Yes I understand that the game has been out since the beginning of the month but I also understand that I don’t care. So now that that is settled, on with the more-words:

Do we really need another game adaptation of a film? I mean, I know there are advantages to rehashing an already popular franchise into a computer game and I can even sympathise that it’s tough to compete in the thriving, vicious world of the video games industry (an industry that has pretty much surpassed that of the film variety). So for the sake of this demo review I’m not going to dwell on the fact that games such as this are not very imaginative, somewhat watered down and part of a trend that needs to die in a horrible train wreck.

So what of this – how you say – X-Men Origins: Wolverine? The first thing that strikes me is the title. The inclusion of the colon followed by the sub-name “Wolverine” suggests there is more to come. Not something that intrigues me but again I’m not here to talk about that.

If you are familiar with X-Men (as I’m sure you are. Why else would you be playing a game devoted to the franchise? Weirdo) then you don’t need me to tell you that with Wolverine comes a game oozing and dripping with masculinity. The testosterone levels of this instalment (albeit only the demo) are exhausting and I can imagine the kinds of people that would go for this sort of game would be the sort that walked out of Fightclub protesting that it was girly and sissy.

The demo begins with a cut-scene of Mr. Wolverine killing lots and lots and lots of people. Then he moves ever so slightly and kills some more. And you can bet your thrusting pecks that there’s blood.

Once in control you drop down from an exploded plane into a jungle (and onto a guy’s face) where you begin killing lots and lots and lots of people. Much like many other third-person fighting games there are a combination of moves for the player to learn but similar to these games the essence seems to be in button-bashing the shit out of the kick/punch button and the combos working themselves out.

There’s your basic attack, special attack, jump and the combined forces of all three buttons which only appear to serve the purpose of looking skilful whilst breaking up any repetition. There is a leap attack which does require you to lock onto a target across a gorge and pounce on him from afar before he has time to wee himself. It’s a necessary move to learn in order to progress and I can only assume – what with the stat-building aspect – there are a few more in later levels.

I have to admit that I’m not a big fan of this particular genre but there is something oddly cathartic about mowing down hordes of “enemies” (I use the term in the literal sense in that they are people you must kill, though there is a distinct lack of motivation other than Wolverine being bollock-insane) with a series of satisfactory and gory moves.

It’s the kind of game you can imagine mentally unstable teenagers playing, seething in rage as they decapitate the end boss while gripping the controller tighter than a babysitter strangling a child and muttering Freudian slips about how Daddy never took him to the ballgame.

What also surprised me about the demo were the lack free roaming capabilities. You’d think with having a skeleton made of adamantium and the brute force to bore through a guy’s sternum and wave hello to the person behind him that being in a jungle would open up endless possibilities for exploration. A mere vine or small branch would be like ribbon to Wolverine. It’s this kind of lazy design that puts me off fighting games. If you’re going to jump on a bandwagon at least make it a decent one. Like that of the sandbox games (GTA IV for example).

OVERALL: fine if you’re into that. Personally I prefer to work out my problems through healthier methods. Crystal meth for example…