I have not tried this on the X-Box 360, and this review is not of that version. Before the events of the three X-Men, Wolverine had a past... well, he had about seven that conflict with one another. And this is one of them. He was in love with and living with Kayla, out in the woods, and he held down a job, made a living. This is after he abandoned the secret squad that he and his brother Sabretooth(...don't ask. Just don't), along with other mutants, was on. One day, Creed kills his love, and he hunts him down. Our hero is not a match for him, however, and his old leader, Stryker offers him the opportunity to undergo an experimental process, that will cover his bones in the unbreakable metal Adamantium... including his trademark claws. He again goes about finding Victor... and getting revenge on him. If you've watched the so-so movie(I won't spoil it), you already know that the script of it was basically that of a video-game. Licensed games are almost always crap, and when the film(this follows the plot of it very closely, and doesn't really bring in anything new) is lousy... well, you'd think this was awful. It's not. Oh, it's not a masterpiece, either. These things are usually rushed, at times incomplete. There are portions and aspects where you can tell they ran out of time. Meanwhile, it isn't buggy or even glitchy(like the Iron Man one, for a recent example). The game-play is you running(well... walking at a mildly determined pace) from points A to B, fighting(so much so that it grows stale; then again, this is so short that you can complete it in a day and a half or so, so you're not tired of it for long before you're done with it) many enemies(about half of the types aren't really "evil"; for example, those poor fellow woodsmen!) along the way, and occasionally solving simple puzzles/tasks. Quality of design for the linear levels ranges, if none are downright poor. They tend to be positively tiny, and this nearly constantly loads the next area... fortunately, this process goes fast. Honestly, there are spots where you spend one minute before you go on to the next bit, and ones where there is no one to take out. This doesn't elaborate on the wars the sibling duo of cat-like killers have participated in. I would have thought that was one of the things they'd use to extend the time it takes(instead, expect to spend a lot of time on William's personal army). Bosses are OK(this doesn't always give you an idea of when you can hurt them and when to steer clear), if they don't tend to be memorable. The last one is the easiest of them(and none of them are all that challenging), and in general the ending is anti-climactic. There are some cool settings, like when you engage in combat atop a moving truck, or run away from a flooding dam(yep, *that* one). The acting is passable. Yes, the people from the flick(to an extent) return. Schreiber does fairly well. Jackman... less so. He's kind of flat in this. The lines are reasonable(some good banter), with a couple of nice ones. You can't always tell what is being said, especially in the flashback, over the radio. This isn't very challenging, with exceptions. You seldom go far back when you die, it saves by checkpoints and does so frequently. The camera moves on its own, and not exclusively in a helpful manner. You can't see a great distance before it's just dark or "horizon". The graphics are fine, and there are a decent amount of details to it. Most cut-scenes are in-engine, with a few full CGI ones that are well on the way to being downright awesome. AI isn't terrible; I've seen a disarmed foe present a knife or try to retrieve their gun. You earn XP by doing well, and it can be used to upgrade, thus getting new attacks. Beating this entirely allows you to play it again on the hardest of the three difficulty settings, with everything you've "earned" intact. There is nothing else unlockable, other than a rematch with the Blob, win for 750 points. In five minutes for an additional 750. In portions of this, you have to Lunge, leaping or the like from place to place, and all it is is moving the Wii-Mote in a certain direction when prompted to. This occurs in specific battles here and there; in that situation, it's better and more immersive(it's still got nothing on, say, Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones). The clawing and slashing is pretty fun and can be intense; you can do fast ones or a strong ones, and there are combos and chains, and since there are only two buttons to activate them, they're straightforward. It would be excellent if you could switch back and forth between who you're hacking at, instead. Blocking is useless. Strikes in quick succession will ramp up your self-healing(you won't stand still to regain life... you do, a couple of times, run around avoiding being hit, to do so, though) and fills up the red meter, allowing you to enter Rage mode. You go swifter and are tougher that way. Opponents can stun you, and there is an average variety to them. Some are invisible, and you have to use Sense mode to tell where their scent is(they won't be revealed, their movements will leave a residual smell that you can pick up on... thought out and implemented well), which you can also use for hints on how to proceed(it can tell you what you can interact with). Animation is attractive enough(and seldom awkward), if movements and controls can be a tad stiff. There is plenty of mild violence with a little blood and disturbing content. I recommend this to the biggest fans of the character. From what I understand, it's better on the other consoles. What a gyp. 7/10
Review of X-Men Origins: Wolverine
X-Men Origins: Wolverine
(2009 Video Game)
Not the best at what it does... but not the worst
17 September 2010