Snikt. Snikt.
Comic fans, and maybe a few Mallrats fans, know what that sound means.
Wolverine just popped six adamantium-laced claws and is about to open a
can of whoop-ass. The X-men have entered a second renaissance. The comic
books are better than they have been for years. They have a successful
cartoon (X-men Evolution on WB), and a blockbuster movie with a sequel
due out in May 2003. Now videogamers will get to be Wolverine, my
favorite X-man, in his own solo adventure in the form of X2:
Wolverines Revenge.
This isnt
Wolverines first solo videogame and so far they have been less than
remarkable. Being a true fan I have played them all regardless. What has
me excited is it looks like Activision is planning on doing it right
this time. They are not only focusing on graphics and gameplay but on
the story as well. Writer Larry Hama (known for his long run on the GI.
Joe comic and of course his pivotal run on the Wolverine comic) has been
tapped to write an all new story specifically for the game.
The story
will tie in with both the movie and the comics to make both sets of fans
happy. Wolverine will be in search of clues to his past and be forced to
delve deeper into the Weapon X program that turned him into the ultimate
killing machine all those years ago. It all starts at the X-mansion
where Wolverine finds out that a long dormant viral time bomb has gone
active, leaving him with 48 hours to find a cure. He will meet up with a
slew of Marvel characters along the way including Professor X, Beast,
Colossus (who is dead in the comic but set to appear in the movie), and
foes like Lady Deathstrike and his arch-nemesis Sabretooth.
X2:
Wolverines Revenge will also feature the voice talents of Mark Hamill,
filling in for Hugh Jackman who had scheduling problems, and Patrick
Stewart, who plays Professor X in the movie. Many people are familiar
with Mark Hamill from Star Wars but he has lent his voice talents to
such cartoons as Batman: The Animated Series, Spiderman, and the
Powerpuff Girls. I cant wait to hear his rendition of the berserker
mutant.
Wolverine
will not only travel to places familiar to fans but also take them to
places they have never seen before. This not only means new locations
but all new, playable, flashbacks of Wolverines past. Wolverine will be
visiting a place called The Void, a high-tech mutant prison. Another
bonus for fans is a chance to see more of the Weapon X facility than
ever before.
Wolverines
Revenge is set to utilize Wolverine in ways that previous videogames
never even came close to. Not only will you be able to slice and dice,
but Wolverines healing factor, and heightened senses will play a
prominent role in the game. If done right this could be amazing, taking
this game to places few other comic book based games have been. This is
what they have set out to do, giving the game less of the familiar
Action/Adventure game structure and more of a cinematic feel.
Activision is
also responsible for the latest game to feature Marvels merry mutants,
X-men: Mutant Academy. If Wolverines Revenge looks half as good then we
are in for a treat. Judging from the screen shots I think that fans will
be pleased.
X2:
Wolverines Revenge, is scheduled for release in spring of 2003 with an
eye towards May, coinciding with the movies release. While officially
falling into the action/adventure genre, they are trying to do something
different. It will be available on all of the current consoles, the PC,
with a side-scrolling version on the Gameboy Advance scheduled for March
of 2003. If you need anymore reasons to check this game out just
remember that snikt, snikt sound.


