Developer: Raven Software
Publisher: Activision
Rating Guide: How I Review Games
Screenshots: Available Here

Audio Recap:
 

Review:

I could go on for days about the history of failed “movie games”.  For some reason they just don’t translate well or manage to capture the feel of their movie counterpart.  Movie license games haved sucked.  That’s about all there is to it.  I can tell you now that those words will never be associated with X-Men Origins: Wolverine.  This game is bad ass with an extra helping of bad ass.

Releasing simultaneously with the movie of the same name, X-Men Origins: Wolverine tells the tale of Weapon X.  You may know him as a different name though.  You can call him Logan or Wolverine.  This is the story of his beginning and how he came to be.  Ever wonder where the adamantium came from?  If you watch the movie or play the game, then those types of “origin” questions are answered.  But that’s only a small part of what this game is about.  It is more than a story.  It is a new dawn for Wolverine as he’s seen in video games.  It is the “unleashing” of a caged beast!

We finally get to play Wolverine in all his brutal, limb-slicing glory!

Gameplay, Graphics and Sound

You are Weapon X and you’re on a mission to hunt down Victor Creed, William Stryker and the other misfits who you were once a team with.  The game twists movie elements and adds some nice comic flavor of its own.  So you won’t necessarily be spoiled if you play the game before the movie because it differs enough from the movie to separate itself.  I knew I was in for a wild ride simply by looking at the title screen/menu.  Seeing Logan in the adamantium tank was pretty damn cool.  I won’t even mention the opening sequence in which Weapon X is diving to the ground and ends up smashing right into some poor sap.  (ok I just did)

The game has you play out a variety of different flashbacks in Logan’s memory.  You’re taken to Africa, Louisiana, the Weapon X facility and other parts of the world.  It all mixes in rather nicely.  The story simply flowed for lack of a better word.  If I sound like I’m amazed, that’s because I am.  You normally can’t expect any resemblance of continuity with a movie licensed game but again, Raven Software broke the mold of what’s to be expected.  We’ve always expected nothing but demanding everything from a game like this.  Thank goodness this one answers those demands.  During the cutscenes, the story gets even better.  The cutscenes are beautiful.

The gameplay in the game is brutal and fun.  I lost count of the limbs, heads and guts I tore through.  The combat controls are nicely done.  The X and Y buttons are your attacks.  The A button for jumping.  The B button controls your grabs.  Pressing both triggers will allow you to roll and evade.  RB and LB controls your Lunge attack.  This was easily the most wicked attack in the game!  Holding down RB to target an enemy and then LB to “lunge” and dive at them was awesome.  Once you lunge at an enemy, you can press X or Y to dish out an attack or B to throw ‘em.  Pressing Y after a lunge would send you into this slow motion death kill.  I was doing a lunge attack from several yards and from high perches just because of its awesomeness.

Not only does Weapon X have basic attacks…he also has Rage attacks.  You gain the Rage necessary to power these attacks by killing enemies and tearing through the various objects in each level.  You’re equipped with four different Rage attacks.  Claw Spin, Berserk, Claw Cyclone and Claw Drill.  Hold the R trigger and press either the A, X, B or Y button for a Rage attack.  My favorite was going Berserk.  Rage attacks aren’t the only thing in your arsenal.  You can do a variety of Quick Kills, combinations and throws.  You can even use the environment to impale people.  I got quite a kick out of slamming an enemy on a spike in the ground or impaling him in a nearby tree.  I would have to say though that doing a Quick Kill was my most favorite kill method.  Learn them.  You will thank me.

You also have a variety of ways to upgrade Weapon X.  Throughout the game you’ll be able to level up and gain points to use on Skills.  Skills include upgrading the power of your Claws, Health or Rage.  There are also Mutagens you can enable to boost certain attributes and Reflexes (how effective you are against certain enemies) you can build upon during combat.  Each Mutagen can upgrade up to three levels.  Inner Rage, Shredder, Samurai are just a few Mutagens and each does its own thing.  I had a Level 3 Experienced Mutagen that allowed me to level up faster.  I can’t help but admit that each time I leveled up and Logan let out his customary Wolverine roar, I roared right along with him.  I think the neighbors were close to calling me crazy. 

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