Publisher: Activision
Ages: seven and up.
Parental
Advisory:
Arcade violence
Fans of the superhero with razor sharp adamantium claws can play him in Activision's X2: Wolverine's Revenge. This third-person action adventure game features lots of fighting and stealth and great graphics, but overall, it's a rather lackluster title that's more about theme than gameplay.
Players are taken back to 1968 when Wolverine's skeletal adamantium bonding experiment was performed at the Weapon X facility. Players then fast-forward to the present to find Wolverine undergoing tests and learning that a viral time bomb has been activated in his body and he has only 48 hours to find an antidote.
As one would expect, players use Wolverine's considerable attributes that include deadly claws, animal-like super senses, unbreakable bones, strength and mutant healing to make their way through the game and contribute to the game's high body count. The title asks players to use Wolverine's various skills to be successful. For example, to infiltrate high-security locations, players can make use of Wolverine's stealth techniques.
Wolverine also enlists the aid of allies such as Colossus and Rogue as he travels across the Canadian wilderness and finds himself in and out of danger in various Department H facilities and boss battles. Besides fighting, players have to flip switches and locate keycards.
The game's fighting becomes rather repetitive because the many opponents are so similar. The game does feature an intriguing "strike" command that lets Wolverine unleash a flurry of hits. It also offers a decent stealth mode that gives players additional information about their surroundings and the enemy.
The graphics are well done and the game looks great. It's no surprise that a game based on Wolverine is a violent one that features lots of fighting and various weapons.
X2: Wolverine's Revenge has an excellent movie license and great graphics, but is only an adequate action game. Fans of the series may find lots to like, but most gamers will probably be disappointed.
5/22/03 www.daytrum.com Editorial Staff
