X-Men Origins Wolverine

I was genuinely and pleasantly surprised when I loaded XO: Wolverine for the first time.

I was expecting the game to have taken the same PG-13 approach to Wolverine’s blood soaked past as the movie, but boy - was I wrong. And after the first hour of playing not only did I have a new respect for the amount of damage that two indestructible claws attached to a cigar-smoking lunatic could dish out, but also the amount of blood they allowed to cover the screen of my 40" Bravia.

Yes, the game has far more gore than the movie, which in my opinion is spot on. The moves that Wolverine is capable of are also far more impressive than what his blockbuster stuntmen could pull off. Here you're able to send Logan into dizzying whirlwinds of carnage as he leaps football fields from enemy to enemy. You can also pull off one-hit-kills if you've got good timing and as you combo up the kills you'll gain experience which allows you to upgrade your character, making him even more powerful.

I felt really sorry for the first platoon of African soldiers that I slashed through on my way from checkpoint to checkpoint, because even if they managed to do some damage to my dual-clawed hero, his healing factor would kick in and have him good to go in 10 seconds. The poor guys never stood a chance. But as I played through the game the more I saw that there were tons of different enemies to kill, and I did so with extreme prejudice.

Also enjoyable was that while there is a lot of original voice acting and dialog, there are also snippets taken directly from the movie which give you a bit of deja vu and help to engross you in the story which fills some of the holes from the film.

In long sittings the game can feel a little repetitive, but it's fantastic for those times when you've got an hour to kill and want something entertaining, fast paced and violent. I say it's a winner!