“Visceral” is one of the most overused adjectives in video game criticism. I hesitate to use it when speaking of games; it’s a very powerful word, and the overuse of it demeans it. It should only be used when absolutely necessary.
X-Men Origins: Wolverine is the most visceral video game experience you will have this year.
Forget the abomination that was the movie; while following the same disgraceful storyline, this game does far more in delivering the penultimate Wolverine experience. Within the first five minutes of the game proper (an unskippable…insert gamer rage here…and lengthy cut scene serves as an introduction), you will guide Wolverine to sever the limbs off of no less than ten enemies or so, leap across a jungle chasm–claws first, of course–at a gun-wielding foot soldier, leap off of another cliff–claws first–into a pack of bad guys, throw a few poor souls off of a mountainside, and then leap on to a helicopter to pull the pilot out of his driver’s seat and make creative use of the rotor as the instrument of his terrible, sickening doom.
Do not let Focus on the Family get a hold on this game; we’ll never play anything but Wii Music for the rest of our lives.
Wolverine the game–unlike Wolverine the movie–is, needless to say, visually stunning and relentlessly brutal. Wolverine’s famed healing factor is given the full, real-world treatment in that flecks of skin and muscle chip away with every gun shot or machete slice, slowly revealing the skeleton and vital organs underneath. If one can avoid taking damage long enough, Wolverine’s health will regenerate–and his body will grow back in real time. The effect is at once sickening and beautiful–sickening in that one moment Wolverine is a ghoulish figure of pain who unnaturally becomes whole again right before your eyes, beautiful in that for once gamers can rip loose and take risks that were never afforded them in God of War, Devil May Cry, or Ninja Gaiden (much like Master Chief’s recharging shields allowed for FPS gamers to engage in more heroic deeds once Halo came along).
The combat is also far more primal, far less restrained, than most other video games. While Wolverine does have defensive tactics, they serve very specific functions and/or are simply there to give variety to the game play; most of the time a flurry of slashes and stabs will work just fine. His primary attack–the one you will be using whenever possible, even if another strategy presents itself–is the lunge, a space-clearing leap that would look just as natural executed by a wolf or a tiger. It has Wolverine digging his claws into an enemy’s lungs and following up with any number of finishers. What I find especially satisfying about this technique is that it is so elegantly integrated into the level design; you are forced to use it at times, but it always feels natural (boarding a heavily fortified enemy vehicle for instance).
While Wolverine may heal, however, his enemies do not. Arcing globules of blood splatter across the screen and the limbs of fallen enemies fly around like so much debris. Wolverine’s fatality-like quick kills are far more intense than anything Kratos could ever dream up: evisceration, decapitation, tearing (not cutting–tearing) victims in half, using an own enemies arm iron-clad arm against him, and a curb stomp that would make Marcus Fenix soil his power armor are all part of Wolverine’s repertoire of hurt.
Be warned however: if you are not an action junkie then this game will get real old, real quick. Even for those who love action games, it’s best enjoyed in short sessions, as that helps keep the experience alive (I stopped tonight’s session only about an hour or two). While the presentation is pure sadistic euphoria, the mechanics are pure copy-and-paste from every action game since the original Devil May Cry–right down to the non-intrusive but not-really-necessary leveling system that allows the gamer to create their own idealized version of Wolverine. It doesn’t help that there is little variety in the enemies–especially the mini-bosses that pop up exactly when you don’t want them to.
A few glitches have hindered my experience a bit thus far, the narrative is told as flashbacks within a flashback, and the light puzzle solving here and there is almost absurd in its implementation. Quite frankly, this game is actually rather mediocre, all things considered. It could have easily been not even as interesting as Wolverine’s Revenge from 2003, a game I rather enjoyed that nobody else seemed to. What wins it over into the A-class of games is it adrenaline-pumping combat that never lets up and never compromises. It doesn’t take itself too seriously, yet it doesn’t mock the source material either (in fact, with it primarily being based on the movie, it even does the job of its source material better than the material itself).
Play X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Try it as a weekend rental. Its graphic and disturbing and not for the weak of sensibility, but its also a great example of how a game can play it safe while still feeling fresh at the same time. It’s like ordering the same sandwich for lunch every day, and then one day a new chef takes over and makes that sandwich with just a little extra something you can’t quite put your finger on, but it makes that sandwich taste extra delicious.
Of course, were Wolverine your new chef, that extra ingredient would probably be the grisseled shoulder of the old chef, who is screaming on the floor in the kitchen.
Posted by Brandon 
Posted by Brandon 
Posted by Brandon 
