x-men origins: wolverine

so i played through wolverine the other day, and i have to say i was quite pleased. i'm sure you've heard that this isn't your everyday movie game. i'm pretty sure you've heard that this isn't your everyday superhero game either. well, i can say happily that both of those statements are true.

from what i hear, the studo had MUCH more time to work on the game than would normally be given, and it really pays off. there are some signs of course, the graphics could use a little help, and there are rare glitchy moments. these are easily forgiven, but i still feel the need to mention them.

the story revolves loosely around our clawed heroes origin movie by the same name. there are of course added components to make the game last longer than the 2 hour movie. it's presented well, but bounces between one timeline to the next, and sometimes without warning. it can be a little jarring, but it does a nice job of making sure you don't spend too much time in one environment type.

the real meat of the game, as with any good game though, is in the gameplay. the game plays VERY similarly to god of war, which is not a bad thing at all. the claws operate much differently than the famous blades of chaos, but they get the same point across. there is a lot of carnage going on in this game. seeing chunks of flesh fly off when you get shot, watching the holes mesh back together. it's damn sweet. wolverine also has a pretty good set of combos at his disposal, and some TERRIFIC finishing moves to lay waste to baddies.

speaking of baddies, there is a pretty nice selection of enemies to face, even if some are a bit oddly placed. you have your typical goon types, and then guys with guns, etc. but i don't get the rock monsters in africa. i've read plenty of x-men in my day, and i don't remember seeing those guys ANYWHERE. you can get really creative when taking out most of the enemies, and you have a LITTLE leeway with the larger opponents, but more often than not, you're gonna jump on their back and stab away.

you can also make use of your environment to take people out. tree stumps, or limbs, spikes, a large fan in one case can all be used to impale or slice up enemies. it really gratifying! i haven't even mentioned tossing guys off ledges, or high areas in general, and then there's the LUNGE. oh sweet mercy is this a GREAT idea. you can target an enemy, and as long as they aren't too high up, or obstructed by something, you can leap a good portion of the screen away and jump on these guys. you can then follow up your lunge with a different button to add to the carnage. i spent a great deal of time lunging from one enemy to the next, just to turn around and keep the chain going.

THEN there are collectibles to aid your progress. you can collect mutagens to give you more health, experience boosts, or other boosts. they each have three levels and you can equip up to three at a time. another meter you can grow by defeating enemy types is your reflex meter. as you kill off different types, the meter fills and at each level grants you bonuses toward that enemy class. you can fill these up three times as well. it'll take a couple play-throughs to get them all maxed out though.

you can even get little statues that grant bonus content, like little arenas and new costumes. it's a lot of fun to play through in the old brown and yellow costume rather than the jeans and tank top of the regular game.

i think that's all i've got for now. it's a great game and i highly recommend you play it. i finished my initial play-through in 10-12 hours. i liked it enough to do it all in one sitting though, which says something. i usually don't even finish games, but this one really is a lot of fun to play, which is what matters most. thank you raven software, for giving me a fun wolverine game.