I don’t get excited for licensed games anymore. I find that it’s better to save yourself the pain and just avoid them full stop. But when it came time to decide whether or not to check out a game starring my favourite adamantium infused badass, I couldn’t stop myself.
And maybe it’s just because X-Men Origins: Wolverine wasn’t developed on a synchronous timeline with the movie, or maybe it’s because Raven didn’t compromise on their original premise of an M Rated Wolverine game, even when the movie did; but this game is actually good.
Forgive me if I sound so surprised, but besides the Lego: Star Wars series, I haven’t enjoyed a licensed game since Die Hard: Arcade. I just wasn’t prepared to love an X-Men game or slicing and dicing baddies in a God of War inspired one at that.
Gameplay
X-Men Origins: Wolverine (Wolverine) delivers exceptionally on a very simple concept: an M Rated slice and dice adventure starring Wolverine that follows the plot of the movie. It never claims to be anything deeper than that, and in a way, that’s why it succeeds. The combat is very familiar feeling insomuch as it takes from other beat-em-up combo style games like Devil May Cry and God of War. What sets this game apart from those two titles, are a few key changes in gameplay and the sheer brutality involved in playing Wolverine.
Whereas other games or cartoons treat Wolverine as a children’s hero and have him face other mutants and robots without harming them, this game is quite different. To put it bluntly, Wolverine’s signature weapon, his claws, have not been ‘ninja-turtled’ and foes on the receiving end of them can be sliced, diced and dismembered exactly as you’d picture they would be.
Wolverine also has a set of special skills in this game, some tied to a refillable energy bar called his Rage meter, and some that are regular moves which are usable whenever. The most compelling of these is the lunge. It allows you to target any enemy in range (so long as they’re not way above you or out of reach) and jump directly to their location. When you connect with a lunge, you land on your prey claws first and you can add a secondary blow. This skill can also be used to cross chasms that are too far for a regular jump or to get through gates that would close too quickly for you to run through.
The special attacks that are tied to the Rage meter however, are more useful in fights with large numbers of enemies where the odds are stacked out of your favour. Using the spin attack or berserker mode can help you out of jam, that is, unless you are facing one of the many sub or main bosses in the game. There are a few game breaking chokepoints in Wolverine, however, that even special attacks can’t remedy. There is one particular enemy type that can immobilize you and initiates a button mashing sequence, and when in a group, keep passing you from one to the other, wearing down your thumbs and keeping your health bar waning along in time with your nerves.
That said, it only happened twice in the game, but I played those two encounters far too many times which took me out of the experience. Besides those two points and some awkward stealth play, the game is not all that challenging, in a good way, and will make you feel like a true Weapon X.
Some of the major enemies in the game are also quite vibrant, but the gameplay surrounding them takes away from the impact of their rendering (see Gambit, Deadpool and the Sentinel).
Where the gameplay enhances the feel of Wolverine, it detracts from the bosses. Instead of them feeling organized and intelligent, the simplistic action makes the bosses feel like dumb drones who follow very rudimentary attack patterns but with larger health bars.
Graphics & SoundThe enemies in the game may look pretty generic, particularly the soldiers and mutants in the African portions of the game, but Wolverine himself looks amazing. The damage he takes, as your health bar wanes, is another reason why this game feels so awesome and earns the M Rating. As enemies deal you significant damage, pieces of Logan’s flesh can be ripped away and even bone exposed. It is truly a highlight of the game, and gruesome to see.
The music in Wolverine is not bad but again, like the gameplay, very derivative. It’s not going to wow you but it will occasionally complement the onscreen action. The sound effects are also adequate; if you don’t count the bizarre amount of grunting Wolverine does that can be a little off-putting. Some of the Foley work however, like the sounds of sliced flesh or Wendigo’s tearing though the underbrush, is incredible. They really add some much-needed gravitas to the game when the backgrounds look a little too similar and the enemies are just swarms of the same character model.
ValueThere is a whole lot of main story game in Wolverine and it’s almost to the game’s detriment. Unless you’re one of those gamers that equate game value to hours spent played, you may be a little disappointed here. The plot is overly convoluted, flashing back and forwards in time at multiple points in each of the five chapters, and the game goes on for a good eight hours. I truly enjoyed the game despite its lack of originality and a feeling that it went on a little too long.
A lack of multiplayer is not a hindrance; however, as I can’t imagine how they would have made it playable and I’m glad they saved themselves the effort and put their time into polishing the main game instead.
The bonus modes are fun for a very short time, and give you direct rewards in the form of alternate and classic costumes. It’s a varied form of the main game mode and a fun little diversion.
ConclusionWhile it’s easy to conclude from some of my comments that there are some major issues in the way of enjoying Wolverine, I hope it’s clear that this is one damn fine piece of fan service.
I rarely enjoy button mashing or combo style action games and never complete them. The concept just can’t withstand an eight hour game for me. But X-Men Origins: Wolverine takes that concept and integrates a beloved superhero and just about kept me entertained for the entire game. They’ve captured what has always made Wolverine a favourite among comic book and cartoon fans and catered to their grown up tastes.
I can remember many Christmas mornings from my childhood spent excitedly flipping through the pages of a new book. This was unusual because as a young child, books and clothes were the only gifts I would dread receiving. However, the Christmas morning books that excited me so much were something special. Granted, they weren’t literary classics, but back then,... 
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