X2: Wolverine�s Revenge
- April 17, 2003 00:00 AM PST
If he�s the best there is at what he does�the X-Men have a problem.
When a mutant virus goes active in Wolvie�s system, it�s back to the beginning�literally�in X2: Wolverine�s Revenge. Scrappy X-Men member Logan must return to the Weapon X facility that created him in search of a cure and some answers, with melee combat liberally mixed in. It�s a fine story, and you�ll run into lots of familiar faces, including Sabretooth, Juggernaut, Colossus, Professor X, and a few surprises that shouldn�t be spoiled.
Let�s Go, Bub
The game uses a Strike combat system that sets up prescripted takedowns of multiple bad guys with one attack. There�s also a fair amount of stealth; sneaking around and using stealth kills bumps up your Strike arsenal. In fact, badass Strike attacks are about the only thing not ruined by the finicky, swooping camera, which often leaves you flicking the right analog stick to move it somewhere comfortable�or at least into a position that won�t make you nauseous. Even worse, the Strike system is sunk by clumsy, sometimes sluggish combat. You should feel like you�re fighting enemy soldiers, not molasses. Also, there are no midlevel save points or checkpoints; restarting from the beginning of each level after every cheap death gets annoying.
Wrong Side of the Claw
The voice acting by Mark Hamill and Patrick Stewart isn�t bad, but the dreadfully overwrought orchestrations are. Character animation is fine, but some questionable collision detection and generic explosions rob it of whatever flash it could have had.
X2: Wolverine�s Revenge simply doesn�t feel polished�or even complete. Movie tie-in or no, most gamers would be better off using their cash on some old Wolvie comics instead.
