Here we ago again, it's the start of the summer movie season, which means there's also a wave of tie-in games hoping to cash in on the success at the box office. The first movie out of the Hollywood gate is X-Men Origins: Wolverine, and Activision has released a game by the same title for both the Xbox 360 and the PS3 to give fans their Wolverine fix at home. So whip out those adamantium claws and jump onto the action, because while not perfect it delivers the goods, bub.

gameplay

X-Men Origins: Wolverine follows elements of the movie's storyline, buy also goes the extra mile to deliver more. Right from the opening cinematic you will instantly know that this is not the watered-down PG-13 version of Wolverine you saw in the movie, because this game is ultraviolent with endless decapitations, dismemberments and blood galore. In many ways it's more satisfying to play the game than watch the movie, because this the over-the-top Wolverine that we all identify with.

The game is played in third person mode, and basically uses the mechanics of God of War as its blueprint. Wolverine is not as elegant a killing machine as Kratos, but he delivers plenty of similar moves with his adamantium claws rather that swords. The controls require a very quick learning curve, and after you get use to the variety of combos and takedowns you can pull off, the rapid fire pacing will keep you battling through levels.

Key moments from the movie are implemented, so characters such as Sabertooth and Stryker are fused into the story, but via creative license Wolverine has a badass selection of deadly enemies to sink his claws into, including well-armed mercenaries, blade toting ninjas, twenty feet talk goliath beast, and even lethal statues that come to life. The Weapon-X comic that featured the backstory of how Wolverine became the anti-hero we all know and love is blended in, but slashing your way through hordes of enemies is strictly the main focus of the game.

To mix things up in between the constant battles, there are points when Wolverine has to use objects in the environment to find a way out of an area, there are also times when you'll also be doing some platforming, which may sound simple at first, but becomes more complex when there is a helicopter gunship firing non-stop rounds at you. You can also power-up Wolverine when finding certain orbs to enhance his fighting abilities, advance his healing, or send him in a ballistic rage that will leave body enemy body parts everywhere.

Oddly, this a very rare situation where the game is better than the movie it's based on because there is nothing kid friendly about it. The movie was one big Saturday morning cartoon, but the game is a no hold barred blood bath, and that's the Wolverine we want on our team.

graphics

The graphics for X-Men Origins: Wolverine are acceptable, but they will not blow you away. The cutscenes are well done, but the actual game offers muddy graphics and a character model that barely resembles Hugh Jackman. There are also issues of pop-up, and when there's a lot going on at screen at once, there is some slow down. Overall, it's not the eye candy we're used to in games now, but it gets the job done.

sound

Some nice touches are heard during gameplay, such as the “swifliing” sound when Wolverine extracts his claws, and the cool battle grunts when he delivers a final takedown on a enemy. The voice work is very flat, and they really should have re-cast the guy they got to do Wolverine's voice, or even better, just pay Hugh Jackman to do it (Wait a minute...it actually was Hugh Jackman. Hmmmm.) Other than that, all the basic gunshots, explosions and screaming enemy sound effects are good enough to immerse you in the game.

replay value

The game is not very long and can be knocked out in ten hours or less depending on the difficulty. After the solo game is complete there is no mutiplayer, but you can replay the game to find all the hidden goodies, such as Wolverine figures, that can be used to unlock challenges. Other than gaining more achieve points or trophies there's not much more, unless you just want to experience Wolverine slicing and dicing a second time around.

bottom line

X-Men Origins: Wolverine is a fun hack and slash, but it won't win any awards for originality. If you're a hardcore Wolverine fan you will both see the movie and buy the game without a second thought, but it's the game that will give you the satisfaction. Just think of it as God of War lite and you're good to go.

Review by: Johnny McNair
Posted: 09/24/2009

Gameplay:	7.5
Graphics:	7.5
Sound:	7.5
Replay Value:	6.5
Bottom Line:	7.5