There are many awards for video games. There are almost as many rationales for the granting to game makers and their games various prizes, trophies and sentences — spoken and written — that conclude in exclamation points.

But gaming awards all miss certain kinds of greatness, as they likely will this year, when they will probably fail — with some justification — to recognize one great thing about the way Wolverine killed.

It is true that gaming award-giving is, like all things in gaming, a young process. Video game award-givers are not yet as thorough and sophisticated as those who hand moviemakers gold statues. The professional film-praising organizations celebrate best movies and best writing, best editing and best directing. They also commend the best acting that a man does, the best acting a woman does, then commend one more man and one more woman for acting well but not as much. They commend the people who make movie music, the folks who design movie clothes and the people who engineer movie explosions.

The clever non-accident of these movie awards is that they all go to people, as they almost all celebrate something that is the product of someone's particular cinematic job.

Video games sort of do this too, to a lesser extent. Most websites and academies of game creators — and the few TV networks that care about great video games — all recognize the Best Game of a Year. But they also recognize the best dialogue-writing, the finest drawing of graphics (But what about best supporting graphics?) and the most superb voice-acting recorded by a woman. I don't know if the person most responsible for the best lighting of the year gets an award, possibly because no one knows who that is. And I am certain no one gets a big-time award for Best Controls.

The lack of a Best Controls of the Year award is the biggest shame — bigger than the likely snubbing of this one deadly Wolverine attribute from X-Men Origins: Wolverine that I'm about to finally detail.

A gamer with good taste will tolerate a game that doesn't have the Best Graphics of 2008 or the Best Soundtrack of 2004. But no one who clasps a controller would consider a game with wretched controls worthy of a top award. (Right?) Yet when will a Best Controls plaque be handed out? (My nominations for 2009 so far include inFamous, Batman: Arkham Asylum, Flower and — the outlier! — Dragon Quest Wars on DSi).

A failure to celebrate the Best Controls of the year is an omission that will keep a paperweight off the mantle of a man or woman who made the best use of analog shoulder buttons.

It also risks stunting gamers' appreciation and developers' creation of ever-better game controls.

After all, what are awards good for beyond celebrating people and their achievements? They are good for designating something as wonderful, allowing it to be compared to something wonderful in the same category the year before (right, Nobel Peace Prize committee?) and they help set the standards to which the things in the same category will be held in the year to come.

We as gamers, I think, would want controls to be held in such regard.

If you're with me on that, let me stretch your agreeability, and see if you'd also back up the issuing of an award for Best Approach To In-Game Killing.

No?

Consider Wolverine in this spring's X-Men Origins: Wolverine. He is a video game action hero defined in the game's marketing by his well known uniform, claws and attitude. He is defined in his game, however, in the manner so many game characters are: By the way he beats up the bad guys. Simon Belmont was the whip guy. Mario was the guy who jumped on other guys. Kratos was the guy with the butcher knives that could yo-yo from his wrists. Wolverine is Kratos all over again, a buzzsaw of blades that can slice close and far, thanks to the reach of his arms. Wolverine has some added moves: A lunge that can shoot our hero across a room like a short-range, sharp-tipped rocket; a two-tiered regenerative health system. Wolverine's button-combo moves list is 41 techniques long.

If there was a Best Approach To In-Game Killing award I'm just not sure Wolverine would get beyond the nominations circle and into the winner's podium. But if he and the game did, I'd hope that the Reflex system — my favorite element of his arsenal, aside from that lunge — would be considered a valuable contributor to the accomplishment.

The Reflex system may not be new. I hadn't experienced it before, but it doesn't seem so exotic that it couldn't have appeared before. This Reflex system, I would judge, is good. It is a system that makes Wolverine a more effective combatant against enemies he has fought multiple times.

The game has five meters that track Wolverine's reflexes. These tabulate the number of times he has fought guys with machetes, guys with machine guns, jungle mutants, robots and specialized military units. If Wolverine kills enough of any of those enemy types, the meter fills and Wolverine gets a bonus: He will now inflict greater damage on that enemy type.

That system felt right to me — so right that I hoped it or all of Wolverine's combat arsenal could be up for some sort of award so that it could be recognized for taking action-gaming in a good direction.

I'm used to characters that gain experience points and generally become more powerful, the more they kill anything and everything in their world (Wolverine has this kind of system in his game, too). I also appreciate the Ratchet & Clank approach which makes any gun become more powerful the more times it is used against enemies. Fable has a smart system, too, which splits the difference between those other two and makes broad aspects of a character — brawn, shooting ability, magic-wielding — improve the more actions in those categories are committed.

But the Wolverine Reflex system — which, again, may have been in other games — feels natural to me. It feels like it operates within the physics of real life, where we get better at fighting ninjas the more we fight them, but not necessarily better at fighting pirates... where we become more comfortable talking to girls the more of them we find to talk to, but not necessarily better at talking to bosses or police officers just because we spoke to more girls.

The Reflex system also feels right to me because it feels like an apology for one of games' recurring limitations: A lack of enemy variety. We gamers are always orchestrating combat against a lot of repeated offenders. And while our heroes may become more effective against the whole lot of them as our skills improve and our characters level up, I must praise a game design team that explicitly rewards dealing with the repetition of a dozen more jungle mutants or 30 more killer robots. Wolverine should get better against the people and things he has fought so many times before.

I don't believe I have effectively argued the X-Men Origins: Wolverine deserves the academy's award for Best Approach To In-Game Killing, nor maybe even to Best Combat or Best Controls. I don't believe the game would be a shoe-in for any of those categories, though I would not protest if it was nominated.

I wish it could be, because if awards help set standard, I want standards set ever higher for controls, combat and killing — not just for graphics, handheld gaming and sound effects.

Even if the game got an 18-and-up rating, the gore would need to be dialed down a few notches.

The reasons why the title is prohibited in Japan is being discussed over at Japanese site Ameba News. But what do commenters on the Japanese internet think the reason why Wolverine won't be released? According to 2ch:

-The sad fact is that games in Japan dont sell unless they have Moe characters
-Is this game actually selling well overseas?
-No its because games from films usually turn out rubbish
-Games that have characters made of Lego do well over there - is that some sort of game you want to play?
-Games overseas give me the impression that its all kill
-Well if they called it "Se-x Men" instead and had tentacles instead of claws then it will probably do well here
-Well how come they release Ninja Gaiden2 in Japan which is full of slashing?
-Well Japanese only play RPGs
-Japan is tough against grotesque expression while the west is against ero - how has it become like this?
-But Japan is full of eroge. Japan is after all an ero country - brilliant!

Western Games In Japan [Danny Choo] [Pic]

In a prepared statement released to Kotaku today, Activision confirmed that Raven, a subsidiary of the company, had laid people off today, but declined to confirm or deny the number of people impacted.

"With the recent completion of both X-Men Origins Wolverine, based on the summer blockbuster movie, and Wolfenstein, the next chapter of the famed franchise, Raven Software is slightly reducing its workforce to better reflect the studio's upcoming slate," the Activision statement read.

But our sources tell us that the layoffs were the aftermath of an over-budget and under-performing Wolfenstein and the delay of upcoming time-shifting shooter Singluarity.

The delay for Singularity, which was pushed back from a holiday release to sometime next year, forced Raven Software to move members on the Wolverine team to the project to help reduce the delay, we are told.

The shift in personnel, increased expenses and lackluster sales led Raven to drop from a three game team studio to a two game studio, our sources say.

Developer Raven Software isn't altogether unfamiliar with Wolverine, having played about with him in both the X-Men Legends series and Marvel Ultimate Alliance; but this is the first time the developer has flown solo with the most fearsome Canadian on the face of the planet. Just like the film, the video game adaptation of X-Men Origins: Wolverine is all about Logan, his claws, and people being punctured by said claws. Raven has stated over and over again during the development process that they are trying to capture the essence of the character - trying to deliver the ultimate Wolverine experience.

Has Raven successfully translated the raw brutality of the world's most popular savage to the video game stage, or is X-Men Origins: Wolverine as forgettable as so much of Logan's mysterious past?

Loved
The Best At What He Does: Raven set out to create the ultimate Wolverine experience, and they've pretty much nailed it. This version of Logan far surpasses the movie version in terms of sheer brutality, literally tearing into enemies with everything he's got. The lunging mechanic is pure Wolverine, though one has to wonder why he can only jump extremely far when there's an enemy nearby. Feral senses are an interesting way to convey Wolverine's more bestial nature, using colors to indicate the way that Logan smells the world. If you're a fan of the scrappy, relentless, savage Wolverine, then this is your game.

It's Not All Slice And Dice: While slashing enemies to shreds with your claws can get you out of most situations, there are certainly situations where the block button is essential. More skilled players will get a kick out of the counter-attacking system, which has Wolverine retaliating in various entertaining ways if an enemy's strike is blocked with just the right timing. The quick kill system is basically a timed button press that results in some of the game's goriest deaths. And as implausible as it might sound, deflecting an incoming missile back at the shooter with your claws is extremely satisfying. All in all the combat system is deep and entertaining enough to keep you smiling throughout the entire length of the 8-10 hour game.

Build Your Own Logan: There are multiple ways to customize how your version of Wolverine plays. As you level, you gain skill points that can be used to beef up the powers and skills you accrue as you play. You also unlock up to three mutagen slots, which you can assign any number of powers to, from converting damaged caused to health to increasing the experience gained with each kill. It gives the player a little bit of control over how the game plays. It might not be much, but I appreciate having the options available.

Double-Sized Boss Fights: While some of the boss fights are nothing more than glorified brawls, there are a couple scattered throughout the game that are simply amazing. I don't want to spoil anything here, but one boss fight in particular had the X-Men fan in me wanting to stand up and applaud. The big Gambit fight is another one that had me grinning ear-to-ear. I couldn't have imagined a better place for these two characters to battle it out.

The Inevitable Fan Service: The developers at Raven further prove their comic book pedigree by including little nods to characters and events taking place in the past and distant future of the Marvel Universe. Audio logs scattered about various levels give us insight into the motivations of the characters working behind the scenes, while cameos from other Marvel characters give us some interesting information as to the origins of others. Between the little nods and the unlockable costumes from Wolverines come and gone, there's plenty in the game to please the hardcore fans.

Achievement Tracking: A small feature more than likely thrown in as an afterthought, the screen that keeps track of your kill counts for specific achievements is an excellent addition to the game. Developers need to pay attention here. If I have to kill 2,000 enemies to gain an achievement or trophy, being able to see how many I've got left to kill is not only convenient, it's an excellent motivation to go back and replay through the game after you've completed it.

Hated
Haven't I Stabbed You Before?: X-Men Origins: Wolverine is a beat-em up. I understand this, and I can forgive fighting the same peons over and over again. In fact, there's actually a nice variety to the smaller enemies you encounter, so that part really doesn't get stale. It's the big enemies that get repetitive. The giant magma elemental is impressive as hell when you first encounter it, but after the third or fourth time the encounters start to lose their punch. Simply varying the enemies in a slight way would have served to keep things fresh (oooh, it's a blue magma elemental!). Instead, Raven just throws the same giant creatures at you, sometimes in pairs just to keep you on your toes.

Attack Of The Technovirus: As with any movie tie-in, X-Men Origins: Wolverine had to make the movie release date, and in doing so obviously missed out on a little bit of quality assurance testing. Bodies have an odd tendency to hang in the open air rather than settling to the ground, for instance. The Gambit level is particularly buggy. At several points during the drawn-out chase after the ragin' cajun I found myself slicing and dicing at him only to discover that the Gambit I was fighting was simply a glitch that wouldn't die, and that my quarry had already run along further down the level. There are also a few horrible camera glitches in the same level that left me shifting my perspective dizzyingly for several minutes as I tried to navigate a narrow ledge. Top that off with some frustratingly buggy enemy behavior (can you say infinite impalement loop?) and you've got a game that didn't get nearly the polish it deserved.

Making It Look Too Easy: Wolverine is one of the toughest characters in the Marvel universe; I get that. Certain allowances have to be taken with a character like that in order to make an enjoyable video game out of their adventures. Raven has done an admirable job of making Wolverine a walking, talking, spinning engine of brutal destruction - perhaps too good of a job. There wasn't one point during the game that I was worried that I might die, save for a portion towards the beginning where your powers aren't quite working up to speed.

Tomb Wolverine: A game this focused on brutal action completely loses momentum when you suddenly find yourself pushing statues about on platforms in order to unlock doors. This is not something Wolverine does. If Wolverine wants a door, Wolverine MAKES a door.

Raven Software has done a lot of things right with X-Men Origins: Wolverine. They've captured the look and feel of Marvel's claw-wielding sociopath better than any other game before it. They even attempted to do something new, introducing real-time healing that more often than not saw my version of Wolverine running around with strips of cloth pasted randomly about his chest and blood pooling around his ass in a rather disgusting fashion, but they certainly did try to do something different. I've the distinct feeling that if they hadn't been tied down to the movie's release date, this could have been one of the best comic book video games of all time.

Flaws aside, X-Men Origins: Wolverine still manages to be the best it is at what it does, delivering many hours of satisfyingly brutal action the merry Marvel way.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine was developed by Raven Software and published by Activision, released May 1st for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii, Nintendo DS, PSP, and PC. Retails for $30 - $60. Played Xbox 360 version. Completed game on standard difficulty, unlocked three extra costumes, earned 40 out of 50 achievements.

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During production, Jackman was so dazzled that he had some of the video game dialogue shoehorned into the film script. "In fact I was able to bring some of the lines of dialogue from the game script into the movie, because I liked how well it was written — the game production overlapped with the film, so it was possible to make those changes," Jackman told Yahoo! Games.

According to Jackman, the game "vaguely" follows the movie's plot, but "it actually goes beyond that as well." He also points out that because a game is longer, it can explore subplots and develop characters that the movie didn't have enough time for. "The game expands on certain episodes in the film," said Jackman. "I don't want to give away any spoilers, but there are some sequences that the movie only touches on, which the game explores much more in-depth."

The video game version of X-Men Origins: Wolverine was released on May 1, coinciding with the theatrical movie release.

Hugh Jackman [Yahoo! Games via GoNintendo]

The first hidden area is understandable - Activision/Blizzard publish both Warcraft and Wolverine. Although it's not specifically invoked, and Valve hasn't, like, copyrighted cake itself, as a game meme it's definitely associated with Portal.

What do you think, one's kind of clever, but two - as achievements - was Raven just running out of stuff to fill up 1,000 gamerscore?

Thanks to J Rock for the screen. To find the cake, he says it's on the level where you're supposed to rescue Wraith. "t's at the section with the teleporter and cryo freeze controls next to each other. Move the teleporter all the way right into this room, then teleport using the pad next to you in the control room."

There are two Logan's in Scotland's Edinburgh Zoo today, all thanks to the marketing efforts of Activision. The zoo's only male wolverine, which is a dog-sized member of the weasel family, has been renamed in honor of the release of the X-Men Origins: Wolverine video game in the UK. A photograph of the two wolverines can be seen here. Notice the similarities. Activision has also sponsored the zoo's wolverine breeding and enclosure programs, ensuring that little Logan never finds himself for want of suitable female companionship.

Why all of this weasel love?

"What better way is there to pay homage to the mighty Wolverine by making sure his real life cousins are cared for during the next year?" asks Activision UK Senior Brand Manager Aruna Sinha. "With wolverines an endangered species, we see Wolverine having a major role in helping people become more aware of these wonderful creatures and ensuring their survival for many years to come."

Wolverines are currently classified as near threatened, which is the far side of endangered, but I suppose they the count as fully endangered in the Edinburgh Zoo if their only male is a comic book geek.

I'm placing the main image below in case the spoiler warning tag isn't enough to keep you from peeking inside. It really is one of the more humorous little cross-title nods I've come across lately, and I certainly wouldn't want to spoil the surprise for anyone else. Let's just say that millions of people across the world will recognize what they are seeing immediately upon finding it and leave it at that. Now go away now if you don't want to know. Seriously.

Given you plenty of time to leave now. Without further adieu, here's a shot of the hidden area I stumbled upon while playing X-Men Origins: Wolverine.

Not only did this discovery nearly make me piss myself laughing, it also scored me an achievement, aptly titled, "WoW!". with the description, "You feel cold as you examine the skeleton and read the name "Arthas" etched into the nearby sword."

Technically not a spoiler really, seeing as it's been outed on achievement lists all over the internet, but nonetheless an amusing little nod to one of Activision Blizzard's slightly more popular franchises.

UPDATE: Here's a pic of another hidden location that a reader sent in, which unlocks the achievement "Found!". I wonder what's under that hatch?

And here's a hi-rez screen of the Frostmourne scene, complete with Wolverine in his unlockable Legendary costume.

Developer Raven hasn't so much created levels for the game as they have crafted environments for players to romp about it. Forest environments; jungle environments; snowy forest environments - they're all represented here. It's all very interesting, until they get to the end of the clip, when senior artist Cory Carani (my favorite member of the development staff) is about to reveal a big secret in the game, only to have Doug Smith (boo) ruin it with his damnable secrecy.

Curse your secrecy, Doug Smith. Curse it!

According to Raven, Wolverine will be fast, furious, unleashed, and the game that everyone is pining for. It's like no Wolverine game you've ever seen. They are pushing the envelope, capturing Wolverine's essence, bringing their ideas to the table to create a synergy that allows you to be Wolverine.

Yes, it's chock full of buzzwords and self-praise, but it's the last line that truly stands out. "Every other game is like...some pansy." If that doesn't make it onto the back of the box, I'm going to cry.

Surprised? So was I. After the boss's brief look at the game, I was hopeful that Wolverine would be an amazing character-driven action game. It's made by the Marvel Ultimate Alliance team; and even if it's not relying on the movie for story and background info on everyone's favorite Canadian (next to John Candy), there's still a lot the developer could draw on for the game's inspiration.

But I suppose God of War is an amazing character-driven action game, too, so if Raven Software is going to draw on anything, why not that?

What Is It?
X-Men Origins: Wolverine is a singleplayer action-adventure game starring the Hugh Jackman version of the clawed mutant from the X-Men comics. The plot follows most of what goes on in the upcoming movie, plus about "40%" original content, according to the developer. It's set for release on DS, PC, PS2, PS3, PSP, Wii and Xbox 360 the same day the movie hits theaters – May 1st.

What We Saw
I spent a cumulative two hours with the PS3 version of the game at a junket event, switching back and forth with another games journalist whenever I died or finished a level. I got through the first jungle mission, a boss fight with Sabretooth and most of the Alkali Lake laboratory level.

How Far Along Is it?
This build has to be near-final because the game is due out in less than a month, but it still looks a little rough mostly because of minor graphics issues (clipping, flickering shadows, etc.).

What Needs Improvement?
Once More With Feeling: This game has a real problem with repetition. True, the combo system is extensive with lots of Square-Triangle-wash-rinse-repeat moves; but because some enemies block more attacks than others, you'll find yourself falling into patterns just to mow down baddies more efficiently. It doesn't help that the baddies all look pretty much the same. Or that the boss in the jungle level required the same move set to kill as the Wendigo Prototype mini bosses in the laboratory level (lunge on back, mash attack button, jump off, repeat, perform quick time event for the kill). Or that both levels require our hero to carry some two-handed burden from one area to another to open a door.

Less Lara Croft Platforming, Please: I can appreciate a game that wants its users to think their way through a level – but this is Wolverine. He should be slashing his way through levels, not thinking. He doesn't have time for statue-pushing puzzles and carrying batteries or crank levers around. That's Cyclops' job!

Quick Time Events To Kill Bosses: No thank you. Kratos barely got away with it.

What Should Stay The Same?
The RPG Element: Wolverine gains XP based on attacks, kills and pulling off combos. When he levels up, you can spend points on new skills, mutagens, reflexes or fight moves. I'm glad to see Raven carried something over from their Marvel Ultimate Alliance games. Also – you'll actually notice a difference in his overall strength. I got to level seven at some point in either the jungle or the laboratory level (sorry – can't keep ‘em straight with all that repetition), and suddenly all the enemies seemed just a little bit weaker than me – but not too, too weak.

The Epic Factor: We were shown a level from later in the game where Wolverine takes on a Sentinel. It's a multi-phase boss fight that's one of seven overall in the game. The first part of the fight was a little Shadow of the Colossus in scale – but I didn't mind because the Sentinels are supposed to be epic huge and Wolverine at least didn't have to do any climbing. The second part was pretty boss (pardon the pun); in a mid-fight cut scene, the Sentinel falls out of its airborne trajectory after Wolverine cuts him up a bit and then the fight resumes with the player having to guide Wolverine through the air and down to the falling Sentinel where you get to cut him up so more. I don't care if skydiving isn't in Wolverine's canon (but, jeez, what isn't?), it looked cool… like God of War, but with Wolverine.

Shirtless Hugh Jackman: It may be a game, but I will take it where I can get it.

Final Thoughts
If I pretend that Wolverine is a movie game, I can say it's one of the best movie games I've ever played. But it's not a movie game, says Raven Software senior producer Jeff Poffenbarger, so what can I say besides "It plays like God of War"? That may be disappointing to those who crave originality, but at the very least, it should be comforting to those who don't want their Wolverine complicated and anymore out of character than the movies make him.

Raven Software senior producer Jeff Poffenbarger wants to be crystal clear on that before we get started. The game was well under development before talk of tying it to the movie kicked off.

"We finished up work on Marvel Ultimate Alliance and wanted to get away from group games, we wanted to concentrate on a single player experience," he said last week during a presentation in a hotel suite. "A Wolverine game was a no-brainer because in a lot of other video games he has been watered down."

So two-and-a-half years ago the developers sat down and started talking about what would make a Wolverine game stand out, what elements needed to be included in the title for it to feel real.

"His combat, we wanted Wolverine to have razor sharp claws that actually cut through people," he said. "We wanted to show his mutant regeneration healing."

So they made sure their Wolverine model had four layers of graphics: clothing, skin, muscle and skeleton. And that weapons would eventually chew through all of them.

"We didn't just want to nail him as a character. Wanted to nail him as a bad ass."

And after spending perhaps too much time with the game, it seems that Raven has succeeded.

It succeeds on two levels:

Visually, the game is surprisingly raw.

When Wolverine attacks his claws slip through flesh, muscle and bone leaving severed limbs, heads and punctured bodies. When attacked, bullets tear off chunks of Wolverine's clothing, punch holes in his flesh, eventually expose muscle or vertebrae. Slowly those injuries rewind, becoming flesh wounds and then disappearing. His shirt only reappears when he levels up.

The settings are thick with detail and the battles often crowd the screen.

Controls are also raw, allowing gamers to tear through enemies quickly, like an animal. Wolverine leaps from target to target before enemies can get off shots or, at least in my mind, register in their AI programming the oncoming blur of blades and muscle.

Punching a button or two allows for a string of bloody attacks, and a lock-on option gets Wolverine to leap across the screen, smacking into attackers with his claws.

While I didn't get a chance to play through any of the game's cinematics, Poffenbarger shows me a few. In the interactive cut scenes, Wolverine has to fight his way along an exploding bridge or up the falling body of a Sentinel.

I didn't have enough time to fully preview the title, but what I played of X-Men:Origins: Wolverine gave me quite high expectations.

The game is due out on May 1 for the DS, PC, PS2, PS3, PSP, Wii and Xbox 360.

Activision seems to have a knack for passing their Marvel properties on to developers in love with the characters, though as was the case with Spider-Man: Web of Shadows, that doesn't always work out. As my only exposure to the new Wolverine video game so far has been this particular video and a few screenshots, I'd say the game is looking pretty good, though that voice at the end spouting Logan's little catch phrase grated on me a bit.

Still, not going to get my hopes up. I learned a valuable lesson last time I got excited about a superhero video game being released on my birthday.

Before being photographed you would select from five different backgrounds, four from Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2, and one from X-Men Origins: Wolverine (pictured after the jump). After striking your pose, you were then given a card with a unique code and two url's on the back that you'd go to and enter online to see your photo.

I also got my picture taken, but I'm still having trouble figuring out where to go online to redeem my photo. The websites on the back just direct you to the game's official web page, and I see nowhere to enter my code. If anyone else did this, let me know because I want to see mine!

What It Is
X-Men Origins: Wolverine is an action game based off the upcoming movie developed by Raven Software, which brought you Quake 4 and Soldier Of Fortune. The story focuses on the X-Men character Wolverine before and after he's given his adamantium skeleton. I found the gameplay closely resembled God of War, surprisingly. You'll be involved in plenty of tight, close-combat battles, as well as many platforming and playable, cinematic sequences.

What We Saw
I demoed the first level of the game at an Activision party for the Xbox 360. I spent about 20 minutes playing before I kindly passed the controller on to someone else. The level mainly took place in a jungle setting filled with various soldiers equipped with guns and swords.

What Needs Improvement
While the jungle environment looked very robust, it was at times a bit too linear. I felt I was always going on straight path. This was the opening tutorial level, though, so perhaps the later levels get a bit more exploratory.

I would also like to see more destructible environmental elements. The only breakable items seem to be clay pots.

What Should Stay The Same
The grotesque violence. Seriously. I wasn't the only person there that was stunned at the amount of sheer brutality in this game. Normally, we don't really see Wolverine hack and slash people to pieces, usually just a punch to the gut with little to no blood. The opening CGI movie and the following gameplay, however, were almost disturbing. The Activision rep proclaimed this to be the way fans wanted to see Wolverine. Well, you guys got your wish. Prepare for a bloodbath!

I also loved the leaping control. Being able to jump on an on-coming enemy and immediately start stabbing their guts felt very satisfying every time.

Final Thoughts
This game has as much over-the-top violence as something like MadWorld. Wolverine uppercuts heads off torsos, jams enemies into the blades of helicopters. and even throws bodies onto spikes coming out of the floor. I know most movie-licensed games aren't very good, but this could one game that everyone will be talking about, even if it's because of the violence.

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Who needs screen shots when you have 3D SCREENSHOTS! X-Men Origins: Wolverine, is apparently so cool it can't fit into just two Ds, so Activision dropped this interactive screenshot on us. Super-cool 3D effect aside, this really doesn't give me much to see in the way of the game.

Speaking with EGM (yes, the article from this month's mag is now online), Raven's Dan Vondrak has spoken of the game's influences, and where they hope to take both the character and the game:

God of War was an influence. Devil May Cry, even Super Smash Bros., to a point. When we play [games like that], we just like the simplicity. Every character has their basic set of moves — that's simple. People get that, and mass market gets that, so we're making sure we bring that to Wolverine.

Gasp! Fisher Price: My First Brawler, then? Maybe not, as Vondrak continues that the simplicity is as much about maintaining the character's speed as it is about making it easy to play.

People are going to play Wolverine and then be annoyed with how slow other action games are. We've gone back and played highly touted action games we all love, and you're in these attacks forever. And it's not just the speed — it's the ease in which you're able to [break] out of your attacks at any time.

Full interview's below (along with a ton of new screens), and is worth reading if you like seeing the words "Ninja Gaiden" thrown around a few times in relation to this game.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine [1UP]

Yes, it's the same old screenshot, but the info is fresh! The game follows the story of the movie, letting players step into the boots of Wolverine as he escapes from the Weapon X facility, stomps around Africa, and stabs people in creative ways with long spiky bits of metal protruding from his flesh. The release makes a big deal out of his healing factor, claiming that wounds will heal in real-time before the player's eyes. Oooo, real-time wound closing. It also mentions brutal finishing attacks, evasive maneuvers, and combo attacks, which is exactly the sort of thing you'd expect. The game is currently in development for everything, including the PSP.

I'm just hoping they sign on Ryan Reynolds to voice Deadpool in the game as well as the movie. Best casting ever.

ACTIVISION UNLEASHES NEW DETAILS ON X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE

Santa Monica, CA – December 9, 2008 – Activision Publishing, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI) has released new details on X-Men Origins: Wolverine, whose titular hero is one of the most popular Marvel characters of all time. The video game, scheduled for release in May 2009, coincides with the global debut of Twentieth Century Fox’s release of its feature film, X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE, which is also based on the famous Marvel character.

From the award-winning studio Raven Software, the video game enlists players to experience the tormented origins of Wolverine, from his escape of the Weapon X facility to the jungles of Africa and beyond. The game is currently in development for the Xbox 360™ video game and entertainment system, PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system, Windows® PC , Wii™ home video game system, Nintendo DS™, PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system and PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) system, and is not yet rated by the ESRB.

“We have an amazing team with Raven Studios at the helm, creating what will undoubtedly be the quintessential, true-to-character Wolverine video game experience that fans have been craving,” said Rob Kostich, vice president, global brand management, Activision Publishing, Inc. “X-Men Origins: Wolverine amps up the action by bringing to life Wolverine’s wholly unique skills such as his brute strength, regenerative mutant abilities, and indestructible adamantium claws and skeleton in an immersive experience that is fitting to one of the most enduring and popular characters of all time.”

X-Men Origins: Wolverine is an epic action-adventure featuring a true-to-character Wolverine gameplay experience that takes gamers through and beyond the movie’s storyline. Set in a variety of vivid real-world locales, the title challenges players to hone their animal instinct as they uncover hidden dangers, hunt and destroy enemies, and take on seemingly insurmountable situations while discovering the truth about Wolverine’s tragic past. With razor-sharp adamantium claws unsheathed, the future X-Man enacts lightning-quick combat, evasive maneuvers, in-depth combo attacks, and an array of brutal finishing moves. Wolverine doesn’t just deliver massive damage, either – he also takes it, thanks to his mutant regenerative power that heals him in real time right before the player’s eyes.

1UP says we're looking at Wolverine's in-game model, illustrating just how expertly someone at Raven can render a bulging vein. Do make sure to check out the Hugh-mungous hi-res version to see the little details.

What scant details 1UP provides — Sentinel boss fights, ultra-violence, "a new approach to seamless cinematic in-game cut-scenes" — certainly have us interested. Hopefully our upcoming issue of EGM is already well on its way to Kotaku Towers West. Until then, we'll just ogle that single screen.

First Screenshot and Info For X-Men Origins: Wolverine [1UP]