All the X-Men fans can hopefully agree that the movie X-Men Origins: Wolverine wasn't actually that good. Like I'm not going to fight you if you like it but in the long run the story doesn't make sense and doesn't fit with most of the movies anymore. I've actually written two reviews of the movie, and the newer one probably explains my frustrations better.
And as you can see from the title of my post, there is a video game based on the movie, which came out at the same time with the film. I've loved that game (apart from the platforming parts which got me stuck), and I started playing it again today. I didn't even have to get far in the game to notice how much I have to say about the game, so I decided to write a blog post about it. It's going to be different for me, because usually it takes me maybe few hours to write the post, if even that. This one is going to take days. I have to actually play through the game, because it has been a long time, and I don't remember the story that well. I'm going to write down things I notice, and hopefully finish this post in a week I hope.
So here's a post type I never thought I'd do: Movie VS. Video Game.
First things first: I'm going to be spoiling the movie a lot so I can properly go through every single difference plot-wise.
I'm going to go through the plot piece by piece, place by place and since it's a game, level by level. After that I'm going through other stuff like the atmosphere, new characters, stuff like that.
BEGINNING
It's X-Men Origins: Wolverine, so the movie starts in the beginning: Wolverine as a kid. He's sick, his friend Victor visits him, he finds out the man he thought was his father isn't his father, but he shares the same father with Victor, making him his brother. Logan also kills his father, and the brothers are hunted, and they make a run for it - and then we see them going through so many wars. They both share their regenerative powers, so they are perfect soldiers - they don't die or grow old. Then they are drafted into a special team of mutants led by Major William Stryker.
The video game doesn't start at the start. It starts "in the not too distant future", like in the video clip I linked. He has lost his memories, and he's fighting. That's all we get from that. After that we see a helicopter crash in Africa.
There's no need to add his childhood into the game. There wouldn't be much fighting to do, and hey, it's a slash 'em up video game. FIGHTING is all there is! Also creating Logan as kid in the game would be kind of useless. And when it comes to the wars... In the movie they are just in the opening credits. That's something the game doesn't need. It's kind of taken for granted that either the player has seen the movie, or that they are the kind of gamer that the story doesn't really matter.
AFRICA
In the movie, the characters go to Africa to search for adamantium, the basically indestructible metal that will be covering our hero's bones soon enough. Much doesn't happen there, it's just fighting, introducing characters, demanding to know where the metal came from, slaughtering of innocent people... And that's where Logan decides he does not want to be a part of this team anymore, and he leaves.
These levels of the game take place before the events of the movie in Africa. But Africa levels are scattered throughout the game.
Helicopter crashes into Africa, Logan goes through the jungle defeating enemies and trying to find his brother. He does, and there's a typical villain line "we're more alike than you think".
Logan is told to go to a tower to destroy a device on it. Victor is going after the second tower, North after the third.
It is revealed that Raven Darkholme from CIA (was she an operative? agent? I'm not entirely sure) was with them watching over the team, making sure they don't harm the civilians. As Stryker loses the signal to Raven and David North (Agent Zero), he tells Logan to go after third tower, and that if he finds Raven, he should consider her dead, basically ordering him to kill her.
Logan runs into Raven and either unconscious or dead David North and Raven is pointing the gun at Logan. Stryker gives Logan orders to attack her, while she's trying to talk sense into Logan. Wraith appears and attacks Raven, knocking her unconscious. Logan goes to search for third tower.
Helicopter crashes into Africa, Logan goes through the jungle defeating enemies and trying to find his brother. He does, and there's a typical villain line "we're more alike than you think".
Logan is told to go to a tower to destroy a device on it. Victor is going after the second tower, North after the third.
It is revealed that Raven Darkholme from CIA (was she an operative? agent? I'm not entirely sure) was with them watching over the team, making sure they don't harm the civilians. As Stryker loses the signal to Raven and David North (Agent Zero), he tells Logan to go after third tower, and that if he finds Raven, he should consider her dead, basically ordering him to kill her.
Logan runs into Raven and either unconscious or dead David North and Raven is pointing the gun at Logan. Stryker gives Logan orders to attack her, while she's trying to talk sense into Logan. Wraith appears and attacks Raven, knocking her unconscious. Logan goes to search for third tower.
BEFORE THE PROGRAM
After the events in Africa, Logan lives in Canada with his girlfriend Kayla. Logan works as a lumberjack and he's happy with the quiet life. He is then visited by Stryker, who tells him that someone has been killing off the members of the team, and he want Logan's help. He refuses.
In the game, all that is... very different. It's very short. After the first level in Africa, we see Logan with Kayla, and she tells him the story of the moon and her lover who was tricked to get trapped in our world. That story is where Logan gets the name Wolverine. In the film that story takes its time and is a very emotional scene with meaning, while in the game it's kind of glossed over. They are going to the bar, Logan smells his brother, tells Kayla to flee, they fight and then Victor kills Kayla.
It is kind of annoying how little Kayla has in the game, but when I started thinking about it, what else does she do in the movie before her apparent death? There are only three notable scenes with her: there's the story, there's the scene where there's a hint of her mutant powers, but doesn't serve much else. There's also a scene where Logan wakes up from nightmares, Kayla asks if the dreams were about the war, and she asks which one. This scene is there to mostly show Logan's traumas, but it's also there to show that Logan trusts Kayla completely - apparently she knows everything about his past!
Because we get to see Kayla a little bit more in the movie, his death is much more emotional. In the game there's no time for romance, it's time to FIGHT! I get that. It gives the push, so we see what motivates Logan to try to get revenge on his brother, and why he goes to the weapon X program. Again, the whole deal is that we don't need to know everything, because the assumption is we know the movie. And we still get emotion out of Hugh Jackman as Logan, even though it's just voice acting, and actually it's much more subtle than the "NOOOOO-" we get in the movie. I'm not saying it's better, but it's understandable and Jackman is talented enough to show emotion in like one sentence.
The fight between Logan and Victor is a lot more emotional and means more in the movie, considering it's after Victor kills Kayla. In the game it's like, well, Logan and Victor just are fighting and oh, he also kills Kayla. If in the movie Victor just showed up and didn't attack her, I don't think Logan would've automatically fought him.
The fight between Logan and Victor is a lot more emotional and means more in the movie, considering it's after Victor kills Kayla. In the game it's like, well, Logan and Victor just are fighting and oh, he also kills Kayla. If in the movie Victor just showed up and didn't attack her, I don't think Logan would've automatically fought him.
When Kayla is dead Stryker appears, says he wanted to warn Logan. Now in the game this is when he first appears after Africa (and actually we did not see him in the first Africa level, so it's his first appearance. The thing is, we don't know if he visited Logan before this, it could be either way. Stryker promises to give Logan the weapons to defeat his brother. This goes pretty much the same way as in the movie.
WEAPON X PROGRAM
Logan getting adamantium in his body goes pretty much the same as in the game, just it's a lot faster, so we can get out of the way and into the FIGHTING.
In the movie Logan escapes the place pretty easily, but in the game it's an actual struggle. Also there are three different levels just for escaping, and the important parts to the plot happen inside the facility. You have to fight soldiers and fighters and all kind of weird monsters to get out of the way. While it's mostly fighting, this is where the story gets more complicated than in the movie:
While running away from the soldiers, Doctor Carol Frost contacts Logan and tells him his body was poisoned in case he escapes (clearly Stryker was cleverer in the game), and that his healing factor and heightened senses have been disabled. She promises to help if Logan gets to her.
This is something that actually could've added something to the movie. We never have to fear for him, because of his powers. We know he doesn't die! But here... he might die. So there's some gameplay where you have to be stealthy. There are a few enemies to kill stealthily, and there are lasers for you to dodge. It's actually more intense because your health is significantly lower, and fighting the enemies that are almost invisible is a lot harder because you can't use your senses to smell them and therefore see where they are. I especially hate the parts where you have to dodge the lasers: first time playing I was stuck for so long...
Of course you can't integrate the whole thing in the movie. It would take a lot of time... But something like this would've been interesting.
After she gives your powers back, she asks Logan to help a little girl also imprisoned in the facility, and who has been scheduled for termination. The girl can teleport which actually helps a little bit, because she teleports you twice. She is captured again when she tries to help, and she has to be rescued again, and then she teleports out of the place.
This whole thing isn't really interesting. I think it only exists there to make the escape longer, and maybe to show Logan's softer side. He almost refuses to help, saying he isn't a babysitter, but still he helps. But people who have seen the movies, read the comics... They already know he has a softer side. You can see it in the first movie and how nice he is to Rogue. This whole deal would be interesting if we knew who she was, if we knew what happened to her, if it wasn't just Logan going after her a few times... Like what if she would follow Logan for a while? What if we'd hear from her after escaping? What if there was something more? It's almost touching but we don't know her. It's just a kid almost getting killed. Yeah, it's awful, but if we knew more...
After that you get out of the facility, it's snow-y Canadian forest and more facility buildings... Honestly only two interesting things happen outside:
1) You see a monster called Wendigo and fight it several times inside and outside, but outside there's this one Wendigo you meet a couple of times and almost has a weird storyline, considering you fight him twice, you think he's dead but he attacks you... I wouldn't mind if Wendigo would've made it into the movie. Sure, CGI would've been annoying and it would've have to be really good interesting monster, but it could've worked... Actually it could've been more interesting than Deadpool if final fight would've been with the same Wendigo you've seen a several times...
2) You fight agent Zero. It's boring, and Zero says the same line as in the movie: "Good people tend to die around you." Makes sense in the movie since Zero kills the elderly couple that helped Logan... At this point I don't know who the good people are supposed to be... The soldiers trying to catch him? Kayla? She's the only one, but... She isn't dead and also at this point it wouldn't make sense.
After that you get out of the facility, it's snow-y Canadian forest and more facility buildings... Honestly only two interesting things happen outside:
1) You see a monster called Wendigo and fight it several times inside and outside, but outside there's this one Wendigo you meet a couple of times and almost has a weird storyline, considering you fight him twice, you think he's dead but he attacks you... I wouldn't mind if Wendigo would've made it into the movie. Sure, CGI would've been annoying and it would've have to be really good interesting monster, but it could've worked... Actually it could've been more interesting than Deadpool if final fight would've been with the same Wendigo you've seen a several times...
2) You fight agent Zero. It's boring, and Zero says the same line as in the movie: "Good people tend to die around you." Makes sense in the movie since Zero kills the elderly couple that helped Logan... At this point I don't know who the good people are supposed to be... The soldiers trying to catch him? Kayla? She's the only one, but... She isn't dead and also at this point it wouldn't make sense.
PROJECT WIDEAWAKE
THE ISLAND
From what I remember it's similar to the movie. You get your memories erase, Kayla dies but now she walks into a lake to drown herself, I guess. And then you're in the future with Trask and you... I don't know, it just leaves there. World is broken and you have the tools to fix it.
ATMOSPHERE
Wideawake has nothing to do with the movie. This didn't happen, and it's only necessary so you can meet a couple of characters.
Logan goes to search for Wraith but he isn't there. Instead he hears a message in the answering machine from Raven, who he thought was dead.
The message in the answering machine is about Wideawake, something probably similar to the Weapon X Program but not quite. It's not very well explained, but apparently Victor has taken a job with them, and he's the person Logan wants to kill.
There are robots and more soldiers to kill, and eventually Logan runs into Raven, who turns out to be a blue mutant that can transform into other people. Well, it isn't much of a reveal, since the player already knows this if they have seen the movies. Well, it is downplayed and Mystique just is there and Logan doesn't question much. Apparently Wraith is captured and Mystique promises to guide Logan through the place. Yay, another captured teleporter.
While looking for Wraith Logan runs into a sentinel head that starts shooting at him. He destroys it by shooting with an sentinel hand. When he and Mystique find Wraith, he teleports himself and her to a helicopter, I think, and Logan has to find his own way there. Wraith also reveals that Mystique is pregnant with Wraith's son, and he asks if she likes the name Kurt, so we know where Nightcrawler supposedly came from, even though... Isn't Azazel usually his father?
While Logan is trying to escape a sentinel attacks. Logan tells Wraith and Mystique to go without him. He destroys the sentinel eventually in a boss fight.
While looking for Wraith Logan runs into a sentinel head that starts shooting at him. He destroys it by shooting with an sentinel hand. When he and Mystique find Wraith, he teleports himself and her to a helicopter, I think, and Logan has to find his own way there. Wraith also reveals that Mystique is pregnant with Wraith's son, and he asks if she likes the name Kurt, so we know where Nightcrawler supposedly came from, even though... Isn't Azazel usually his father?
While Logan is trying to escape a sentinel attacks. Logan tells Wraith and Mystique to go without him. He destroys the sentinel eventually in a boss fight.
FINDING THE ISLAND
Wraith tells Logan to go after Fred Dukes, who has now gotten fat because of an eating disorder instead of, you know, his size being part of his mutation. After beating the shit out of him, Logan finds out about the island, which is a place where Stryker imprisons mutants trying to combine their powers. One mutant has escaped the place, Remy LeBeau.
The fight with Remy LeBeau takes ages and you have to fight people that are there to find you, so it takes a while until you get to the boss fight. And the thing is, it's the third boss fight in a row. It's annoying as hell, and this is the part where I actually stopped playing the game. The final part of the game comes from my memory alone.
The fight with Remy LeBeau takes ages and you have to fight people that are there to find you, so it takes a while until you get to the boss fight. And the thing is, it's the third boss fight in a row. It's annoying as hell, and this is the part where I actually stopped playing the game. The final part of the game comes from my memory alone.
THE ISLAND
From what I remember, there isn't much going on on the Island. You fight Creed (fourth boss fight in a row, yay) and then the abomination the movie called Deadpool (fifth boss fight in a row, yay), and after that the game ends.
From what I remember it's similar to the movie. You get your memories erase, Kayla dies but now she walks into a lake to drown herself, I guess. And then you're in the future with Trask and you... I don't know, it just leaves there. World is broken and you have the tools to fix it.
ATMOSPHERE
While the game is mostly just simple fighting, it's environment and atmosphere gives you something the movie doesn't.
First thing first - the game is super violent. The X-Men movies hadn't got to this violent yet, so playing this game was surprising. It was actually brutal. It's probably closer to some of the comics.
Of course you know violence makes a game more intense, but I still have to say it - this game is pretty intense. You heal fast, but before healing you can actually see how brutal it is. I accidentally hurt Logan while he couldn't heal himself, and oh my god... You can see adamantium coated ribs if he gets hit in the right (or wrong) place, you can see flesh... Imagine seening that in a movie, it would be so freaking intense. The earlier movies are so tame! Of course Logan handles things different with the R-rating, but honestly, a Wolverine solo movies all need R-rating, a lot of F-words and this game level of gore!
Also while escaping the facility you go through several rooms with severed mutant bodies, everything covered with blood. You can assume all the things this environment points at, but holy shit it's gruesome to see.
CHARACTERS AND CAST
Only three actors from the movie also voiced their character in the game: Hugh Jackman, Liev Schreiber and will.i.am, and honestly, these three are enough. I don't miss any of the cast members of the movie, and some of the actors are good.
In the movie Kayla is played by Lynn Collins, who is looks beautiful but... I don't feel much personality there. In the game Kayla is voiced by April Stewart, and oh my god... It's like Kayla finally has a personality. She has only like two scenes, that's true, but Stewart is a good voice actress, and I've heard her roles in several video games. Yeah, she's a lot different from Collins, but I don't mind, like I said: her voice is good and has a lot more personality than Lynn Collins.
GAMEPLAY
The game itself doesn't have much replay value. I remember the story from the first playthrough, so the story doesn't make me want to replay it again. The playing style is just mindless violence, which can be fun sometimes, but since it's mostly just beating bad guys, it's like... What else is there? It needs something extra, but I can't really say what it is.
SUMMARY
The game itself is kind of boring but it's fun to sometimes just go slice some digital people. The graphics aren't the greatest but it still looks pretty good. But the best thing about this game is it offers more to the story of the movie. The movie sucks, but at least this game gives us something new to add to it.
Do I recommend it? Maybe play through it once if you're an X-Men fan, it's easy enough. But it's not the greatest game out there, and neither is the movie. Maybe one day we'll get a Wolverine game we really deserve.
