Paul Frew
Dr Game's Second Opinion - X-Men Origins: Wolverine
May 4th 2009 01:31
Wow.
I was not expecting this. When I saw a movie-licensed game and Activision in the same sentence I immediately wrote it off after being burned by the likes of Spider-Man 2 and 3. Argue with me if you must but both these games controlled horribly and the camera left you spinning.
Sure, it wasn't Treyarch looking after the Wolverine title - it was Raven software. A developer I have a lot of respect for after Marvel Ultimate Alliance and the X-Men Legends games - so you would think they know the Wolverine character.
They definitely prove that they do. The game is very animalistic - Wolverine in the game is like a caged animal who has been poked and jabbed with a stick while someone sings off key Broadway musicals in its face. Every action Wolverine does in the game is full of rage.
There's no such thing as a "light" attack here. Wolverine's strikes off limbs like he's slicing bread and unleash spin attacks that resemble the Warner Bros' Taz devil. As you progress you'll level up and unlock new abilities like the lunge attack. This move not only allows you to reach higher ground but also tackle enemies to the ground so you can perform a human dissection.
The launch ability also works well on non-human objects such as helicopters and trains. In the early levels you will go head to head with a helicopter. I launched Wolverine towards the helicopter, smashed opened the windscreen with his fists, ripped the pilot out of his seat and proceeded to stuff his head into the blades above.
As you may have gathered this game is extremely violent. There is more blood then a Tarantino film and more loose limbs lying about that you’d think the legendary comic book character would slip on one of them. Wolverine himself can sometimes resemble a piece of swiss cheese except covered in blood, skin and grime. As most of you will know all his wounds heal almost immediately - it's no different here. You have two health bars - one for your body that deflects the bullet courtesy of the adamantium and the second for your vitals. Once your body lifebar decreases your vitals are visible and once this health bar decreases then it's game over. This should rarely happen because the enemies aren't the smartest but when there's an army, a tank and a helicopter on screen at once then it might be time to take cover every now and then.
DIAGNOSIS - HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
This is vintage hack and slash and what better character to have control of. The graphics are spectacular and while the gameplay is easy you'll still have a ball. Just don't pay RRP - look for a bargain or a copy on Ebay. If you're Australian I also recommend www.sendit.com. The UK pound is great for Aussies at the moment and these guys also seem to have a sale on. Wolverine is available on Xbox 360 and PS3. A slightly different version is also available on the Wii, DS and PSP.
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Comment by Shane O'Hare
Modern Existence
The Niche Blog