It’s official. This comic-turned-movie thing isn’t going to end. Neither is the comic-turned-movie-turned-game fad either. At least we’ve moved beyond the horrific gameplay of the old NES version of the X-Men games. Remember Cyclops’ retarded laser blast? It damaged none of the blocky surroundings. Only the baddies got the full punch. That’s what happens when you go straight from comic to game. Thank the Gods that we have moved into an era of 3-D gaming and film. Gaming is on a whole ‘nother level now, my friends. And the new Wolverine Origins for PSP is no exception. Ready to rip the baddies a new arsehole?
Hi, I’m Logan. I’ll be your assassin this evening.
Put yourself in the shoes of Logan, aka Wolverine. This game picks up where the “Origins” movie left off, with Stryker attempting to get some of Logan’s memories back using massive amounts of electricity. Seems to me that would basically turn his skeleton into a huge heating coil, but who am I to correct Stan Lee? He’s rich from making this crap up. I’m still a notch above homelessness and 5 for $1 Mac and Cheese. Don’t knock it. It’s good stuff.
Okay, back to the story here. As Logan is getting the shock of his life, he is having flashbacks to times before. It’s during these times that you take over as the clawed hero and go on a killing spree (aka recon mission) in Japan. Obviously, the story moves along from here, and things only get more and more violent with each passing memory. I like that the game actually has a thought-out story, instead of some random bits of plot thrown together with a lot of bloodshed to satisfy the savages out there. Wolverine’s skills are not limited to simply running up and gouging either. He can perform slow-motion leaps, landing on opponents yards away before going into a skewing frenzy.
Slice up ninjas with your triple Ginsus
Interesting to point out, the story is narrated by Stryker himself, and shows more of the violent side of Logan than the movies did. While the movies made him look like an innocent soldier who was drawn into something he didn’t agree with, this game makes it seem as though he is the stone-cold killer that his brother was supposed to be in the Origins movie.
Some of the game dynamics. O to pounce, smash the gate, climb the wall
Another cool feature of the game is the real-time regeneration of Logan, who actually heals as you watch and play. And environmental factors can hinder his regeneration abilities. If you walk him into a fire, he loses his ability to heal slowly until he is basically a human. Then those crazy sword-wielding ninjas take chunks out of him until he drops to the floor like a sack of flour. Game over. Stay out of the fire. I would avoid poison and stuff like that as well.
Overall, the gameplay is nice, but is certainly lacking in the detail area. I definitely think that they could have done better, compared to a few other games out for the PSP. Wolverine doesn’t really look much like the comic book version of himself, nor does he look much like Hugh Jackman. I think most of the world has come to associate Wolverine with Jackman’s face and forgot what the original character looked like. Unfortunately, the PSP’s game version of him looks like a whole new entity. He’s still got the animalistic body movements and the groovy 1860’s extended pork chop sideburns, but other than that he’s a whole different beast.
That’s not the only detail I found lacking. While many of the games out for PSP are richer in detail and have smoother shading, Wolverine’s is a little more blocky and pixelated. While the actual gaming portion carries that sweet 3D movement that the PSP has become famous for, I think that Marvel sold themselves short by not making the detail a little richer than it could have been.
That said, my final opinion is that the game is awesome in most aspects. It carries a lot of weight when it comes to action, but lacks in environmental detail and authenticity. All I can say is at least they stuck with the storyline, instead of creating a whole new web of BS to go with it.
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