In 2009, the Marvel Cinematic Universe was still finding its legs while Fox's X-Men universe was branching off into spinoffs and prequels. The first of these entries was X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Sadly, the film's lack of faith in the source material, poorly-done effects and overall lackluster story left much to be desired. However, while the film didn't meet fan expectations, its video game tie-in picked up the slack in a huge way.
X-Men Origins: Wolverine - Uncaged Edition was a PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 game that took the base story of the film and expanded it using Wolverine's long history. Though the game never got a follow-up or remaster, it has been hailed as the best Wolverine video game yet due to its immersive gameplay, variety and graphics. In fact, Insomniac Games' upcoming Wolverine title could learn from how this game brought the iconic hero to life.
The story follows Logan's journey in Africa while a part of Team X, intercutting this with the film's modern-day narrative in which he's on a revenge mission against his brother, Sabertooth. From the beginning, the game lets fans know this isn't like any previous Wolverine game by having him skydive without a parachute into a militia soldier. The soldier is killed in a splash of blood, but Wolverine gets back up, ready to fight.
Players will quickly notice that, as Wolverine takes damage, his body reacts realistically. Gunshot wounds leave bullet holes, explosions expose his skeleton and damage slowly destroys his white tank top. However, the developers added a mechanic that allows him to heal in real-time. As a result, players can take a large amount of damage before being killed, and those that survive are rewarded with watching Wolverine slowly rebuild muscle and skin.
The gameplay is also a major highlight as its mature rating ensures that no punches are pulled. Whether doing a corkscrew attack or a spin, players can slice and dice through enemies and cut off limbs in the process. The game's upgrade system also helps Wolverine gain more powerful attacks, growing even more skilled with parries and grapple attacks. Another fun mechanic that exists solely for entertainment is a button dedicated to extending or retracting his claws. Players can also lunge at enemies from a large distance and start combo strings or intimidate enemies.
The game's environments and character models are also quite detailed. Whether fighting Gambit on a skyscraper or facing off against elemental mutants in Africa, there are individual and detailed enemies that can interact with the environment. When thrown or hit, players can launch enemies into environmental hazards and impale them or throw them off cliffs. However, they are so well-hidden that players have to use Wolverine's heightened senses to identify them.
While the game sets up an interesting Days of Future Past-style sequel, there is no follow-up or story DLC to continue the story. However, thanks to its immersive features, the game is just as impressive today as it was when it was first released. As players work through the game and unlock new costumes and upgrades, it becomes easier to become the best there is at what Wolverine does.
Uncaged Edition rewards persistence and lets players feel the raw power in being Wolverine. If Insomniac Games can institute such stand-out mechanics in its recently-announced Wolverine game, like the lunge or healing factor, it may be able to surpass the standard set by this great tie-in to Wolverine's worst movie.