Genre: Action
Developer: Genepool Software
Publisher: Activision
# of Players: 1
Memory: 4 blocks
ERSB: Teen
Released On: April 15th, 2003
Also On: PlayStation 2, Xbox, PC
Features: Above average FMV quality for a GameCube game

Introduction:

Chances are, when a movie is released and based on one of Marvel’s comic book franchises, Activision will be there with a video game based on it for the easy cash in. It’s a smart business venture for Activision, no doubt about it, but often, the games, like the movies themselves, don’t live up to they hype created around them. So, guess what? It’s that time again…

X2: Wolverine’s Revenge, is game which is loosely based on the film of the same name, sans the subtitle. The game follows everyone’s favorite X-Man, Wolverine, on his adventure back to the snowy lands of Canada, where he must save his own life by finding a cure for the Shiva virus, a virus which had been lying dormant in his mutant body for over thirty years. The Shiva virus is a failsafe for the Weapon X project, a project which Logan (Wolverine) underwent in 1968. The Weapon X project was the process where the stronger than steel alloy adamantium is grafted onto the bone structure of a human specimen, and at the same time, this would cause the specimens to become bloodthirsty savages who would service the needs of the evil organization which headed the project. However, not all things went as planned. Most which underwent the process could barely survive the grafting procedure itself, but mutants who shared similar powers as Wolverine could. You see, Wolverine has the power to heal quickly, as well as the powers of super strength and heightened senses; because of this he was ideal for the Weapon X project. However, Logan broke free of their brainwashing; he would not let himself become a tool for their doing. So, he escaped, but not without being scarred…Logan is a torn soul, who is torn between savageness and humanity. But now, since the virus has awakened within him, he must find a cure, because his heeling powers won’t keep him alive this time around.

Now there’s a story we haven’t heard before! Wait, we have, but that’s what the game is here for. To satisfy the cravings of the many X-Men fans around the world, and the classic Wolverine storyline is ideal for it. But, does the actual game itself live up to the same standards, or does it fall flat on its ass? Activision has surprised us before, with games like Spider-Man: The Movie, it’s possible they might have done it again.

Gameplay:

Some people think that Wolverine is a man all about going into situation gung ho, but that couldn’t be anywhere further from the truth. Any fan of the classic X-Men or Wolverine comics can tell you that, originally, Wolverine was all about approaching any kind of situation in the stealthiest of manners, and it wasn’t until much later in his own comic that he became a no nonsense, kill everyone type of guy. So, if you find yourself questioning why the game tends become focused more on stealth in the latter half, I’ve just given you the answer.

Like I just mentioned, the latter half of the game tends to focus more on stealth and creeping up behind your enemies to deliver a fatal blow, but the first half of the game tends to be more action oriented. Actually, the earlier half is filled of somewhat brainless gameplay. I say brainless because all you basically do is punch, kick, slash, and then rinse and repeat until you reach the end. However, I have to say that it’s pretty fun, most likely due to the fact that Logan has a nice variety of attacks to perform, and when the time is right, he can also perform a Strike attack which can really put the hurt on one or even three enemies. Not all is perfect though. Aside from the standard life gauge, Wolvie has this Feral bar. The more you attack, the more the bar increases, and when the color of the bar turns red, you will be able to go Feral. Going Feral increases Wolverine’s strength and speed, allowing him to eliminate a group of baddies in just a few seconds. However, I’m not quite fond of this feature. The reason for this is the fact that whenever your gauge is filled to its max, it will make you go Feral if you like it or not. Aside from that, going Feral prevents Logan from regenerating his health. What!? You can regenerate you health? Yep, that’s one of Wolverine’s powers guy, and in X2 regenerating you health is a key factor to success. You see, whenever Logan has his claws retracted, his mutant powers come into affect and begin to heal whatever wounds he has. Unfortunately, near the end of the game, due to the Shiva virus, Wolverine loses his regenerative powers.

The element of stealth isn’t applied to Wolverine’s Revenge as much as a game such as Splinter Cell, but it’s there folks, and it’s used enough to make an impact on gameplay. Often, you’ll have to creep up behind an individual, and when you’re close enough, the word “STRIKE” will flash across the screen. When you see that, press the X button and you will then be treated to a pre-scripted attack which will leave the victim lifeless. If you’re not sure if you will be able to succeed with your stealth attacks, hold the L Trigger. Doing that will allow Wolverine to hone in on his senses, causing the screen to turn blood red, which can reveal things that cannot be seen by the human eye, such as footsteps, lines of sight from enemy eyes, and even laser beams that would normally not be seen. But what does that feature have to do with the stealth part of the game? Well, when you use your mutant senses while approaching an individual from behind, you will see a silhouette of yourself performing the STRIKE attack on your prey. If you crawl to where that image was, you will be in the ideal position to perform the attack. For the most part, this all works near flawlessly. Oddly though, there can be two soldiers standing next to each other, and from there you attack the one on the right, but the guy on the left will stand there as if nothing happened. Situations like that one make me question the stupidity of the game’s AI.

Hmm, what’s left? Ah yes, boss battles. There’s definitely nothing innovative about any of the boss battles in Wolverine’s Revenge. Actually, the game seems like it attempts to take some of the best boss battles in recent memory, such as the boss battles with Bowser in Super Mario 64, and just stick them into the game. Is that a bad thing? Well, yes and no. Yes, because it’s unoriginal. No, because it works pretty well. Of course, not as well as I would have liked. But that can be blamed on the game’s problematic camera, which will only get on your nerves during boss fights.

Some games need checkpoints…X2: Wolverine’s Revenge is definitely one of those games. The reason for it is simple. Wolverine’s Revenge can become very frustrating at times. So frustrating that if you screw up once, just once, you’ll be forced to play the entire stage from the beginning, and to succeed you must execute each task presented to you flawlessly. Eventually you will, because you’ve played each stage over and over again so many times, that you memorized exactly how to approach a situation due to trial and error. However, the stages can feel very long at times, and the thought of dying looms in the back of your mind the further and further you progress through a level, because the game likes to put you into unfavorable situations often, if not all the time. The inclusion of checkpoints could have made the experience a bit more comfortable, but alas we have to deal with the extreme difficulty the game can present. Though, it’s refreshing to play a game where’s there actually a threat of dying, because lately, especially in this game with a green clothed, sword wielding boy, games have been becoming too easy for my own liking.

Lasting Appeal:

I was but surprised, when playing X2: Wolverine’s Revenge, to find out that the game was much longer that I would have ever expected. It will take you awhile to finish the game, but that’s most likely going to be because the game’s, sometimes, frustrating difficulty. However, a few unlockables, such as classic Wolverine costumes will keep you interested with the game for a bit longer.

Visuals: