One of this year’s biggest superhero movies would no doubt have a game to tie in with it. But how does Logan’s virtual adventure compare to his on-screen action packed mission to take revenge on those who killed the one he loves.

Let’s start out with the plot, those of you who have seen the film will not about the story and how Wolverine becomes the character we have all seen in the films. For those of you who have not seen the film, then in short; After discovering his abilities to heal and his retractable bone claws, along with his brother Victor Creed, the two join forces with a man named William Stryker who is leading a special group of mutants to do missions which others are unable to. When things turn bad and innocent people start to get killed, Logan leaves the group and goes to live in the mountains with a woman he has fallen in love with. After a few years of living an honest life, his past comes back to haunt him and his brother kills his wife, sending Logan into a fit of rage and going all out for revenge, finding his brother in a nearby bar he is soon to attack and him and make him pay for what he has done. The fight ends with Logan losing his bone claws and badly beaten. When Stryker offers Logan the chance to have the tools required to take revenge on those he wants, he has little choice but to offer. Once the precious metal adamantium is put on his skeleton his claws are now formed from the world’s most powerful material and little can stand in his way.

So that is the basic plot of the film and the kind of plot that the story has, but if you have seen the film, when you play the game you will notice that it is a bit fragmented and does not really follow the film all that well. They game has been focused a lot around when Logan is in the jungle and has a lot of new areas and plots involved in it. This is largely due to having to create levels which have enough enemies in to fight and not being a couple of minutes long. Despite it feels like you are playing a game not really linked to the film, all the levels are well designed and are some of the largest I have seen in modern games. Which for me was one of the game’s strongest aspects, too many new games can be completed in a day or so and the levels are very short and have little to offer. This game on the other hand had plenty of puzzles and enemies to keep things flowing well. Throw in tons of secret bits and pieces to find, you will find yourself constantly checking every corner just to find that extra bit.

A lot of movie – game tie ins are pretty sloppy on the graphics and are not all that nice to control due to them being rushed through production. Not this game, the cut scenes are really smooth and realistic, there are not many of them during the game but the few you see are good. The in-game graphics also work well with Wolverine losing skin when he is shot and then it re-healing as your health goes up. It does not always heal and sometimes you find yourself with your rib cage showing for ½ a level, only a minor detail but it did niggle me at times.

A good plot (even if it does stray very far from the movie! Believe me when I say it feels like the two are not linked at times!), nice graphics and good level design with plenty of content. While it does boil down to being a hack and slash adventure game, there are some nice RPG elements where you level up and increase your damage, skills and abilities. You also have the ability to find “mutagens” in the game and equip them to achieve different results, be it gaining more experience or taking less damage. The level up aspect kept me interested in killing as many enemies as possible and meant you were happy for the levels to keep going on and the different enemies to appear during them.

X-men Origins for me has been a highly enjoyable game and one I was expecting to complete in a day and then get bored of, after having it over a week and playing pretty regularly I only just finished it and will be going back to gain a few more levels and achievements. It is pretty easy to pick up and play, and there are plenty of save points so you are not tied into playing for hours without saving.

Fans of the movie may be a bit shocked at the difference in story, but will probably still enjoy what the creators have done with the levels and characters. Some of the boss battles are pretty easy and overall unless playing on hard it will not pose much of a challenge in the long run. I think one of the strongest aspects of the game is the fighting, and this is probably the most important aspect for this kind of game. There is much more skill than just bashing X or Y, you can link combos and use the environment to take down the good range of enemies you will face. From grabbing their shotguns and blowing their brains out, to lunging from a good distance to pierce your claws through their chest. The game has plenty to offer and should keep any fan of the genre, characters and X-men happy for a while.

A good game but not a good movie tie in, with good levels and a decent length of game play, I guess it can get repetitive but there are plenty of things to do and different Wolverine costumes to unlock and with some enjoyable achievements to grab, I would have to recommend getting this game if you are slightly interested. May not be worth the high price tag but if you can pick it up for £25 or under then it should be on your list!

7.9/10


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