X-Men Origins: Wolverine  

Played on Xbox 360 

Reviewed by Coxster 

He has claws that cut through anything, a skeleton made of indestructible metal and regenerative powers that would make Jesus jealous, he is everyone’s favourite mutant , Wolverine, Hugh Jackman flavour of course.   I have to say that, unlike the movie, the videogame tie-in has so much blood and guts flying about, I was half expecting Kratos to swing in on a unicorn at any second.   Not only is this game more visceral than the movie but it also reminded me of God of War in more than a few parts.   The combo system, the quick time events, the upgrades etc are all very reminiscent of the Sony behemoth – it just doesn’t have the top tier graphics and story to put it on equal footing.  If action games like God of War are your thing though, you might find that Wolverine is worth a look.  

The story is pretty splintered as it goes from one scenario to the next, flashbacks are abundant and it’s sometimes hard to keep track of where you are in the tale.  It does go beyond the movie and sheds a little info on Wolverine’s rise to infamy but because the story is so erratic in its narrative you’ll soon lose track of the plot – and you probably won’t care either.   I’m sure they didn’t want to provide any spoilers to gamers who haven’t seen the movie, but if you’re willing to forgive the failed attempt at telling a good story, Wolverine delivers when it comes to the action (and the gore).   The rule of thumb here is that if it moves, murder it.

Dare you to sneak up and tap him on the shoulder.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine plays pretty well, and if you’re familiar with games like God of War or The Force Unleashed, you’re going to love what it offers.  There is a deep and upgradeable combo system, some parry attacks, rage attacks, a lunge attack that sees you jumping from one side of the screen to the other, often leading to an enemy getting a neck full of steel, and other loose RPG elements that vary depending on what sort of style you like to play the game.   There are some on-rails scenes but thankfully they are kept to a minimum and aren’t that hard to get past.   The first couple of levels are dead easy to walk through thanks to Wolverine’s almost indestructible weapons and regenerating health, but the enemies slowly get tougher causing you to rely upon the various combos and parries you have learnt along the way.  When you take into consideration the fun combat system, game modifiers, the blood-soaked visuals and the considerable game length, you are left with a exciting action game that actually comes off better than the movie did.

There are some rudimentary puzzles that aren’t particularly challenging by any means of the imagination and I found them quite annoying.  I know most action games like Devil May Cry and God of War have puzzle elements sprinkled throughout the adventures but here I just wanted to slice and dice enemies.  It is so much fun that it never gets old and when you are presented with another puzzle that requires you to move a crate so you can reach a battery so you can open a door…well it just ruins the pacing and the excitement a little bit.  Thankfully these puzzles are few and far between and they aren’t going to take long to solve.

Not bad for a dude with a metal skeleton!

The downside to this game is that, as you near the end start getting a little repetitious and its hard to see anyone but achievement hounds and Wolverine fans completing it to see the end credits.   I’m the last guy on the planet to ever accuse a game of being too long in length but I think Wolverine overstays it’s welcome by one or two hours.  If the game was tightened a little so you didn’t have to walk around so many corridors, it probably would’ve been and it’s hardly a sin but I thought I would make a note that the pacing feels a little off here and there.

The graphics do tend to be a little undercooked, or at the very least, uninspired.  There are a flurry of boring textures, wooden crates (that for some reason Wolverine can’t destroy) and repetitive enemy characters, but the few boss battles and excellent render of Hugh Jackman (who also provides the voice acting in the game which is nice for once) save Wolverine from being a total loss.   

Overall:  

I actually enjoyed my time playing this game.  There was something satisfying about it.  The gruesome kills, the fast gameplay, jumping from helicopters and taking big leaps at enemies that would make the Incredible Hulk proud, the developers have passed on getting the Wolverine fundamentals right.  There is a nice combo system and although there is a fair bit of repetition (and brain numbing puzzles to solve) Wolverine stands in a very small field of movie tie-ins that are actually passable.  It’s a game that you’ll play through once and probably never return to again, but it’s not a bad ride while you’re on it, even if it’s a little bit generic…bub! (sorry!)