Bam Kapow Reviews 'X-men Origins: Wolverine' Video Game

Video games and movies have had a rocky relationship dating all the way back to the 80s. Remember E.T.: The Extra Terrestrial for the Atari 2600? Millions of unsold copies buried in the New Mexican desert and nearly 30 years later, the art of transforming a film into a great game is still hit or miss. Developers always mean well, but turning a film into a game is often tantamount to creating an off-Broadway play based on a car commercial. In other words, what works well in one form might completely suck in another. And this brings us to X-men Origins: Wolverine - a game based on the movie…based loosely on the exploits of the most popular comic book superhero ever. Can Weapon X slice through over 2 decades of bad licensed games, or is this just another grievous injury to add to his already impressive list?

Origins: Wolverine starts off with Logan plummeting towards earth after the chopper carrying him and his squad-mates to a top-secret mission in Africa gets hit with a missile. This thrilling free-fall (which is controllable) ends a few seconds later with Wolvie slamming straight into the ground using an unlucky rebel as a meat cushion. And yes, the rest of the game offers plenty of these "holy shit!" moments - moments that the movie voice-over guy would gutturally refer to as ‘high-octane.’ If you’ve come to watch Wolverine be a bad-ass, you won’t be disappointed. More importantly, however, is that playing as Wolverine is pure, bloody fun. While women may swoon over Hugh Jackman, gamers will gasp at the violence he unleashes here. And when the breath finally returns to their lungs, the first words to be uttered will be simple: So…awesome.

Wolverine doesn’t just stab enemies with his adamantium claws; he cuts them into little pieces and plays in the remaining viscera. Blood flows like soda at Comic Con, and the aftermath of a battleground will be littered with countless bodies, few in one piece. It’s not uncommon to in a matter of moments completely dismember a machete-wielding maniac, impale a fire mutant on a tree branch, pounce an unsuspecting sniper from 100 ft. away, and stupidly grin at the screen when Wolverine mutters a one-liner to the accompanying sound of *snikt* during a brotherly tussle with Sabretooth that completely trashes a Canadian bar.

Another great touch is the way Wolvie’s health is displayed. Instead of a typical health bar, there is a regeneration meter that represents his healing factor. As Wolverine is attacked and the meter drains, his super-human healing kicks in, but only if he can find some breathing room away from the fray. Take too much damage and watch in horror (and amazement) as his body degrades in gruesome fashion, revealing muscle and even adamantium-laced bones. These injuries then heal in real-time. Muscles slowly grow over his impervious skeleton and skin covers up bullet holes. This effect doesn’t truly impact game play, but it’s damn cool to watch.

Part of the grisly beauty of Origins: Wolverine is the pick-up-and-play game play mechanics. It’s a hack-and-slasher at heart, which means jumping into the fray is not overwhelming or confusing. Simple attacks can be linked together and will devastate most enemies, but Rage moves are also available. These powerful maneuvers allow gamers tap into his Rage meter to unleash a spinning claw attack or buff up his speed and strength. In addition to Wolvie’s extensive list of eviscerating attacks are quick kills, which are extremely brutal and shred up foes in horrible ways, like a flurry of claw jabs into the gut. And for gamers who prefer to stalk their prey from afar, an easy-to-(ab)use pounce attack lets them close the distance with a target in a split-second. Those familiar with Raven Software’s other superhero game, Marvel Ultimate Alliance, will be right at home tearing shit up as Weapon X here since Origins: Wolverine feels essentially like a more in-depth version of it. And this similarity extends beyond the game play.

A basic leveling system lets Logan lovers customize him to their personal playing style. Killing enemies and finding hidden dog tags nets you experience (XP) which translates to skill points that can be used to strengthen Wolvie’s claws, unlock new attacks, or even lengthen his health meter. Though I wouldn’t recommend the latter since you’ll find health power-ups hidden in each stage anyway, some abilities like Berserker Fear, which causes enemies to panic whenever you enter Berserker mode, are definitely worth the price of admission. The leveling system ropes you in with the promise of stronger attacks and even more violent killing moves, which is smart seeing that the game does get repetitive.

And that’s probably one of the biggest flaws here. Too often mini-bosses are reused for no good reason - mini-bosses that are all killed the same way: by jumping on their backs and slashing away. The variety of these hulking monstrosities is also lacking. Not only with you be forced to fight W.E.N.D.I.G.O. prototypes several times throughout one level, but that might be the only deviation from carving up common foes.  Origins: Wolverine also stumbles when you’re forced to do anything besides gruesomely kill people, such as carrying a battery from one console to another in order to open a locked door, or pushing blocks. This isn’t Tomb Raider, and it definitely isn’t 1998; block moving puzzles need a three-pronged claw to the face once and for all. Thankfully, these "puzzle" sections are sparse and only pepper the otherwise relentless action which sees Wolverine rampaging through jungles, arctic tundras, and military complexes in a story that is a bit disjointed due to constant flashbacks and flashforwards. But who comes to a video game looking for an amazing plot? Most gamers just want to kill stuff, and in that department this game has you covered.

Raven Software has delivered the definitive super-hero game. Origins: Wolverine puts you in the boots of the ultimate killing machine and lets you see why he’s the best at what he does, even if what he does isn’t so nice. This is the Weapon X you’ve always wanted to play: unyielding and brutal. Though not without flaws, it is still a must-play, especially for comic book fanboys who’ve stood by and watched their favorite character get neutered by mainstream exposure and an attempt to soften up his vicious nature. You’ll thankfully find little of that here. Wolverine is the original bad-ass finally returning to show how it’s really done.