Kinda Funny Gamescast: Wolverine PS5 Wishlist - Episode Summary

Date: October 7, 2025
Hosts: Tim Gettys, Greg Miller, Blessing Adeoye Jr.
Theme: The hosts lay out their wish list and expectations for Marvel's Wolverine on PS5 by Insomniac Games, analyzing trailers, discussing gameplay possibilities, story structure, violence, connections to other Marvel games, and more.

Episode Overview

This episode is a deep dive into everything fans want and don’t want from Insomniac’s upcoming Marvel’s Wolverine on PS5. Using both official trailers and their extensive knowledge of Insomniac’s past work and Marvel lore, the hosts discuss hype levels, mechanics, tone, and narrative direction. The conversation is lively, mixing critical analysis with comedic asides and personal hopes.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Hype, Trailers, and First Impressions

• Trailer Recap: The group watches the initial 2021 teaser and the 2025 gameplay trailer back-to-back to refresh their thoughts.
  • Notable reference: The “HLK 181” license plate in the first trailer, a nod to Wolverine’s first comic appearance against the Hulk. (07:12)
• Hype Levels: All hosts are extremely excited—primarily because of Insomniac’s pedigree, the potential for elevated violence, and the uniqueness of Wolverine as a protagonist versus Spider-Man.
  • Blessing: "It being Insomniac. It being a different IP than Spider man for Insomniac. I know we're still within the Marvel world, but I think that is the most exciting thing possible when you think about what their version of the Marvel world looks like." (09:43)
  • Tim: “Every hit and punch, every strike there, I want to call it a strike. It's very visceral. And you can feel how it's going to feel playing the game, watching this.” (10:45)

2. Combat, Violence, & Gameplay Feel

• Comparisons to Previous Insomniac Games: Concern that, while the animations look cinematic, the raw, visceral feel needed for a proper Wolverine game might be hard to balance with Insomniac’s polished, sometimes “popcorn” style (akin to Spider-Man). (12:14–14:20)
  • Greg: “I want it to feel like I'm fucking coming to kill you and I'm taking you apart piece by piece with my claws.” (14:20)
• Desire for Visceral Combat: Many references to the 2009 “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” game as an inspiration for brutality and impactful combat.
• Gameplay Mechanics: Discussion of possible mechanics:
  • Toggling claws in/out (a “SNIKT” button).
  • Berserker mode (likely mapped to L3+R3).
  • DualSense haptics for claw pops and visceral slashes.
  • Environmental destruction.
  • Potential for wall jumps, throwing enemies, and creative use of healing factor. (44:07 – 44:56)
  • Blessing: “What is the mechanic? What is the button you press that feels satisfying?” (44:15)

3. Open World vs. Linear Structure

• Expectations on Structure: The group speculates Wolverine will likely not be a huge open-world like Spider-Man, but rather a more curated, semi-linear experience in the vein of Ratchet & Clank, or even Naughty Dog’s Uncharted.
  • Blessing: "I see it being more of a Ratchet and Clank kind of structure, right? Like you're going to these locations, they're going to be... semi linear." (17:28)
• Desire for Polished, Cinematic Experience: There’s a hope that, by focusing on a tight, story-driven game (10–12 hours), the result could be a step up in narrative and critical acclaim.
  • Tim: “Does that have the chance to elevate this then?” (21:52)
  • Blessing: “Yes, I think it has a chance to speak to people in a way that might even be deeper than Spider Man… That’s how you get an Insomniac 9.5 to 10 out of 10 game.” (22:14)

4. Story, Timeline, and Marvel Universe Connections

• When Does It Take Place? General consensus is post-X-Men, with Logan operating solo, and flashbacks to his X-Men days.
  • Greg: “I think this is post X Men or concurrently with them, but I would say post. My imagination runs away for no reason really. But from what we're seeing of a Logan who has left the X Men…” (25:08)
• How Much X-Men? While Mystique will play a core role, any other X-Men presence is expected to be minimal—cameos, brief assists, or flashbacks only.
  • Blessing: "If X Men are there outside of like Mystique and the characters that are core to the story, if we're making a strong, stronger allusion to the X Men, I expect one to two scenes max." (29:58)
  • Greg: "This is a Wolverine game and not an X Men game..." (30:08)
• Story Structure: Possibilities of globetrotting across places like Madripoor, Squamish, and more mentioned; linear but location-based progression.
• Playable Characters: Likely playable Mystique sequence(s), parallels drawn to Spider-Man's Mary Jane or Miles segments. Desire for these to be fun and not disruptive. (31:10–32:47)
• X-23 / Laura Kinney: Possibility of featuring Logan’s female clone, either in flashbacks or as a late-game surprise. (35:20–36:31)
• Cameos & Crossovers:
  • Spider-Man: Possible light references (e.g., newspaper headlines, background TV), but unlikely for him to appear substantially due to tonal differences.
    • Tim: “My gut says not in a substantial way.” (41:01)
    • Greg: “I can see him being in the newspaper, on the TV or whatever but I don't think he's going to help him in the mission.” (42:16)
  • Hulk: Strong speculation that a Hulk vs. Wolverine fight will be somewhere in the game (possibly as a flashback, prologue, or major set-piece), especially due to the license plate Easter egg.
• Deadpool: Both Greg and Tim are strongly against a Deadpool cameo, agreeing it would break the tone unless the game turns out much more comedic than expected. (50:47–51:39)
• Post-Credits & Next Steps: Expectation that the Xavier School will appear, perhaps in a post-credits tease, setting up future X-Men games. (48:26–49:24)

5. Insomniac as a Studio & Critical Expectations

• S-tier Debate: Playful debate—Insomniac is seen as consistently 8.5–9/10 but not yet a “five-star Michelin” studio like Naughty Dog.
  • Blessing: “For me, it's almost like Insomniac is a cheesecake factory... at the end. And it's all. It's all great. But I know it's not the five star Michelin thing Naughty Dog's…” (18:42)
  • Tim: “S tier can involve 8.5 to 9 games... there's a level there of consistency of fun...” (14:36)
• Strengths & Weaknesses: Insomniac is praised for making mechanically fun, consistently high-quality games. The hosts hope Wolverine will tap deeper emotion and story (like “Logan” the film).

6. Wishlist Features

• Gritty, grounded tone—deeply rooted in Wolverine’s anguish, survival, and violence.
• Combat that’s cathartic, not just cinematic.
• Use of DualSense and PS5 features for immersion (claws, berserker mode, destructible environments).
• Narrative that’s focused and personal, with high-intensity set-pieces.
• Smart, meaningful Marvel cameos—only where they fit tonally and narratively.
• A sense of Wolverine “against the world” but with hints of larger Marvel universe.
• Fun inside joke requests: A basketball kid NPC at Xavier’s school as a Kinda Funny callback, and, jokingly, mangoes lying around.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Blessing on Violence & Gameplay:
  “I think there's something even just on a pure gameplay level, there's something about the sharpness of the claws that just hits differently than the fists of Spider Man.” (10:17)
• Greg on Visceral Combat:
  “I want to be in these fight scenes and have those things where I get stabbed… And then it's the eye. You punch him off and you roll up and it falls out doing that thing.” (20:33)
• Tim on Open Worlds:
  “The core character of Spider man is being distracted, having too many things to focus on at once… I think with Wolverine it’s a very different… story.” (23:31)
• Greg on Pacing:
  “Something crazy happens in the Spider man story and then you fuck off for three hours to go chase pigeons… If this was like, yeah, it's just Logan's story, right? 10 hours, 12 hours even... that would serve very well.” (22:28)
• Hulk Fight Hopes:
  “This might be your only shot… do the thing, man.” (34:02)
• Deadpool in Wolverine?
  Greg: “It just doesn’t work to have, ‘Hey, well, hey guys.’ … that's multiple levels of levity beyond Spider man that I just don't think we enter.” (50:47)
• Basketball Kid Request (Greg, text to Marcus Smith):
  “When Wolverine… ends up at the school. Make there be a kid with basketball. It's a kind of funny in review reference. Thank you.” (51:57)
• Parting Thought:
  “I hope it feels like I'm boots on the ground, Wolverine... this you're behind the claws feeling.” – Greg (53:16)

Important Timestamps

• 09:43 – Initial reactions, hype, and violence expectations
• 12:14–14:20 – Concerns about gameplay feeling too “Insomniac” or not visceral enough
• 17:28–19:22 – Structural predictions: open world vs. semi-linear, “Cheesecake Factory” analogy
• 21:52–23:31 – Could a focused linear game elevate the experience?
• 25:08–26:44 – Story timeline guesses, X-Men presence
• 31:10–32:47 – On mission-based, multiple playable characters (Mystique, others?)
• 35:20–36:31 – Laura Kinney/X-23 and other “Wolverine” characters
• 41:01–42:16 – Will Spider-Man appear? Probably not; cameos at most.
• 44:07–44:56 – Wishlist for claws, special moves, haptic feedback, berserker mode
• 48:26–49:24 – Speculation on Xavier’s school, post-credits teases
• 50:47–51:39 – Deadpool cameo discussion (firm “No”)
• 53:16–54:45 – Final hopes: grounded, personal journey; “I want this to feel like boots on the ground Wolverine.”

Final Thoughts

This episode offers a thorough, thoughtful, and at times hilarious wishlist for Marvel’s Wolverine. The hosts are optimistic yet realistic about Insomniac’s strengths and discuss the tension between satisfying blockbuster spectacle and tapping into Wolverine’s uniquely gritty, violent heart. They hope for a game that is narratively focused, emotionally resonant, and mechanically satisfying, with a healthy respect for Marvel lore—but fundamentally, a Wolverine story that only Insomniac could deliver.

For full context, listen for:

• References to comic book lore and Marvel gaming history
• The S-tier studio debate and analogies
• Passionate pleas for violence and emotional depth
• In-jokes and community shoutouts (mangoes, basketball kid)
• Speculation on the future of Insomniac’s Marvel universe

[End of Summary]