Game Review: X-Men Origins: Wolverine

Billy O'Keefe - Mclatchy -Tribune News Service

"X-Men Origins: Wolverine"

Reviewed for: Playstation 3 and Xbox 360

Also available for: Nintendo Wii and Playstation 2

From: Raven/Activision (PS3/360), Amaze Entertainment/Activision (PS2/Wii)

ESRB Rating (PS3/360): Mature (Blood and gore, intense violence, language)

ESRB Rating (Wii/PS2): Teen (Blood, mild language, tobacco reference, violence)

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With all due respect to what it is - a "God of War" knockoff built around the story and murderous stylings of Wolverine - "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" deserves credit for what it isn't.

For starters, "Wolverine" isn't nearly as mindless or shameless as your typical knockoff. There are a few basic attack maneuvers you could, theoretically, mash ad infinitum up to and through the closing credits. But the game quickly complements those moves with some unique attacks - including grapple maneuvers and an awesome lunge attack that allows you to pinpoint and pounce on an enemy from the other side of the screen - that simply are too fun to ignore.

"Wolverine" also resists most urges to use onscreen button prompts as a means of executing routine finishing attacks or playing out elaborate action sequences. There are cut scenes, but you're free to simply enjoy them before the game frees you back up to do whatever you want. A special quick kill attack, which seems destined to be dumbed down through onscreen prompts, uses a cool slowdown mechanic that tests your timing, rather than some ability to mindlessly obey simple commands.

The sum total of Wolverine's diverse offense makes navigating the game's shortcomings less of a chore than they otherwise would be. "Wolverine," like most movie-based games, has the unenviable task of turning a two-hour film into a six-to-eight-hour story, and the game strains by taking you back and forth in time (and, consequently, through a few mid-game levels that look awfully similar to early levels).

For similar reasons, you'll encounter huge numbers of the same enemy types, which can be a chore when the enemy in question poses little challenge but still requires time to take down. Wolverine's innate ability to regenerate health makes for some easy boss fights that drag on longer than necessary, though some impressive set pieces in the late going do plenty to mitigate the onset of repetition. A continuous leveling system, which expands your arsenal and makes finding the optional collectables a fun and worthwhile endeavor, also keeps things from getting too mindless.

The only place "Wolverine" can't escape its fate is in the perceived value department. Like its fellow knockoffs, it's a single-player, single-trip experience that, despite an unlockable extra difficulty setting, won't entice a great deal of immediate return engagements. Recommending this as a buy will be easy once it inevitably drops into the $20-$30 range, but anyone who drops $60 for a game that requires a weekend to turn inside out is likely to regret it soon after.

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