Wolverine Fights Back!

Man hair overdose - Check.

If you have read my movie review of X-Men Origins: Wolverine, you know how much I hated it. When I logged on to X-Box Live earlier, I saw that the demo for the movie-based game was available for download and since I wasn't in the mood to really play anything, I thought to myself... Why not?

Buff Jackman body - Check.

Well, just the intro video when you start the game itself is a million times better than the entirety of the terrible movie this game is based on. Raven Software has taken the liberty to ensure that they would do whatever they can to distinguish this game from the movie by altering the storyline and adding in more action than the movie could ever contain - they know the movie sucks, there is no question about that. The game is a hardcore hack-and-slash with some lite role playing game elements added to it. Wolverine levels up when you have racked in enough experience points and you can customize his attributes to your liking. The demo didn't allow me to really experiment with this because of it was very short. When you level up, it feels very rewarding because it is celebrated with a flashing, bright glow encompassing Wolverine's entire body. It really makes you want to kill more enemies so that you can see it again.

Exciting X-Men action missing from the movie - Check.

The action itself is simple but fun. It really reminds me of Conan on the X-Box 360/PlayStation 3 in terms of its overall mechanics and its level of gore. Unlike the sterile, bloodless movie, there's plenty of the red stuff to be found in this game. This is the real Wolverine whom I have been looking for - he's ultra-violent, he's sadistic, and he likes to stick his claws viciously where it hurts the most (like through the skull or across the neck). Body parts fly everywhere and some of the amputations are presented in slow motion for extra dramatic effect. Your enemies are not the only ones who get to take a shower in their own blood - as damage is inflicted upon Wolverine, you will see his flesh gets torn asunder only to regenerate completely when you are able to get away from the incoming punishments.

Gory kills missing from the movie - Check... and ouch!

I am quite impressed with what I have seen and played so far. This game is so much better than the movie, Raven Software should have released this without using any of the movie license. But I know that everyone loves Hugh Jackman so I can't blame them for trying to cash in on the movie's popularity. I really look forward to playing the full game. Thanks to the demo, the game has now been listed as Severity 1 on my Purchase List.

FIRST IMPRESSION: 4 out of 5

Games Played 05/11/2009

Parappa the Rapper - PlayStation
Resident Evil 5 - X-Box 360

RANDOM GAME OF THE DAY:


Galerians (2000)
Developer: ASCII Corporation
Platform: PlayStation
Purchase Date: 04/18/2000


Leon? Is that you, Leon? No, it's only Rion.

Galerians - what a title. Logically, this should have been a game about a bunch of hip and cool teenagers who are addicted to visiting the local gallerias. But that would probably be a lame game and Galerians is anything but that. You play as a 14-year old Rion who finds himself being experimented on in a creepy lab where the adventure begins. He doesn't have any recollection of who he is, only that he wields some truly remarkable psychic power. The game is a Resident Evil clone when it comes to the graphics - using 3D models on top of moody but static 2D backdrops - and the rigid character control. Instead of combining herbs and managing firearm ammunition, here you get to manage a bunch of ability-altering chemicals to inject into Rion. The storyline is very bleak with some absolutely horrific set pieces and it will keep you glued to the game until the end. Unfortunately, the experience is riddled with moments of frustration because you have to constantly watch Rion's anger points that keep rising up with pretty much everything you do in the game. All the bloody head-explosion deaths will make you forget the game's shortcomings though.

LIBRARY STATUS: 3 out of 5

Games Played 05/10/2009

Free Realms - PC*
Sid Meier's Civilization Revolution - X-Box 360
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II - PC

*A free-to-play MMO that almost got me and a friend hooked with its beautiful graphics and fun use of mini-games. We were almost willing to pay the $5 monthly fee to access the premium contents until we found out that some of the things you can buy in the game - like cute little animal pets - require a quick charge on your credit card! Ewww.

RANDOM GAME OF THE DAY:


ToeJam & Earl III: Mission to Earth (2002)
Developer: ToeJam & Earl Productions, Inc.
Platform: X-Box
Purchase Date: 06/05/2003


THE most offensive full motion video cut scene in video gaming history.

What could have been a celebratory comeback, ToeJam & Earl III: Mission to Earth ended up being something that should have never been released. The ironic thing is, the game is very true to the first two games that were released back on the Genesis when it comes to the gameplay design: it's all about roaming large stages to collect items and the ultimate goal in this game is to recover the Twelve Sacred Albums of Funk. It's classic and highly playable. The problem here is the game's stereotype-infused presentation and its apparent misunderstanding when it comes to funk vs. ghetto-fabulous. I consider myself to be very open to low-brow comedy and controversial humor but the things I have witnessed in this game are just plain horrible. There is nothing funny about them because the overall delivery is just so very desperate. The game tries to throw one at you at every chance it gets and on every single facet of the presentation. What's really funny is the fact that the portrayals of both the title characters remain pretty much the same as how they looked like originally. The very "urban" style they carry were initially harmless until the voice acting and body movements are significantly added into this release. For a game that is supposed to be about spreading the spirit of funk, it is anti-funk in itself. Nasty!

LIBRARY STATUS: 2 out of 5

New Game Alert!

I wasn't going to pay for this game so it's great that Rag Doll Kung Fu: Fists of Plastic is currently being offered for free in the U.S. thanks to Sprint's sponsorship. The game is normally priced at $9.99 and this may be a limited time offer, so if you are in the region and you own a PlayStation 3, you just can't pass up on this opportunity. It's a shame that Raggy doesn't have online multi-player because it desperately needs it.

Cheesy.

Games Played 05/09/2009

Arkanoid Live! Demo - X-Box 360*
Dynasty Warriors 6 - X-Box 360
Kingdom Hearts - PlayStation 2
Sid Meier's Civilization Revolution - X-Box 360
Space Invaders Extreme Demo - X-Box 360**


*I like Arkanoid so I will be buying this one eventually.


**Looks great on the big screen but I have the Nintendo DS version already.

RANDOM GAME OF THE DAY:


Golden Axe: The Duel (1995)
Developer: Sega
Platform: SegaSaturn
Purchase Date: 1995


Who would have known that Gillius could kick that high?
That's a nice pair of long legs you got there Mr. Dwarf.

Here it is, my first Saturn game. Just like how things were back in the 16-bit era, I could only afford to buy one console and during the 32-bit era, I had to decide between the Saturn and the PlayStation. I was an undergraduate student back then so I didn't have much cash to spare. So I went with the brand that I was familiar with. As soon as I had enough money to get the PlayStation, I did! I was one of the many who had never picked up the Sega CD, so I was very excited about the disc-based technology... Until I discovered the horrendous loading time associated with it. Golden Axe: The Duel is a competent 2D fighting game but those long loading time between the matches are very frustrating to deal with. The graphics are colorful and I like the detailed animations of the characters. There are 10 fighters in all to choose from, many of them are new to the Golden Axe universe but the dwarf-barbarian-amazon-Death Adder combo is intact. 10 may not sound like a lot but it was the standard back then and I never find that to be a detriment to the game. The Duel utilizes all the 6 buttons on the Saturn's controller with the typical weak, medium, and strong punch/kick variations. To perform super moves in the game, you have to collect magic vials from those small impish carriers found in the original game. They show up sporadically during the matches and would drop food on occassions that can be used to replenish your health bar. Sometimes, you would be too busy fighting your opponents to get to them but this element ties the game to its origin. The game is a good re-imagination of the franchise but we all know that hack and slash is only the way to go for Golden Axe.

LIBRARY STATUS: 3 out of 5