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]

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]

Bendis, who was one of the executive producers of the game, said that it was "gorgeous and fantastic" but ultimately killed by a faceless Microsoft exec.

CMix: It's no secret that you're an avid gamer. Is there any comic character or title that you'd still like to see in a videogame that hasn't popped up yet?

BB: Well, you're talking to one of the executive producers of the ill-fated Marvel MMO that went away. I have my laptop here, and on it I have the "X-Mansion" level fully completed that only I and five other people have access to play. It's gorgeous and fantastic and no one will ever see it. So I feel bad, because I think that MMO was a phenomenal idea that was extremely well executed and it went away because some guy at Microsoft who we'll never know pulled the plug on it before it even got underway.

But adding to that, I think that they should take each of these Marvel events and turn them into a videogame franchise. "Civil War," which will be part of the next Ultimate Alliance, "House of M," "Secret Wars"...

CMix: "Secret Invasion?"

BB: "Secret Invasion." Absolutely.

Hey, maybe if Microsoft wants nothing to do with it a third-party or Sony can grab it up. I'm sure the fans would still love to see it come to life.

Interview Brian Bendis on Secret Invasion, TV and Marvel's MMO [ComicMix, thanks Nick]

Stewart's certainly got the nerd cred to pitch video games, that's for sure. His roles in Dune, Star Trek: The Next Generation and X-Men have earned him legions of fans who also like staring at screens indoors. We can only hope he's been tapped to pitch the just-announced Sight Training: Enjoy Exercising and Relaxing Your Eyes. An hilarious send up in which he's tortured for days and asked how many lights he sees behind his Cardassian tormentor practically writes itself.

Nintendo UK: We are inclusive, not exclusive [Gamespot]

MMORPG City of Heroes looks to be next on the Hollywood chopping block. Transformers and X-Men producer Tom DeSanto has snagged the game's rights with plans to turn it into a feature film and later a television series. The movie will be set during the Rikti Invasion, which happened a few years before the game begins. As tipster Kelp Plankton points out, this makes the case for the film being based on the unrealized and cancelled third City of Heroes book. So a flick and a TV show, huh? They've doubled the odds for cruddy Heroes live-action adaptations. But, DeSanto's produced some good films, so maybe this will all work out. He's just got to find a savy director. Brian Ashcraft

City Movie, TV Show [SciFi.com Thanks, Kelp!]

Besides being the voice of Metal Gear Solid's Snake, David Hayter is also a big time Hollywood scribe, penning X-Men and X-2. You'd think with talent like that, he'd land a plum gig in the upcoming Metal Gear Solid movie. You'd think... Hayter pitched his take on MGS to Konami, who have decided not to option his screenplay. An insider says Hayter's vision was:

Metal Gear as the Apocalypse Now of the digital age, with Snake at the center of a swirling whirlpool of Genomic/military madness.

Hayter does good work and is a fine writer, so let's hope Konami and Sony Pictures have something better up their collective sleeve. They better. Brian Ashcraft

No Hayter [IGN via QJ.Net]

Filmmaker Bryan Singer (The Usual Suspects, Superman Returns) figured out how to make comic book flicks with X-Men, which laid the groundwork for a deluge of countless crappy Hollywood comic adaptations. Singer told SpikeTV's "Gamehead" show that he's working on a video game for Atari in which players are a secret service agent protecting the president. The game isn't finished, and Singer didn't seem keen to talk up the project. But, with that guy's geek cred, expectations are high—even if he kinda looked at his shoes when the Atari game was mentioned. Brian Ashcraft

This Week's Episode, Clip #4

Wolverine and Co. are back in the third installment of the movie franchise, directed by Brett "I'm Not Joel Schumacher" Ratner. And guess, what there's a video game tied to it. Both game and movie drop next month, with the game out first. And that's because folks won't buy the DS title after they see Ratner's rotten, rotten flick.

Screens Here [GoNintendo]