Wolverine Set Loose

Published April 28, 2009

Wolverine is one of the most enduringly popular characters in comic books, an enigmatic combination of supernatural toughness and trauma, of heroism and vulnerability. Now at last, the X-Men's most celebrated hero has both a movie and a game to call his own in X-Men Origins: Wolverine™ for Xbox 360®.

The man's good at what he does.

Answers at Last
Much of what has made Wolverine such a remarkable hot-button character for comic fans is his shadowy past. Exactly how old is he? Where is he originally from? How precisely did he come to fall in with Weapon X and earn the right to suffer inhuman doses of terrifying pain in order that he may have adamantium grafted onto his skeletal structure? What exactly is his true relationship with Sabretooth?

When three terribly sharp, adamantium-covered blades make contact with enemy flesh at the behest of Wolverine's tremendous strength, the result is rarely pretty.

To say more would be to give too much away, but along with the quest to answer these questions, you'll also befriend and bedevil such Marvel stalwarts as Gambit, the Blob, Deadpool and more in X-Men Origins: Wolverine.

Cinematic Toolkit
Perhaps the greatest strength of the game is its uncommon ability to deliver on stunningly executed action sequences, with the player acting as the director of choreography. While the standard fast and strong attacks (X and Y, respectively) can be put to good stylistic use, combining these basic combos with lunges, throws, Rage attacks, and environmental kills imbues each combat encounter with incredible cinematic variety.

• Lunges: Wolverine's ability to leap hundreds of feet in the air and pin enemies is a remarkable advantage, notable for its display of raw strength and lethal grace. Target an enemy with RB and tap LB to trigger the flying lunge attack. Then, just as you pin your hapless target to the ground, either eviscerate them with a series of stabbing attacks, or kick back off the enemy, twirl in mid-air, and come crashing back down with a single strong attack. Of course, you could combine the two or even lunge immediately at another attacker.
• Quick kills: Once Wolverine has grabbed hold of an enemy, power up a Quick Kill by holding Y, wait for the claws to flash, and tap Y again before settling in for a gore-infused fatal finishing move.
• Throws: In addition to Quick kills, you can hurl your enemies any which way you want, preferably over ledges, into other enemies, or into nasty environmental elements.
• Environment kills: Littered throughout every level are all manner of deadly implements with which to punish your enemies. Send one into a transformer for a bit of light electro-shock therapy, thrust them onto a handy spike, or toss them chest-first onto the business end of a forklift.
• Rage!: The more Wolverine kills, the greater his Rage, and when his Rage reaches critical mass, let free its fury with a variety of attacks. These include a whirling dervish Claw Spin attack and a Berserker mode, where each attack benefits from substantially increased damage.

Any last words? Nope? Okay!

Feral Instincts
Wolverine combat prowess may be impressive, but he possesses other equally useful abilities, including his Feral Instincts. Tap up on the D-pad and the world will pulse with a surreal light, punctuated by vibrant colors that help call out useful bits of info for our hero. Notable items such as a switch may be called out in a loud yellow, platforming elements will glow green, and environmental dangers or advantages shine in a deep crimson red.

Feral Instincts can be used to sniff out stealthy enemies such as the invisible Ghost troopers. The feature will even point you in the direction of your next objective, making it a powerful tool for your use.

Level Up
While Wolverine's abilities are substantial, there's always room for improvement. With every enemy you kill and dog-tag you collect, experience points are earned to gain new levels, and access to improved skills. Increase your overall health, add damage to your Claw Spin, your maximum Rage, or your healing power when in Berserk mode.

Players that carefully explore their environment will stumble upon powerful Mutagens, which can be assigned to Wolverine to further increase his effectiveness. The Experienced Mutagen grants bonus experience for each enemy killed, while Blood Rage increases Wolverine's damage output when he's near death.

Hope you brought a parachute.

Healing Factor
It's Wolverine's freakishly effective Healing Factor that makes him so fearsome an opponent, allowing him to power through machinegun fire, shrug off piercing sword attacks, and pick himself up off the ground after being pounded into oblivion by an enormous Wendigo.

In terms of gameplay, Wolverine's Healing Factor works much like a shield, protecting him completely from harm, but only up to a point. Once Wolverine takes so much consecutive damage that his Healing Factor can't keep up, his vitals are exposed, leaving him open to debilitating attacks. Suffer enough damage after this point and he'll fall unconscious, leaving himself open for capture and forcing you back to the nearest checkpoint.

Developer Raven takes full advantage of this by literally shredding his body in proportion to the amount of damage he's taken. You'll know you're close to the end when much of his skin has been sheared off and great chunks of muscle have been ripped free, leaving his internal organs open for attack. Conversely, you know you're on the mend when Wolverine's skin grows back over the exposed bone and sinew.

Heads up!

Pull No Punches
Graphic as Wolverine's Healing Factor may be, the gore is appropriate to the character. After all, when three terribly sharp, adamantium-covered blades make contact with enemy flesh at the behest of Wolverine's tremendous strength, the result is rarely pretty. Wolverine's brand of combat is ruthlessly lethal and necessarily results in much bloodshed.

The game delights in this ultra-violent process, highlighting Wolverine at his frenzied, bloodiest best. Limbs are severed free from their hapless owners and heads decapitated from enemies foolhardy enough to leave their necks exposed. Wolverine's rage-based whirlwind attack typically ignites a torrent of blood spray, as will the lightning fast stabbing attacks that follow his trademark flying lunge.

This is going to be fun.

Jackman is Wolverine
When the original X-Men movie entered production, the casting of pretty-boy Australian actor Hugh Jackman caused more than a little stir among diehard X-Men fans. They wondered aloud just how this little-known actor could embody the raw, unhinged fury of body and mind that is Wolverine.

He nailed the performance, bringing to life the oft-tortured, always tough-as-nails Wolverine. It's Jackman's voice-acting and spot-on likeness that helps anchor the game by granting our hero some legitimate dramatic heft.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine continues to prove that when handled well, movie-licensed games can be not just good, but tremendous. With outstanding cinematic action, top-notch visuals, voice talent like Hugh Jackman and Liev Schreiber, and a developer like Raven willing to innovate, Origins is set to burst onto the scene May 1.

Article by Ryan Treit