Activision
X-Men Origins: Wolverine Uncaged Edition
Rating:
5 Stars
X-Men Origins: Wolverine, the movie, released to audiences in May of 2009 with much box office success; and, of course, much like all other successful box office hits, it had to have a video game counterpart. Now most of you are probably about to click that little red ‘x’ in the corner of your browser at this point, because if there is one thing that gamers know, it’s that perhaps since the Sega Genesis days, there has not been a worthwhile video game adaptation of any film.
Not to say that everything before that era was a success, because in all reality, movie-based video games are generally a rushed and unfinished piece of junk that was hurried out to meet the official release date of its movie counterpart so that tons of unsuspecting parents can waste their hard earned cash because their kid is infatuated with the film and wants anything and everything with the film’s name on it. This, of course, explains the situation that led to the production of E.T. – The Extra Terrestrial for Atari back in 1982. Hailed as not just the worst movie-based game, but often the worst video game of all time period, this frustrating little cartridge of fluff has caused gamers to resent the majority of licensed material and immediately dismiss it as trash.
But what if things could change, what if they could be different? What if, by some bizarre change of events, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, the game this time, was actually good? It’s quite obvious that would be the goal for any developer, and if there was ever a company to take movie-based video games to the next level, it would be none other than Raven Software.
Perhaps one of the most underappreciated studios of the last 20 years, Raven has had their hand in developing quite a few fantastic titles that just sadly didn’t quite make it for one reason or another. Never-the-less, they do an outstanding job of creating games that are well refined and look insanely beautiful, and X-Men Origins: Wolverine is no exception. Raven is such a perfect choice too, as they’ve already had their hand in a few popular superhero games, such as Marvel: Ultimate Alliance, and even a few X-Men specific ones too, like the X-Men Legends series. If there was a studio that already knew the ins and outs of Wolverine, it would have to be these video game veterans.
X-Men Origins: Wolverine is a fantastic story-driven, hack-and-slash, action-adventure game. The story is a loose combination of the film’s main storyline blended with an original plot created by Raven themselves. It draws heavy inspiration from the original comic series, which is excellent as it furthers the argument that this game was intended to be fan-service in its purest form, and not simply a bargain-bin, gimmicky cash grab. What’s most astounding about this game is that many people say the game is better than the movie it’s based on! But what do random people know about games and movies right?
Well, if anybody should know what it’s like to be Wolverine, it would have to be Hugh Jackman. Hold on to your seats, because he agrees that the game is better. Not necessarily in terms of straight quality, but rather he appreciates the opportunity the game has to dive further into the story because its time constraints aren’t as strict as the movie’s. He was so in love with the script Raven created, he actually managed to have some of it added to the film.
"In fact I was able to bring some of the lines of dialogue from the game script into the movie, because I liked how well it was written,” Jackman told Yahoo!. This is great, but then again it could just be an excellent marketing department at work. Does this game really live up to its hype?
The Fun Stuff:
The key to being successful on a game like this is pleasing the fans, because they’re going to make up the largest majority of those who will buy your game. After 4 successful movies, it’s hard to imagine anyone else playing Wolverine; and when you’re basing one thing off another, you really want to stick to the source material as closely as possible. That’s why it’s quite refreshing to find that Hugh Jackman reprised his role as Wolverine for the voice acting in this game, as did his counterparts will.i.am, Liev Schreiber, and a few others. That’s not where the fan service stops though.
As previously mentioned, Raven did a lot of work making sure to relate their original story line to the comics, including bringing in characters that didn’t make appearances in the movie and further developing the stories of those who did. There are also bonus costumes that can be unlocked which allow you to dress Wolverine in some of his most iconic suits, such as his classic yellow and blue, or the black and grey X-Force Wolverine outfit. There are even some references to things outside of the Marvel Universe, such as a hidden hatch that should please fans of LOST and a cake in one level which is clearly designed to look like the one in Portal.
Now of course, creating something that appeals to the fans doesn’t necessarily equate to a successful product either, as it needs to appeal to the masses so that others will purchase it. The easiest way to do this is to build a fundamentally sound game. Raven achieves this with some incredibly fluid movements and minimal bugs and glitches. The ease with which Wolverine flows around the screen really gets you into the game and makes you feel like you are Logan, skillfully taking down enemy after enemy. The controls are dead simple so that anyone can simply pick up and play. For those who appreciate a bit more than button-mashing, there are also some more complicated combinations you can learn to really tear apart your enemies; and of course there is the countering system to master as well, for those who are truly dedicated to a flawless performance. Between all this and the special attacks, you can really shred your enemies.
Speaking of which, a large portion of believability is seeing. If you really want to see with your own eyes that you’re Wolverine, this game provides that opportunity with some of the most intense violence in any modern game. This intensity lies in the accuracy with which you’re able to dismember your enemies using your claws. Swipe at their knee and you’ll chop off their leg and watch them stumble over. Cut off an arm and blood will spurt out as they scream and stare at the empty space where their arm used to be. Chop off a head and you can watch it roll away as their body lifelessly drops to the ground.
As you can tell just by what you’ve read here, this game is incredibly graphic and earns it’s ‘M’ rating with ease. If you’re worried about getting queasy though, keep in mind that you’re not right in the action. The game takes a bird’s eye point of view, so you’re witnessing most of the action from a pretty distant place. The realism is toned down significantly just because of this distance factor, and it goes from witnessing gruesome life-like dismemberments right in front of your eyes to watching your kid cut into Playdoh figures because he wants to make something new. Despite the excruciating detail in the violence, most of it is simply lost because of the viewpoint.
The biggest highlight for X-Men Origins: Wolverine is easily in the cut scenes. Developed by Blur Studio, these scenes will have you second-guessing your eyes and forgetting that you’re actually in the middle of a video game. Blur has done CGI work a long time, and although you may not realize it, you’ve probably seen a lot of their work. Once you’ve seen it, you understand why, because they create the most breathtaking visuals that often are mistaken for actual film clips rather than computer rendered graphic sequences. These beautiful cut scenes are the sole reason that everyone needs to experience X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Look up a trailer, or download the demo… the point being, you need to at least see the opening sequence for the game because the art they have crafted is some of the finest to ever grace a video game.
The Frustrating Stuff:
The only thing that X-Men Origins: Wolverine really suffers from is something derived from the nature of hack-and-slash games. Repetition hits you hard when it comes to the enemies in Origins. Despite the great surprise of appearances by villains and foes that didn’t make the film, many of them show up over and over again. Then again, the speed with which you eliminate them makes it all seem like the same faceless attacker in spite of the vast differences in enemy types. Even the mini-boss battles are so repetitive it becomes rather tiresome. Instead of coming up with more powerful and unique enemies, the solution to raise the difficulty level across the entire game is to just throw more of the same thing at you. Fortunately, though, the ability to upgrade Wolverine and unlock new attack combos is enough to make the stale and repetitive encounters feel fresh and exciting.
Bottom Line:
At first glance, X-Men Origins: Wolverine sends up flairs for bargain bin material. Despite now being located in most stores value section, that’s a reflection purely on the length of time the game has been out and in no way signals lack of quality. It’s definitely something that every X-Men or hack-and-slash fan needs to play at some point. If you’re an avid fan of either, it’s deserving of a purchase. Even after beating it, you’ll get random cravings to slice up bad guys as Wolverine; and no game has done it better. If you find yourself on the border, either try the demo first or consider it as just a rental. Regardless of your choice, it’s something every gamer needs to experience. It will definitely change your outlook on movie based video games as a whole.
X-Men Origins: Wolverine was developed by Raven Software and published by Activision. It was released in North America on 05/01/2009 with an M rating from the ESRB and an MSRP of $59.99. This review was based on a retail copy of the game purchased after the release date.
Are you a fan of movie-based video games staring Hugh Jackman? Check out RedGoateeRob's awesome review on Van Helsing for PS2!
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