Genre: Action
Publisher: Activision
Developer: Raven Software
Players: 1
Retail Price: $60
Availability: Xbox 360, Playstation 3
In the realm of video games based on movies, Wolverine is a bright spot in a normally dismal assortment. The game uses major events from the film to present an origin story for one of the most recognizable heroes in the Marvel lineup. Although it may not be perfect, it does provide an incredibly satisfying experience, and for the first time I really feel like they have captured what makes Wolverine a unique character, and brought it to a video game.
The story in the game is told through a series of flashbacks that jump back and forth between Wolverine before and after he went through the Weapon X program. Most of the characters from the film play a role in the story of the game, but don’t expect to experience an exact replica of the events of the movie. The story in the game isn’t bad, but at the same time it isn’t particularly amazing. I enjoyed some of the narrative segments, but overall I felt like it wasn’t what really drew me into the game.
The main reason to play this game is for the over the top action. This isn’t a game for children, a fact that is made obvious in the opening cinematic sequence when Wolverine puts his claws into a soldiers head, and because of this the developers were really able to finally showcase what a game about Wolverine should be. You play as a man with claws on his hands, and when that’s one of your abilities it doesn’t leave a lot to the imagination for what kind of game this should be. You’ll spend most of your time cutting down huge groups of soldiers as you make your way through the game’s five chapters.
The gameplay follows the formula of your standard third person action title, but throws in a few unique elements that help to set it apart. Your primary controls include jumping, weak and strong attacks, and the ability to grapple your opponent. When grappled with an enemy you have the ability to throw them, or you can press a button that allows you to execute a quick kill maneuver. You quick kill attacks allow you to perform an execution maneuver on your enemy, which normally means he won’t be left in one piece. In addition to your standard move set you also have the ability to unlock special moves such as claw spins, or the ability to lunge huge distances onto unsuspecting enemies.
Besides being an offensive maneuver, your lunge ability will also be used to cross large gaps that you would otherwise be unable to get through. This relates mainly to the sudden pauses you’ll encounter in the action that force you to solve some type of puzzle before moving on. None of these puzzles ever felt overly complicated, but at times would be more tedious than meaningful. I found myself frustrated, wishing I could just get to the next section and face the next set of enemies. In addition to your lunge being a useful ability, you’ll also have to use other abilities such as climbing walls with your claws or using your feral senses. Feral sense allows you to see ledges and items that you are able to interact with, as well as reveals the location of invisible enemies.
Visually, the game looks great in most areas. The cinematic sequences have an odd feel to them and look a bit different from the scenes rendered in game, but they still look great overall. The in game character models look just like the characters in the film, so if you’re a Hugh Jackman fan you’ll be fairly impressed. The game environments are detailed and look amazing, and only really falter in some slight graphical glitches that are easily forgivable.
Overall, Wolverine is an incredibly impressive movie game, and an awesome action game that comic fans as well as people looking for a great new action title should pick up and play. If you can look past the sometimes annoying puzzle solving sequences and overly long boss fights, what you’ll find is a fast paced and exciting videogame that finally showcases what makes Wolverine one of the most unique and entertaining comic books characters.
