When I was young, I used to hold 3 metal barbecue skewers between my fingers on each hand, hold a bread stick in my teeth like a cigar, and tell my 300 pound linebacker brother, “I’m gonna slice you up and kick your ass, bub…” Most of the time he would punch me, or beat me senseless, but the method to the madness remains to this very day: Wolverine is a badass!! I have been reading Wolverine comics since I was about 8 years old. As a long-time Marvel fanboy, he still remains one of my favorite characters of all time. When I saw the preview for the X Men Origins: Wolverine movie for the first time, I must admit I almost peed a little bit. Let’s face it, a lot of times movies are great, but when a video game is released based on said movie, it usually blows goats. Such is not the case with the X Men Origins: Wolverine video game.
It was a lazy Sunday. I was hanging out playing Halo 3 when one of my buddies asked me what I thought of the new Wolverine demo. I was shocked as I didn’t even know a demo was out. I finished up the game of Halo I was playing and immediately exited to the dashboard with eager eyes. After a pretty quick download I fired up the demo. After about 2 minutes in, I shut down the 360 and asked my wife if there was any cheesy chick-flicks she wanted to watch, because I was headed over to Blockbuster. That’s right! This game was so awesome that’s all the time I needed to ensure I was playing this one! To my surprise, Blockbuster had a copy. I rushed home GTA style in my car with the game in my hand like a golden ticket to Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory.
Let’s just start with the opening cinematic. WOW! If you have not seen it yet, do yourself a favor and at least watch this video. *WARNING: Video clip is extremely violent and badass*
Now thats what I am talking about! You know from my past reviews that I love me some gore and violence in video games, and this one does not disappoint! Being the movie was pretty toned down on the violence aspect, I totally wasn’t expecting the game to be so Mortal Combat-Esque. Unfortunately this awesome style of cutscenes did not continue through the rest of the game until the last couple when you beat it. I don’t even know how the developers pulled off releasing this one. I mean, it seriously makes Gears of War and Dead Space look like PG-13, no joke. It’s not just the violence I liked so much, but the cinematic style in which it was done. Take for instance the part of the demo where you lunge to a helicopter, ripping the pilot out and holding him head-first to the propeller. Good times.. good times. There are so many moments during the game that are just jaw-droppingly awesome. Having seen the movie, finally, there are some spoilers in the game. So be aware if you’re planning on seeing it.
The game plays like your typical God of War/Ninja Gaiden/Devil May Cry-style Hack n’ Slash. There is a light attack, heavy attack, jump and a grab button that provide some pretty deep and awesome combos as you level Wolvy up throughout the game. While you level up, you also progressively gain 4 different “special attacks” that are executed by holding the right trigger and hitting one of the four face buttons. These special attacks are very similar to Marvel Ultimate Alliance special attacks for those of you who have played that gem of a game. These attacks are also upgradeable, along with upgrading your health, rage and claws. It’s not a particularly deep upgrade-system, but a nice touch that adds a sense of accomplishment as the game progresses. There is also a lunge mechanic that is executed flawlessly in my opinion. Holding the right bumper down will target nearby foes, and when you are within striking distance a green arch will appear at which point a press of the left bumper will send Logan flying towards the enemy with claws drawn, taking them down. Often times you will need to use this lunge to cross gaps or mount the backs of large bosses, but it is especially awesome in the battles where you face multiple enemies at a time. It pays a nice tribute to Wolverine as you see him lunge from one enemy to another giving them an adamantium chest exam. There is even the occasional “stealth kill” in which case a head is usually lopped off, or an enemy ripped in half.
Speaking of decimating foes, there is an “instant kill” mechanic as well. Probably one of my favorite parts of the game, these fatality-style executions never really got old. For each type of enemy, (which there are several varieties), there is at least a few different kills. It kept the cinematic aspect I spoke of fresh and exciting as the game progressed. There are also Mutagens scattered about that will give you several different perks like extra health, extra rage, extra experience per kill, etc. Again, not incredibly deep but a nice addition.
The game isn’t perfect. There are a couple gripes I have, but nothing that defeats how incredible this game was. For starters, the levels are long. I am talking, “how many friggin’ checkpoints are in this level?” .. long. Another disappointment was again, how the cutscenes differed from the opening cinematic. It would have been incredible to seen the same style throughout the game. I was pretty surprised how non-linear the levels felt. There were several puzzles and climbing moments in the game that reminded me a lot of Prince of Persia. Another mechanic executed well to compliment the puzzle solving is in the form of “feral-sense.” Basically, pressing up on the D-Pad will give you a kind of infrared vision that will show you objects that you can interact with like ledges and doorways.
I haven’t craved coming home to play a game like this since Ninja Gaiden. There were some really late nights I paid for at work, as I just couldn’t get enough. This masterpiece also has it’s “collectibles” in the form of bodies with dog tags you can collect, and Wolverine figures which lead to unlocking the classic Wolverine costumes. Man it felt good to rock the Yellow and Blue costume instead of the Hugh Jackman skin! Throw in a couple easter egg/achievements relating to my favorite TV show, LOST one of my favorite games of all time, Portal, and one of the games I have lost several friends to, World of Warcraft, and this game has got something for everybody. I must say before I go any further, this game really caught me off guard and took me by surprise. I have a feeling it will do the same for you. If you don’t think so, fire up the demo and give it a go. It is gory, long, awesome in so many ways and is one of my favorite games of the year, let alone ever! Holla at me in the comments and lemme know what you think!
–DIGGITY OUT
The Gamer Report 
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