Wolverine has always been one of the most popular members of the X-Men. Often sporting a signature gruff voice and pointed hairdo, Wolverine has cropped up in just about every X-Men TV show, movie, and mainline series of comics in one form or another. For many, the yellow and blue spandex 90s X-Men cartoon version will be the first image of the character they think of. For others, it's likely to be Hugh Jackman's role-defining performance. Regardless of the character's appearance or portrayal, he's usually featured right alongside the rest of the X-Men team.
However, just like the lone wolf he's often portrayed to be, Wolverine will occasionally go out on his own and leave his Mutant brethren behind. Over the last few decades, there have been a number of Wolverine-centric games. While most of these do include cameos from the rest of the team, and feature well-established X-Men villains, the main story and gameplay all revolve around Logan himself. Unfortunately, despite the popularity of everyone's favorite foul-mouthed, clawed Mutant, his solo outings haven't been the most groundbreaking video game experiences.
A-Tier
X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009): Undoubtedly the best Wolverine game, and most likely the best X-Men game period, X-Men Origins: Wolverine is a brutal, bloody, and relentless hack-and-slash game. Though it doesn't reinvent the wheel, X-Men Origins: Wolverine is unapologetically fun, putting players right in Wolverine's constantly-disintegrating vest as he massacres his way through hordes of mercenaries, Mutants, and robots. While the plot loosely follows the much-maligned movie of the same name, Origins: Wolverine focuses on bombastic action, throwing new explosive set pieces at the player every few minutes to ensure that they never get bored of the game's satisfying (albeit simple) combat.
For many, this game is the first instance of Wolverine being given free rein to unleash his inherently violent abilities, with an M-rating allowing copious amounts of blood and gore to be strewn across the environment. Its graphics, plot, voice acting, and audio won't shock anyone, but X-Men Origins: Wolverine's gameplay and sheer brutality should keep adult fans of the character entertained throughout its 10-hour runtime.
B-Tier
X-Men: Wolverine's Rage (2001): A Game Boy Color game, X-Men: Wolverine's Rage is surprisingly enjoyable, even when played today. On its surface, Wolverine's Rage is a simple side-scrolling platformer, but just beneath the unassuming surface, there are a few mechanics that set the game apart from some other shovelware Marvel tie-in games. Though players might start Wolverine's Rage thinking it's a simple hack-and-slash title, they'll quickly learn that there's some nuance to the game's combat.
Players defeat enemies by slashing at them with their claws, but with every consecutive hit, Wolverine builds his Rage meter. When that meter is full, Wolverine will uncontrollably dash across the stage, murdering everything in his way but also likely falling off a platform in the process. Players need to take their time and plan out their attacks to maximize their damage output while still remaining in control. Wolverine's Rage also looks very good for a Game Boy Color game, with bright character models and detailed environments that help to make each stage feel unique.
X2: Wolverine's Revenge (2003): It may not have quite reached its maximum potential, but X2: Wolverine's Revenge is a solid Wolverine game that has plenty of exciting boss battles and varied environments to keep fans entertained. With a unique performance from Star Wars and Arkham's own Mark Hamill, Wolverine is given quite a bit of depth as players take him through the Weapon X facility in an attempt to save him from a life-threatening virus. Gameplay wise, the majority of the game will task players with slashing their way through Weapon X facility guards, but there are some moments that rely on some rather awkward stealth mechanics. The game's combat also isn't too great, with claw attacks feeling a little unresponsive and hand-to-hand attacks feeling too weak. Still, Wolverine's Revenge's presentation sets it above its competition.
C-Tier
Wolverine (1991): The first game to feature Logan as the sole playable character, 1991's Wolverine is a solid NES game, though it obviously pales in comparison to some of Wolverine's other video game offerings. In this title, Wolverine is trapped on an island by Magneto and Sabertooth, who proceed to put him through a series of deadly trials. The story isn't anything to write home about, and neither is the gameplay, with simple side-scrolling platforming being the only form of gameplay. With the NES' limited control scheme, there isn't a lot of variety in Wolverine's moveset, boiling down to just a kick, jump, duck, and punch button. Players can use Wolverine's claws, but they drain his health the longer they're left out. This can lead to a difficult and frustrating experience. Despite this, some solid audio and visuals, along with some neat comic cameos, keep Wolverine relatively fun for an hour or so.
Wolverine: Adamantium Rage SNES (1994): Developed by Bits Studio, the SNES version of Wolverine: Adamantium Rage is a fairly solid action platformer that has a few general flaws, but also has some redeeming traversal mechanics and decent presentation. The SNES version of Adamantium Rage allows players to use Wolverine's claws to climb walls and ceilings, and it also gives players access to a satisfying long jump. Unfortunately, this does leave Adamantium Rage on the SNES lacking in the combat department, with just one button being used for a single attack move.
D-Tier
Wolverine: Adamantium Rage Sega Genesis (1994): Scoring even lower than its SNES counterpart, Wolverine: Adamantium Rage on the Sega Genesis puts more of an emphasis on combat, but in doing so loses any unique aspects present in the SNES version, and instead becomes just a barebones beat-em-up with unresponsive and repetitive combat. This version of Adamantium Rage also features some shoehorned puzzles that don't really fit with the character of Wolverine or the type of game that this ended up being.