Slated and hyped by developers Raven as the game that would change it all, finally changing the preconception that any game based on a movie is frankly rubbish. Many would have understandably dismissed these claims as simple self-promotion, however the games out and it’s good.X-Men Origins: Wolverine is a hack-n-slash adventure game that loosely follows the plot of the recent film, using flashback to show Wolverine’s time in the Weapon X program and his revenge plot against Sabretooth. These two plots take place alongside each other, jumping between past and present, which can at times be disorientating. Although the game’s plot may not be the best we’ve seen there is plenty of fun and pure excitement to be had slicing and dicing your way through the games 8-10 hours of gameplay.
Wolverine takes many cues from other popular action franchises and takes on a blend of combat, platforming and puzzle solving. Fans of the God of War series will undoubtedly see a few similarities in the gameplay, however this is no bad thing. Players should also be aware that another similarity between Wolverine and God of War is the explicit amounts of gore. It was the developers wish to give us the most visceral, bloody Wolverine game ever - younger players need not apply. Wolverine’s adamantium claws easily slice off limbs and heads with the greatest of ease, alongside gruesome environmental kills such as throwing a soldier into a giant fan or crushing them into a cement mixer, to name a few. To add to the gore factor, Wolverine’s iconic healing factor has now been implemented and Logan will now take actual damage in real-time. The character model consists of layers of skin and muscle which will regenerate before your eyes, which is often quite a spectacle sight after you’ve taken a lot of damage and Wolverine’s shiny metal skeleton is on display.
As in other hack-n-slash games you are rewarded for your constant butchering of faceless goons with magic red orbs. These can used to upgrade your abilities and you can also discover mutagens which will give you specific abilities, such as more health. Other discoverable items include dog tags and hidden costumes, which can be found through the use of Wolverine’s feral sense, highlighting dangers, moveable items and more. This combined with the level up system adds quite a bit to Wolverine’s replay value. However, some of the mini-bosses soon become repetitive, in contrast to the fully-fledged bosses such as Sabretooth and the Sentinel, which make for some epic set pieces and keep you playing through the game.
Yet, Wolverine is not without its flaws. Despite the game being in development before the film it coincides with, it does feel rushed. Visually the game isn’t breaking any ground and there are often some issues with textures, popup and far too many streaming issues. Players will also encounter a few bugs and glitches. These are only slight annoyances in a game that, overall, delivers an exciting experience that for once actually represents the brutality of the character. Definitely worthy of at least a rent, comic fans will undoubtedly get a kick out of X-Men Origins: Wolverine.
Format: PS3 (version played), Xbox 360, Wii, PC, PSP, DS, PS2 Dev: Raven Software Pub: Activision Out: 01/05/09 Players: 1
Stuart Kent
