X-Men Origins: Wolverine

What is it about movie / comic based games that has developers across the gaming spectrum scurrying to churn them out? Please send answers on a postcard, because I really would like to know. Games of that ilk (with the odd exception of course) are synonymous with lack lustre game play, debatable aesthetics and a plot alien to their source material

With that in mind and knowing full well I had been tasked with reviewing X-men Origins: Wolverine, I braced myself. I took the afternoon off, headed home, crept into my special room, lit torches and sharpened my trusty pitchfork in anticipation of another witch-hunt (see my Godfather 2 review) before inserting the game into the gaming port.
An hour into the game and I had to face a startling reality, the game didn't suck. In fact, it was a lot of fun...guts wrenching, appendage dismemberment kind of fun. Think the Devil May Cry and God of War series type of fun.

The game is first and foremost a button mashing, hack and slash fest with some puzzle elements thrown in to break up the sometimes monotonous gameplay. Wolverine is a feisty and intensive character with a penchant for over the top execution style killings and Raven Software have done a wonderful job trying to replicate the same level of intensity throughout the game.

With its linear structure, all you really have to do is claw your way through throngs of enemy AI and square up against some pretty impressive end of level bosses. It's all very pedestrian until the latter stages when you find yourself ‘oohing' and ‘aahing' at the varying level designs and epic matchups against fellow mutants. It's eye candy for society's undesirables and really is a gorgeous piece of work.

With his powers, Logan is near impervious to everything thrown at him. There is also a feature called feral vision, which allows Logan to navigate his way through routes, enemies and all things invisible to the naked eye. With the option to further customize his skills by upgrading mutagens that can be collected throughout the game, it's safe to say a single handed, half-blind epileptic monkey with the attention span of a horny bee should be able to play through the game in about 8 hours. I took 10 hours...make of that what you will. There are also numerous collectables scattered throughout the game that unlock bonus levels and costumes.

The story is inconsequential, but is essentially driven by Wolverine's desire to find out how and why he has become the killing machine we all know and love by chopping and stabbing his way through the exotic milieus of Africa, snow drenched landscapes of Alaska and your run of the mill industrial / warehouse facility type environment.
The developers have also taken the unprecedented step of making it easy for the player to track how close they are to earning a trophy or unlocking an achievement. I'm not sure this might be appreciated by all, but I found it gave me an added incentive to plough through the game and adds to its replay value...well...that and the stunning in game cinematics.

Despite the deserved praise, the game does fall victim to the occasional glitch. On occasion, enemies are prone to mid-air freezes and there are some levels in dire need of some mild polish, but that shouldn't detract too much from what is ultimately a highly satisfying gaming experience.

One could be forgiven for finding the game play repetitive and bothersome, but a little perseverance offers its own rewards. Don't take my word for it, simply envision my glistening pitchfork in the corner of my special room in need of some attention. Any takers?