Title: X-Men Origins: Wolverine
Developer/Publisher: Raven Software/Activision
Platform: PC, Playstation 2, Playstation 3, PSP, Wii, DS, Xbox 360
Release Date: 05/01/2009
Number of Players: Single-player
Let me open by stating the fact that I actually have yet to see the film. Normally, that is a good thing with video game tie-in titles. However, from everything I’ve heard the movie does the IP just as much justice as the game. That said, and after having puts hours upon hours into the game, let’s get our Snikt! on and see how Raven Soft handled the latest Wolverine title.
As the title implies, and I am sure you gathered this much, the storyline of the game covers the origins of James “Wolverine” Logan. I have to admit that when I first sat down to give the game a whirl I really wasn’t expecting much. I have no idea why super heroes can leap tall buildings, do the things insects can and be your worst nightmare all while utterly failing at conquering the video game market. You’d think with the plethora of powers they have it shouldn’t be much of a task. So going in with low expectations I have to say I was more than surprised at what I got in XO: Wolverine.
Any game that starts with you skydiving from a shot-down helicopter all the while avoiding incoming fire just so you can land, claws first, into some poor schlub on the ground is going to grab my attention by the short and curlies. And grab it did. Using a bit of a mix-mashed background story, the game’s first real level opens with Wolverine and his claws of bone, before the adamantium bonding process. I say mix-mashed because it was long since believed that the claws were a product solely of the adamantium process. However, for comic fans, we know that there’s actually bone under those nasty buggers thanks to Magneto ripping the adamantium out of Logan’s body. The true opening of the game starts in the “Not too distant future” as a cinematic. A nod to X-men fans from the “Days of Future Past” graphic novels.
Now, as I said I have yet to see the film, but Raven Soft held back no punches when it comes to the gore and grit that is Wolverine. It’s been talked about time and again and will be done so once again by me. The first time you leap onto a chopped, shatter the cockpit and proceed to pull the pilot out and stuff his head into his own vehicle’s sipping rotor blades you know you’re in for a real Wolverine fight. Wolverine has opted to step it up and bring the violence factor to Kratosian (Yes, I made that up. No, you cannot use it) levels. In fact, I think the old God of War might get his handed to him by our man Logan. Dismemberment, evisceration, immolation… you name it, Wolverine will do it.
Another of the very fresh nuances of the game is the control system. Too often super-hero games really leave you in the lurch when it comes to fighting hard and fast as a hero such as Wolverine would. This is most definitely not the case with XO: Wolverine. From the blocking to the basic attacks to the 15 yard pouncing while performing investigative surgery on your target’s torso, Wolverine gives us the true (dear God I am about to use this word for the first time in my reviewing career) visceral sense of what it would be like to fight in the style of Wolverine. Mixing platforming with hack-and-slash combat with some added features here and there panned out fairly well for XO: Wolverine. Note, I say “fairly well” because the game isn’t quite perfect.
There are times when Wolverine will opt to miss a ledge right in of his face or dive through an object rather than grab a hold. This is something that happens rarely, but enough for me to at least make mention of it. The only other fault in the game stems from one of gaming’s biggest, baddest and nearly undefeated enemies of all time: the camera. There were more than a few times where I couldn’t see what the hell I was looking at because of poor camera positioning, occlusion, obstruction or just plain wonky camera controls in right spaces. I really can’t hold Raven Soft at fault for this since, as I said, this is one of the most dreaded enemies in action titles ever.
To keep the pace changing back and forth, we are bounced back and forth between an early mission of Wolverine’s and the present where he is looking for revenge against Sabretooth. While it’s refreshing to get a variety of enemies in doing this, the types of enemies does stale out at some point, though. There’s only so many machete fighters or spec ops guys you can fight before they all start looking alike.
One of the biggest annoyances to me, and what keeps this game from earning a slight higher score, is that it like to treat the player as if this is the first video game they have ever played. Part of the joy of video games is figuring things out for your self when it comes to combating new enemies. Sadly, XO: Wolverine would rather pause the game and plaster the “How to beat this chump” message all over the screen. Hey, that’s great that there are some new people that need these sorts of things. However, for the rest of us, give us an option to turn the hints off, please.
The mini-boss battles are bland and there’s just no way I can get about that. The battles with the Leviathans (molten, funky rock beasts) and W.E.N.D.I.G.O. prototypes is pretty much a lather, rinse, repeat combat situation that really doesn’t prove very challenging. The only time there was any difficulty was when you are forced to fight 4 of these mini-bosses at the same time and even then I breezed through. Again, I won’t completely fault Raven Soft for this since I can name a series of other successful titles out there that have done the same thing with QTEs (quick time events). Nevertheless, a review wouldn’t be a review with some critique.
At some point in the game I also got the feeling that things were rushed. In fact, this has been a complaint of many reviewers in the industry. Once you pass a certain point in the game it feels like you are just shoved from boss battle to boss battle to get to the end. While the fights themselves weren’t bad, per se, the rushed vibe just didn’t seem to roll as smoothly as the rest of the game. It feels a little like watching a film where a different director takes over the last half.
But there is a silver lining to the game as well when it comes to the story. A large portion of the film stars provide their voice talent for the game. Thank God we didn’t have to sit through some horrid Hugh Jackman or Leiv Schreiber impersonators as both actors happily reprised their roles. I remember how, with trepidation, I waited to see how Hugh Jackman would fill the roles of Wolverine back with the first X-men movie. He was too tall, they said. He wasn’t buff enough, they said. Well, he’s pulled the gig off very well. And I would also like to note that Leiv Schreiber did a fantastic job as Victor Creed, a.k.a. Sabretooth.
All things said and done, I am actually going to say that I think this may be one of, if not the, best video game tie-in titles ever made. And for that Raven Soft deserves some vigorous respect in pulling off something that usually results in digital excrement. I should also note that Amaze Entertainment working on the PS2 and Wii versions while Griptonite Games covered the PSP and DS. Sadly, I didn’t get a chance to see how well the title held up on those consoles so I couldn’t with right mind really give a review.
The Review
Storyline:
While it may not be the most original storyline ever, it’s definitely enough to keep Wolverine fans rabid for a while. There are some questions asked and answered and then there are some far flung allegations (You’re implying who is Nightcrawler’s father?). Having the lion’s share of the film stars lent their voices to their in-game counter-parts really did make the game a step more enjoyable and keep the immersion level within standards.
Gameplay:
Despite some platforming and camera issues the rest of the controls are fantastic. From the brutal quick kills to just slamming off one of a myriad of Logan’s abilities there’s plenty of action to keep you playing through to the very end. Two boss battles still stand out as my favourites, but I won’t say which. You are just going to have to play for yourself.
Music/Sound:
I can’t go past the “sound” area without mentioning again the voice talent. It really does flesh the game out really well, especially when that flesh is growing back slowly. The music has its moments, but quite often feel quietly into the background while you are busy lopping off body parts.
Graphics:
In a word: Outstanding. I must have spent an hour alone getting Wolverine as torn up as possible so I could get the right camera angle to zoom in and watch the tissue grow back.
The environments are massive and well rendered which is a blessing considering the game’s decent load time (some have complained about the length, but I’ve played much worse). Overall the detail is precise, crisp, clean and bloody. And that’s just the way we love our Wolverine.
The Good:
Decent story keeps you moving forward, fantastic combat, superb voice talent. Need I really say more?
The Bad:
The camera will kill you sooner or later. Deal with it. Expect the occasional missed jump. Also, it would have been nice to see the unlocked outfits in the cutscenes, but I can live with that
The Ugly:
Please, don’t treat us like kids who’ve never played a game before. Let us figure things out on our own.
Overall:
This is a superb super-hero game AND a superb movie tie-in title. I don’t see fans really being disappointed with the game. It’s fair enough length (10 hour or so) and replaying the harder difficulty actually feels hard. Plus there’s the added bonus of find some of Wolverine’s classic uniforms if the wife-beater and jeans don’t do it for you. All you have to do is find the hidden figurines then beat that version of Wolverine in the danger room and that costume is now yours to use. Plus, you have to love finding WoW and Lost references hiding in there.
Final Vote: 4/5
Tags: activision, Amaze Entertainment, Griptonite Games, Microsoft, Nintendo, Nintendo DS, Nintendo Wii, Origins, PC, Playstation 3, PSP, Raven Soft, Sony, Wolverine, X-men, xbox 360
Very good review, its hard to find people that give such detailed reviews with several pictures, and include each aspect of graphics, audio, etc… Keep up the good work. Also, I also like to try this game out after reading the review, thanks!