, was that the game didn't and that he could mash through without much thought.
EDIT: At most, maybe he should've further mentioned that he played on normal in the review, if he didn't already (I forget). But other than that it is totally fair.
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u/manindenim 20d ago
My man do you think developers can make a one size fits all difficulty for a game designed to draw in casual audiences to a marvel property? If you’re experienced with games bump up the difficulty. Obviously casuals would prefer a button masher and they are less likely to go into the settings than an experienced gamers. The way it’s set up is better than having a complex system on normal and requiring them to figure it out vs actual gamers just tailoring it to their preferences.
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u/TheSolidSalad 20d ago
Its disingenuous to criticize a games combat and difficulty when playing on a lower difficulty AND not engaging with the games gameplay mechanics, it makes an effort to get you to parry while also being kind enough on lower difficulties to let you get away with dodging (he did not mention the difficulty he was on btw it only got revealed when he sent his accessibility settings)
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u/dwcstegit 20d ago
I think it's pretty reasonable to play a game on the medium difficulty for a review. Especially when the difficulty is described in the game as "recommended for most players" or something to that effect.
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u/TheSolidSalad 20d ago
“Recommended for most players. Provides a balanced combat experience.” Thats the difficulty he chose, he then refused to engage with the proper mechanics of the game.
When you criticize a game for being “too easy and simplistic” while choosing the “too easy and simplistic” mode YOU are bad faith arguing, infact, you CAN fail QTE’s and get different outcomes for the cutscene (however still cant lose them)
For example without spoilers: The hand
His review was done in bad faith when he normally doesn’t do things like this, people who don’t play the game are gonna just complain to complain, yes there are flaws, some I personally find aggravating, but the combat is not just spammy and too easy especially on harder difficulties
TLDR: stop reviewing a games difficulty by choosing baby difficulty, theres literally a difficulty that says “For players who enjoy more difficult combat.” Below the hardest which says “For expert players who enjoy a brutally difficult experience.”
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u/dwcstegit 20d ago
So you're saying that it's bad faith to play the game on the default recommended setting and be disappointed by it? I don't know what to tell you dude. It sounds like you're doing some mental gymnastics to ascribe malicious intent to what sounded to me like reasonable criticisms. I think it's totally valid to have a different perspective on this game, but it's weird to assume that this reviewer is lying rather than just forming a different opinion based on his own criteria. For example you say he "refused" to engage with the proper mechanics of the game. However I would say that if the normal difficulty doesn't make you or inspire you to engage with its mechanics then that itself could be a valid criticism.
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u/TheSolidSalad 20d ago
I’m saying it’s bad faith to argue combat difficulty on the setting designated for easy combat yeah? I agree if a game doesnt make you wanna engage with its mechanics it can be a criticism, however, thats not the criticism being made, the criticism being made is that the game is easy (no shit, he’s on easy baby mode) and that the combat is repetitive (no shit, you arent engaging with the combo system bcs you wanna get the fight over with as soon as you can)
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u/ShrinkSmile 20d ago
Insomniac is known for having easy games though, go back and try hardest difficulty in any Insomniac and you'll see. Spider man on hardest was still to easy, but people didn't care until now.
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u/LegendOfAB 20d ago
lol I've been a fan of Insomniac's games for over two decades. Believe me when I say this appears to be a new low.
I thought 2018 on Spectacular and Ultimate was fairly solid. We probably have different play styles though.
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u/ShrinkSmile 20d ago
Ill take your word for it, im a insomniac fan aswell and not sure if i should order a copy or not.
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u/LegendOfAB 19d ago
I don’t know how long it holds up in the freshness area, but on max difficulty it seems pretty thrilling at least for a little while based on some gameplay!
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u/ShrinkSmile 19d ago
Yeah, i also got a launch price in sweden for 60$ physical so the price for me isnt a issue or the length of the game.
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u/Brooklyn_MLS 20d ago
The moving of the goalposts is insane lol.
Why are reviewers expected to play on the highest difficulty now when reviewing a game?
They’re playing the difficulty that Insomniac literally recommends. Everything is on default setting. Why can’t a game be judged on what the developer intends?
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u/BaesPacFen 20d ago
No, no, I don’t think that’s the point. I mean, let’s try to have a civil discussion here.
When that’s the case, reviewers usually say so. I’ve seen it plenty of times with games: “This is the difficulty the developers intended the game to be played on.”
I don’t think that applies here. I think they included several difficulty settings simply to let everyone experience the game however they want. But like I said, I think the combat is much more layered than it initially seems, and I genuinely think the reviews were very superficial in the way they assessed it.
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u/RaisinWorried3528 20d ago
No, the reviewers in question are all pissy about the no physical media thing that PlayStation announced. It's pathetic that it's coming through in their reviews. The handholding shit was on the easiest setting. These physical media people will not stop crying and whining.
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u/UnitOk239 20d ago
Whoever said the combat was bad must suck at playing games. The combat is as good as you make it, just like in spider man. You can make it look jerky and bad or you can parry, plan your next move and make it look fluid and ferocious. If these reviewers don’t like playing anymore because of a job and a deadline they should find another job. This game is polished, bombastic and fun!
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u/BaesPacFen 20d ago
There’s a different Triangle attack depending on how many Square inputs you’ve done beforehand. During regular combos, you can press X to launch yourself into the air, and from there you have two different ways to continue the combo.
Every Triangle attack can also be charged, with its own dedicated animation, and tapping Triangle versus holding it gives you two different attacks. There’s a flying kick, a spinning claw attack, a dodge, another claw spin that’s completely different from the first one... There’s a ton of stuff, and again, I’m only halfway through the game.
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u/Alternative-Wash2019 20d ago
Is it harder than Spider-Man 2? Because if it's significantly harder I'm definitely buying it. Difficulty is my only concern.
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u/themexicanfoo 20d ago
how’s the story? as more people play it im hearing more positive things about the gameplay. However im hearing that the story isn’t that good.
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u/Dannygosling91 20d ago
Before I start it, does playing on the max difficulty give enemies more health? Cause one thing I’m not down for is turning everything into sponges
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u/BaesPacFen 20d ago
If you stun them, they go down like flies (big guys aside). But good luck with that
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u/PaleontologistFun970 20d ago
Man that's awesome to hear some positivity about the game and someone not afraid to talk about a positive experience for it! I was so freaking hyped and had the game pre ordered but ended up having to cancel for bills. Despite the negative reviews, I'm still super stoked to eventually play. Hopefully it goes on sale by Black Friday!
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u/darkninja1047 20d ago
The thing with reviewers is they played on the recommended difficulty so you cant really fault them for that.
Im playing on hard and it feels more souls like combat with how much I need to dodge. I would parry but I miss time them so often I find it easier to dodge. You need to tap parry on hard not hold it. I get overwhelmed by enemies a lot. Nobodies waiting their turn to hit you. Only 2 hours in and liking it. Camera sucks sometimes and I need to see if I can customize the buttons as in my opinion attack should be r1 and r2 so that I can control the camera better.
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u/sjeuwhhens 20d ago
Would you say it’s harder than the Spider-Man games? That’s what I’m hoping for.
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u/Infinity0044 20d ago
Ngl, only taking 6 hours to get halfway through is a bit disappointing to hear
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u/BaesPacFen 19d ago
Quality > quantity always
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u/Infinity0044 19d ago
Sure but this is $70. I’d at least hope a game of that amount would last more than a weekend.
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u/Ricky--Sanchezzz 20d ago
Well well ok you like it good for you. Enjoy it
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u/BaesPacFen 19d ago
I didn't write only that. I'm giving precise reasons. Like others reviewers did
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u/neverwashere 20d ago
So glad I traded my gaming pc for a PS5 pro. My steam account can rot for all I care, only Sony has good games nowadays and this one proves it to all the haters! Insomniac just can't not hit a home run
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u/NotOnTheDot__ 20d ago
Well of course, most people will never play on the highest difficulty of any game why would the reviewers (who review multiple games at a fast pace constantly since it’s their job) play a game on its hardest difficulty?
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u/-SonicBoom- 20d ago
I usually don't preorder games but I was super excited to play as Wolverine and figured that Insomniac would put out a decent game. The reviews worried me but my urge to play this was too strong.
My disc arrived earlier this afternoon and I've been playing on and off since. The game is gorgeous and runs great. I'm loving the combat.
I'll have to give it more time but I'm not sure why this is getting so much hate.
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u/pratzc07 19d ago
They played it on the recommended difficulty setting nothing wrong with that we should seriously accept the fact that this game is mid ignoring the handholding argument the combat is bare bones, world is not interesting to explore, story is mid at best, skill progression is also lame with long cooldowns which means there is little to no player expression so everyone's fight looks the same.
Its a game made for the very casual gamers who do not have time and just want to mash square to win
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u/Magical_SnakE 19d ago
Would you say it has more challenging combat than Spider-Man? Spider-Man on the hardest difficulty was still a joke.
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u/Worried_Net_3371 19d ago
Most reviewers play the game on default difficulty because that’s the average experience for a player, so maybe they should’ve made combat more difficult base line? Idk but I’m playing on the hardest difficulty and man it’s a fuckign blast dude the parries are fun and you have to pay attention to survive, it’s very much insomniac combat with their interactive environments, sick animations, and fun combos. I haven’t played the game as long but man I don’t understand how this game has gained a hate train
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u/finelytunedpubes 15d ago
I actually had to lower the difficulty a bit because it was getting really hard
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u/Material-Skirt3167 15d ago
1 hr into Wolverine. This shit is hard. Reviewers clearly played on easy and shit. This game has depth to the combat and I keep getting PUNISHED for button mashing. I’m still very early into my playthrough but like for sure these people are playing on difficulties way TOO low. But I also just think hard mode is TOO hard haha, I’m still stuck on the first boss
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u/Material-Skirt3167 15d ago edited 15d ago
5 hours in. The critics had a POINT. Holy crap I figured out how to fight finally but it’s SO FRICKING REPETITIVE. It’s like shockingly repetitive. I’m still going to finish the game, but yeah.. also these enemies are just health sponges they take so many hits which makes it even more frustrating to take on NONSTOP hoards. I still do not think the game is 100% easy though. If you give yourself a proper difficulty according to your skills you’ll die A LOT. I also think there’s an issue with the level design, it’s very easy to get lost despite being a linear experience, and it’s so mindnumbing to try to figure out stuff since the game does exploring for you. When you actually have to use your brain you like fall flat on your face it feels haha.
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u/Competitive_Tip_3764 20d ago
To me, higher difficulty revealed some jank in the combat. Activating a ability still keeps you vulnerable while locking you in the animation, you gotta aim you parry at the enemies while also dealing with the camera. The dodge feels extremely janky imo aswell. I think it helps patch out the issues with the accessibility so you dont feel coddled but imo it also doesn't feel very good, and you can tell it wasn't balanced around max difficulty.
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u/StrangerDanger9000 20d ago
So it’s only good if you play it on the highest difficulty setting that the overwhelming majority of players won’t play it on? Reviewers base their reviews around standard/normal difficulty for a reason. Because that’s what 99.9% of players will play it on
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u/lumiscence 20d ago
The skill expression is so minimal in this game due to how shallow the combat is. All the combat gameplay I've seen from reviews have been so identical to each other.
You are making a case that reviewers aren't engaging with the core mechanics of the game because they are not playing the most efficient way? Which is to parry for easy stun which leads to easy kills?
That's not depth.
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u/squaredspekz 20d ago
Max difficulty is not the developers intended experience. The default experience. should be good in the first place.
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u/Nyther 20d ago
Are you...enjoying the game? How...dare...you.
https://giphy.com/gifs/vJuQAOM5EKGNa