Despite middling Marvel's Wolverine reviews, PS Store rating tops Spider-Man games

Marvel’s Wolverine reviews were harsher than many fans expected, resulting in an average Metacritic score of 77. However, so far, players have fewer complaints, with the PS5 exclusive rated highly on the PlayStation Store. At 4.84/5.0, the brutal, action-packed experience currently ranks above Insomniac’s Spider-Man games.

When the embargo lifted ahead of its September 15th release date, Metacritic data began to accumulate. The title fell short of the previous Insomniac Games projects, which achieved critical acclaim. On PlayStation consoles, the 2018 Marvel’s Spider-Man sits at 87/100. The 2020 Miles Morales followed with an 85, while Spider-Man 2 notched an 89.

What explains the divide?

Some Marvel’s Wolverine reviews describe how the frantic combat becomes repetitive. With a linear design, there is less exploration to break up the constant button mashing. By contrast, the open-world structure of Spider-Man games results in more varied gameplay.

Based on PS Store ratings, buyers seem less concerned with comparing the two franchises. The linear focus may not detract from the enthralling battles between Logan and his foes. In fact, its 4.84 mark beats Spider-Man 2, the top player-rated webslinger at 4.72.

One caveat is that it’s still soon after the Marvel’s Wolverine release date. The approximate 20,000 user reviews on the PlayStation Store are a much smaller sample size than prior Insomniac efforts. Also, if the PS5 game has a short shelf life, as some journalists believe, enthusiasm could wane.

Wolverine sales

Regardless of what players think, Sony will watching sales closely. Leaked documents from the studio suggest it was aiming to move at least 6 million copies in the first year, and 10 million in total. That would trail the retail performance of Spider-Man titles significantly.

Early signs hint that Wolverine will meet its more modest goals. According to the PS Store DB tracker, as of September 16th, it’s the second-best-selling contender in the United States. In other countries like the United Kingdom and Mexico, the newcomer is in the number one position. Even considering the declining physical game adoption, the site also doesn’t account for PS5 disc sales.