u/White_FIame

I’d recommend listening to this music while reading. 

GAMEPLAY (7/10) 

• The game didn’t have a proper story mode, which I didn’t mind at all for an arcade game. I did find the SEGA judges at the end quite funny though! 
• Starting with controls, which were simplistic and to the point. The game had 3 gameplay elements, with running, walking and shooting in first person mode. 
• Mechanics were simple as well, with the main objective being to obliterate aliens. I loved the fact that you could play in CO-OP and choose another character upon dying, this way keeping the gameplay fresh! 
• Traversal was pretty fast and didn’t have loading screens in between apart some cutscenes, perfect for a quick run during a coffee break! 
• The game took no more than 30m to complete, which I found great for 1990. 
• Difficulty was good, but I did spend a few dollars here, maybe more!

 

AUDIO (8/10) 

• Sound design was pretty good with nice mono audio and great sound effects. On top of that, I loved how each character had its own voice lines and would talk while fighting. 
• Music was awesome, with some tracks having great beats!

 

VISUALS (9/10) 

• Fidelity was very good, especially during first person encounters with insane destructive environments. 
• Character models had their unique animations either during knockouts or special moves. But mostly followed the same ones during normal combat. During cutscenes, the models were quite impressive for 1990. 
• The art direction on the other hand was magnificent, with each level having its own atmosphere and vibe. From the city streets to the alien ship! 
• Visual effects had their own charm, but were mostly repetitive by the end.

 

COMBAT (6/10) 

• While the overall moves were simplistic and didn’t have much variety, I loved how each character would devastate everyone with their own special moves. Beside that, the overall combat design was too simplistic with minimal variety between characters. They had their own weapons sure, but nothing could be done with them apart the standard move sets. 
• You could collect some energy drinks for energy or health replenishment, but I felt that they didn’t reward you with much to be able to survive without arcade coins! 
• Enemy variety was plenty, with most aliens being quite easy to execute. But there were some big fuckers as well, which could chew your ass alive! 
• Boss battles were fantastic as well, with each one having different phases.

 

WORLD DESIGN (10/10) 

• Level design was awesome, from city streets to industrial zones and the mother ship itself. The Genesis and Master System versions added exclusive locations though. A farm, laboratory and subway section, which always pisses me off as home consoles always get the younger brother treatment with more juicy treats! 
• The atmosphere was on spot, with most aliens adding to the vibe. Those Kangaroos were pretty punchy!    
• The landscapes were beautiful, and world destruction quite impressive for the time!

 

TL;DR -> An awesome coffe break to say the least, with incredible locations, beautiful graphics, great music and fantastic enemy variety. It did suffer from a simplistic combat design, but what can you expect from a 1990 video game. An (8.0) game, very good in my book. Wouldn’t replay it though, maybe the Genesis and Master System versions some day. For now, an alien burger and a flamethrower would do just fine! 

Guess the Lich King’ Frostmourne took a break and gave Logan a new quest for vengeance!

X-Men Origins: Wolverine is full of surprises. I’ve already seen the Lost hatch, will I get to use a Portal as well?!

I’ve played many movie Tie-In games and I’ve got to be honest here, Wolverine is simply unmatched!

From Batman to Harry Potter, James Bond, King Kong, Scarface, Spider-Man or even Van Helsing. They don’t come even close to what Wolverine has achieved.

The level of brutality, gore and straight up atmosphere feels even better than the movie. On top of all that, I love how they didn’t include movie cutscenes but remade them from the ground up. The Sentinels being present simply outshine the movie material in the first place!

Plus, where else can you see Wolverine being ripped to pieces just to see his Adamantium skeleton shine in the sun beams?!

I’d recommend listening to this music while reading.

STORY (6/10) 

• Storytelling was good for the most part, with cool backgrounds on the main character Kingsley and other cool characters in the semi-open world itself. It was told in a series of events following Kingsley and his journey to becoming a Knight. 
• The presentation was outstanding with cool areas around you to explore, converse with different characters and find new paths to the end goal. 
• The main character was Kingsley, but you encountered a variety of others like the Queen and King, different animals with their own personalities and more. 
• While pacing wasn’t too long, the game had at least 3/4h of solid content, which I found amazing for a chilling play-through. 
• What I loved about the story the most, was how after each defeated boss or mini-boss, you could go back to the same people and their attitudes would change completely. A unique touch for an immersive experience! 
• One other thing that I kinda hated was how coin chests were placed in people’s houses, felt more like robbery than exploration!

 

GAMEPLAY (9/10) 

• Starting with controls, which had tank movements right from the start. You controlled the character and camera with the left analogue stick or D-Pad. Other than that, you could jump, attack, block, dodge backwards, strafe left or right or even go into first person mode for some precise crossbow shooting. 
• The tutorial was great and expanded gradually, unlike most other games where if you missed a dialogue you were lost. 
• By collecting 50 coins, you got an extra life. Collecting hearts would give you some health back and there were even checkpoints. I did hate the saving mechanic only at the start or end of a level though, more flexibility would’ve been better. 
• The puzzles were awesome without too much confusion, which I found great as the game was clearly intended for a younger audience. 
• While platforming wasn’t difficult, it did have some hard sections along the way. The slippery floors were the worst. On top of that, the trap system was truly unforgiving. It was mostly a trial & error thing, more error I suppose. 
• Traversal was cool and integrated itself perfectly within the tiny levels themselves. It was designed in such a way that every transition felt pleasurable. 
• Difficulty was hard, I won’t sugar coat it. While the game had some platforming spikes, the overall progression felt quite unforgiving on most sections.

 

AUDIO (9/10) 

• The stereo design was nice with cool sound effects all around. The raining with storm effects while exploring felt natural. 
• Music was magical, in a sense where you transition from one level to the other and the magic persists. Each soundtrack was awesome, either on exploration, boss fights or simple dungeon crawling. 
• While voice acting wasn’t present, the characters had their own mumblings with unique traits. By the end I mostly skipped to the final text, but initially they were kinda hilarious! 
• Dialogues on the other hand were pretty solid and told the story properly, even without voice acting. 
• All that was expanded by the ambient sounds themselves. From bars flying around to rain, thunder and more.

 

VISUALS (9/10) 

• Fidelity was awesome for 1999. Each character had great animations with cool body movements all around. The models themselves were beautifully rendered and even had some background lighting reflect off of them. I loved how Kingsley’s face shifted towards the closest enemy or ally, making him more realistic in the environment. 
• One other thing that surprised me, was his sleeping animation when you didn’t touch the controller for a bit, truly spectacular detail. 
• Cutscenes weren’t present either in FMV or gameplay. For a game without voice acting it was expected. 
• The art style was magnificent though, so good on each location. Either interior or exterior, everything screamed early PS2 level of quality. On each location you could immerse yourself fully, because the game was so diverse as to keep you hooked. 
• Visual effects were great as well, with the best water waves I’ve seen on PS1. Even some PS2 games don’t have such accurate environments as this game, and I’m talking from experience. Overall bloody impressive!

 

COMBAT (4/10) 

• While combat was mostly simplistic, I loved the way you progressed and upgraded your gear. You got a new axe, sword, magic gloves, boots and even a shiny shield. All of which helped you defeat each enemy and reach mini-bosses. Outfits too, although with only one variety. 
• You could attack, block, shoot your crossbow or do combos with more powerful weapons. Unfortunately the whole combat design was rather simplistic and focused much more on platforming than true fights. 
• Enemy variety was kinda awesome, with most animals having great diversity. Their attack patterns were basic, even during boss battles, but their model designs were absolutely hilarious!

 

WOLRD DESIGN (9/10) 

• World presentation was peak cinema. It was so good that I truly immersed myself with all my body! 
• You could explore the main castle with its unique rooms and dungeons. Go outside in the Carrot Grounds and choose your destination either from the Sea Town, Poorluck Village, Rosary Village, Aphasia or the Bad Custard’s Castle itself. 
• While its world was fantastic, the music with the ambient sounds amplified immersion even more. It was so good that oftentimes I simply sat with my eyes closed and listened to the rain and music while giving Kingsley a much needed break. 
• World destruction was limited to some falling platforms and shooting targets, without much to offer in this department.

 

TL;DR -> It’s safe to say that this was an unexpected experience. Right from the start, the music gave you a hint as to what to expect, and it completely delivered on everything but combat design. Even with a mediocre story, the gameplay, sound, visuals and world presentation had magical vibes! A (7.7) game, very good in my book. Wouldn’t replay it though, as it was a linear yet quite memorable journey!