X-Men Origins: Wolverine is an action adventure game developed by Raven Software and published by Activision. You play as Logan, the feral and ever poplar member of the X-Men as he explores his brutal origin. The game is mostly based off the movie with the same title. Just for the record, I am a comic book collector. The Uncanny X-Men (plus the X-Universe) are my favorite comic books of all time. I always liked Wolverine when he was a part of the team, instead of his solo adventures. He is also an overexposed character, so there has to be good reason why I would want to read or play something with him in it. The game is not as bad as I thought it would be, but the story is just as bad as I knew it would be.
The graphics in Wolverine are pretty good and of course like almost all games, it uses the Unreal Engine. The character models are well detailed and Raven Software has done a good job of capturing the actor’s likeness. I will have to admit, the graphics didn’t impress me when I first saw gameplay footage of Wolverine. Don’t get your hopes up on the visual side of things because this game is typical of the Unreal Engine.
Wolverine is strictly hack and slash, and that’s what you would expect from a character of his nature. There is a lot that Wolverine can do, and the moves are easy to pull off. He has his standard attacks, plus you can charge up an attack that launches your opponent in the air. If you follow them up you can finish them off with an air combo. Wolverine can throw enemies and also use his environment as a weapon. If you do both you can throw an enemy and impale them into a spike or onto other objects in the level. Wolverine has enough variety that combat doesn’t become repetitive.
If you want to be more defensive, you can evade and dash out of the way. His claws can be used to block attacks and even deflect projectiles back at long range attackers. His healing factor is very well represented in this game. Visually you can see him taking damage to the point where his Adamantium skeleton is showing. His healing factor also is a good way to explain the regenerating health bars that are present in most action games this generation.
Wolverine has a Rage Meter that fills during combat. This system is reminiscent of GOW as you collect red orbs that raise you Rage Meter. You get them either by killing enemies or destroying objects. Once the meter is full, you can perform Fury Attacks that are pretty devastating. You gain experience points from your slain enemies which goes toward raising skills. With these skills you can boost your health, Rage, claw damage, plus the damage and duration of his Fury Attacks. Collecting dog tags on hidden enemy bodies in the level gives you even more XP. Mutagens are also collected in the levels and they give you extra perks during combat. Wolverine’s reflexes also play a part in combat. When your reflexes go up levels you can do more damage to a certain enemy type.
Besides his claws and healing factor, Wolverine has other trademarks he brings into a fight. Comic book fans know that Wolverine likes to lunge at his opponents. Just lock on to an enemy and Wolverine will lunge even large distances and land on them. Lunging can be used to shorten the distance between you and them, plus it’s a good way to get across gaps. His heightened senses come into play as well. By pressing the D-Pad up, you activate his senses which point out what direction you need to go in the level, and it also highlights platforms and other obstacles you can climb.
The storyline of X-Men Origins: Wolverine proves that ignorance can be bliss. If you have no idea about Wolverine as a character, you probably won’t have a problem with it at all. Wolverine is mostly based off the movie with the same title. Since I do not plan on seeing the movie, the game reminds me why that is a wise decision. They kept his origin pretty much the same. His days in Team-X are told through flash backs which you play out. He still gets captured and forced into the Weapon-X project, and you still get to play his escape of the facility in Alkali Lake, Canada. What got to me were the changes to the other characters origins. Most of the characters in the game have no business being there. Even though I like seeing the characters, there part in the storyline had me rolling my eyes so much I thought they were going to fall out.
I will have to say that I do enjoy the boss battles in this game. They are very cinematic and challenging at the same time. Fighting Sabretooth the first time was very rewarding. Not only was it like fighting yourself, the battle felt just like how I read them in the comics. You also fight the Blob, which appropriately is located in a grocery store. Gambit makes an appearance for all the fans of the Ragin Cajun. Gambit is very tough to beat, plus can be annoying at times.
Pros:
- Hack and Slash action
- Cinematic Boss Battles
- Offers some variety in the combat system
- Wolverine’s powers are well represented
Cons:
- The Storyline
- Very low Replay Value
- Graphics are typical for the Unreal Engine
- Linear level progression
Overall: 7.5
The beginning cinematic paints out perfectly what you will expect in the game, a brutal good time. Playing Wolverine was fun in its own right, but all it did was remind me why I don’t want to see the movie. Fans like me will be happy with the references to the X-Universe in the storyline, but that still doesn’t save it in my opinion. Besides collecting alternate costumes, there really isn’t anything that will draw you back to the game once it’s completed. Honestly the game is pretty linear and the puzzles are pretty easy. Wolverine is a brutal, combo heavy brawler, and that is what you paid admission for.
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One Of the best movie games in my opinion
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