Games of films suffer from a reputation for being shoddy, derivative and flung together in an unrealistically short amount of time, in order to make the most of merchandising launch windows. X-Men Origins: Wolverine manages to transcend the dire norm, but that doesn't mean it's entirely meritorious – although it does have some interesting ideas.
Essentially a hack-and-slash with adventure game-style climbing and puzzle-solving interludes, it's crisp-looking (there's no mistaking Wolverine for anyone other than Hugh Jackman), the combat system is responsive and innovative, adding features as you level up and, thanks to Wolverine's feral sense, you're never likely to get stuck. The clawed one's lunge move, in which he pounces on enemies in the middle-distance, is great, and it all feels true to both comic book and film.
But after the initial period, it becomes somewhat samey, and the PS3 version, at least, contains too many (admittedly non-critical) bugs. It will please die-hard Wolverine fans, but avid gamers won't be impressed.
