Movie-to-game adaptations usually mean it’s a bad idea. Most of the time, they are rushed out and not polished well enough to be playable. It’s sad since some movies, like Transformers or the Pirates of the Caribbean franchises, could be turned into good games. However, these days they seem to be getting better, but not by much, though there are some that are worth playing. Some of the good ones are Goldeneye, Batman (the one directed by Tim Burton), Spiderman 2, and X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Since I mentioned X-Men Origins, why don’t I review it?
The whole plot of the game follows very little of the movie. Even though I didn’t watch the movie yet, I know the game doesn’t follow it. Basically, it takes you through Wolverine’s past when he was a special soldier, and through other areas. In a way, this is a good thing since what is more boring then playing through the game just like in the movie? I know I wouldn’t.
The game play of the game is a hack-and-slash beat ‘em up with some plat-forming thrown in to give the game some length. This game is similar to other games like Hellboy: Science of Evil or 2007’s Conan. You go through multiple areas like Africa, a science lab, New Orleans, and secret military bases. There is a lot of variety, and you go through flashbacks, going back and forward through the game. Wolverine has multiple moves at his disposal. He can do stuff like slice-and-dice enemies, toss them into hazardous environments, or one of my favorites, lunging at an opponent and bashing their skull in. There are other super moves like a spinning cyclone of claws, a drill move, and a rage mode where your attacks are stronger. There is some minor puzzle solving throughout the levels, like moving teleporters, getting energy cells, and pushing statues. There are some epic enemies and boss fights, like fighting other mutants, and even one boss fight with a sentinal. You can upgrade yourself with the game’s small rpg elements, kind of like the ones found in Ghost Rider or God of War. You also gain experience points by finding dog tags and killing enemies. There are some minor quick-time events, which only take up finishing side bosses and one of the major boss fights in the game.
Graphically, it’s impressive. It uses the Unreal 3 engine, and it makes the graphics look great. The game is nice and bloody, too. When you play a game with Wolverine, you want to beat the ever-loving crap out of the enemy. It is always enjoyable when you lunge perfectly at an air-born enemy, killing them in the air with your claws. The voice work is also passable. One of the best parts of the game has to be fighting the giant robot in the game. It’s super intense and it’s awesome. Some areas in some levels are awesome, like skydiving through the air to destroy the enemy has to be my favorite part in some levels. It happens a couple times through the game.
However, since this is a movie game, it does have a few flaws that hold it back from being a Triple A game. First off, the pacing of the game is kind of awkward going through the flashbacks in sections. It’s like one minute you’re in Africa, and 5 minutes later, you are in one of the military bases. Even though there is a lot of blood, some of the deaths aren’t that violent. For example, in one fight with a behemoth-like enemy, you rip off his head and there is no blood. The game can also get repetitious, since it seems like you do the same thing in EVERY level, and fight the same boss fights in every level, literally. The only time the boss fights get different is when you are fighting Deadpool or Sabertooth or one of the X-Men bosses. This game isn’t that polished either, since I have run into a couple of defects, like flickering graphics and showstopper bugs. However, I only encountered a few of them, which is a good thing.
The game is rough around the edges, and a little unpolished, but it’s a fun game. This is one of those games that you rent or buy to relieve some stress out of a busy day. I would say rent it. It’s the perfect weekend rental. However, if you are a fan of X-Men, you can unlock some secret outfits like the yellow Wolverine outfit form the X-Men cartoon. So, if you are a fan of X-Men, I would say pick this game up.
This game gets a 7.7 out of 10
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