And speaking of the enemies, I thought there was a good mixture of types in the game.  There were tribal warriors, robots, Sentinels, Leviathans, ghost like creatures, soldiers with shields and more.  There were also some large mutated beasts to contend with.  Some of the battles were a bit cheesy but rewarding nevertheless.  Is riding the back of a huge lava creature while ripping through its skin with your claws only exciting to me?  I would hope not.  Some of the Boss battles played out cheap leaving me with the feeling that I’d almost rather fight a wave of regular enemies instead.  One Boss battle that really got under my skin was the fight with Gambit.  It just kept on going and I felt like I would never defeat the guy.  However, a Boss battle that just scream “EPIC” was the Sentinel fight.  It may go down as the fight of the year.

The style of the game is very impressive.  Logan looked and behaved exactly like Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine.  The character model was spot on.  The real-time regeneration effects of Wolverine were a real nice addition as well.  You sometimes would be left as nothing but a bloody skeleton almost but then your regenerative powers kicked in and you saw yourself heal.  It was a treat.  I couldn’t get enough of seeing Wolverine do the famous claw retracting.  I kept hitting the D-pad down seriously to pull my claws out and in.  Each chapter and level felt different.  I enjoyed the aerial combat sequences very much.  They were each unique especially in capturing the intensity and feel of key moments.  I remember being blown away with how they managed to make me feel like I was really walking a thin beam thousands of feet in the air. 

When you come across an instance in which you have to maneuver above ground, the game pans out and allows you to see the world around (and underneath) you.  I had a couple of “holy shit” moments as I nearly fell to my death.  Weapon X gets small and the ground literally drops so that you can see how far you’d plunge.  It was clearly one of the best moments in the presentation of the game.  I expected a simple hack & slash action game but I was treated to many different styles of action.

One small but very noticeable detail in the game was how things reacted to Wolverine’s claws.  If it was an object you couldn’t bust or break, clawing it left the famous 3 slashes on it.  I would strike walls just to see my claw marks.

I know the 5.1 Dolby Digital buffs are wondering if the sound in the game is tops.  For the most part you’ll enjoy the ambient sounds of the jungle and all of the slicing that Wolverine does.  For what Andy Bayless and his team did, they should take a bow.  They managed to recreate the classic claw sound.  Hugh Jackman was great with his voicework as Weapon X naturally as was Liev Schreiber’s.  I don’t know who it was voicing Gambit but it didn’t quite work. 

For those of you who want a little of the classic Wolverine action, you’ll be glad to know that there are unlockable costumes in the game.  Finding small Wolverine icons throughout the game will allow you to play through bonus challenges for the new costumes.  There are three to be found.  Legendary Wolverine, Classic Wolverine, and  X-Force Wolverine.  I think most of you will choose the blue and yellow classic.

I wish there was some way to play through the harder difficulty without losing your upgrades but there isn’t.  If you want to conquer the game on a harder difficulty, you’ll have to do so stripped of all the upgrades you’ve managed.  I guess it would defeat the purpose of a challenge if you were already equipped.  And why can’t I play as Sabretooth or Gambit?  I don’t want to even think about the increase in fun this would’ve been to replay the game as Sabretooth or Gambit.  But alas, it’s called Wolverine for a reason.

Xbox LIVE Extras

There is no Xbox LIVE component to the game but trust me in that you won’t miss it or crave for one.  This game stands on its own without it.  Since this is the spot reserved for extras and there are no Xbox LIVE extras, I guess I can mention the fact that Achievement freaks out there should be pleased with this game.  There are a nice variety of Achievements to gain.  Let’s just say the fact that Achievements have to be loaded onto your Gamercard via Xbox LIVE makes it okay to talk about them here.

Conclusion

X-Men Origins: Wolverine is the best movie licensed game of this generation!  I’ve been waiting for a game to do justice to its movie counterpart and this game trumps the movie  in just about every category.  X-Men Origins: Wolverine captures the essence of Wolverine almost perfectly.  I know this game won’t be on any game of the year lists but if there is a category for the best movie licensed game of the year, then it wins hand’s down.  Do yourself a favor and tell the old lady to pick this one up bub!

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