The game is loosely based on the movie, so if you haven’t seen the movie, SPOILER ALERT! You play as wolverine (obvious ba?) and the game is set in two periods of time. First was during Wolverine’s army days during a mysterious mission in Africa and second is right after he got his adamantium skeleton. All this happens as a flashback from a Wolverine in the future.

The game is basically a beat them up. Although it sets itself apart from other beat them ups by adding an RPG element. Yes mga kapatid, naglelevel up si Wolverine. As you level up you get new skills that increase the damage of your claws, increase your Hit Points and your rage points. Also you can find “Mutagens” hidden all over the levels that make the gameplay a bit more unique.You can actually build your own version of wolverine.

On our first play, we made a vampire like Wolverine. We upgraded our vitality, used a damage dealing mutagen and also a mutagen that gives us health as we deal damage. So everytime Wolverine hits really hard, he gains a certain HP. The more you kill, the more you stay alive. (ishlash gee gee).

Alright, just to set things straight, THIS IS NOT FOR KIDS. The game is rated M for mature. There’s blood and gore in this game and we expected as much since you’re controlling a character with unbreakable razor sharp claws. Something is bound to get cut and somepeople are bound to bleed.

You beat the opponents up with lunges, combos and killer special attacks (yung mga naglalaro ng arcade diyan, he has DRILL CLAW!). You can also opt just to execute the enemy by throwing them into spikes and cliffs.

Graphically speaking, for a console port, this is a stunning game. It doesn’t WOW the eyes right away but you’ll give your respects to the Unreal Engine it uses afterwards. We however give props to the crazy action sequences the game offers. We jumped off a building into a chopper, ran from end to end on an exploding bridge, fought a giant Sentinel and it all went smooth and pleasing to our critical eyes. One thing to note as well is that well is when Wolverine takes damage, it shows on his body. Severe damage and Wolverine will start to look like meat in a butcher shop. We’ve seen bone, we’ve seen innards hanging from his body. Thank goodness he heals up pretty fast, not a pretty sight.

We have noticed a few camera problems though. There are some levels that the camera angle is pretty much retarded that controlling Wolverine equals solving a parabolic equation problem while getting hit on the head with a huge freakin’ rock.

The game sounds are impressive as well. Pretty much what you’d expect from a movie tie-up game. It’s funny to hear soldier yell “Nooooooo” when only a few seconds ago they’re saying “Kill the bastard!” The difference? A few seconds ago, Wolverine’s claws weren’t coming straight at his face. We have to point out however that after a few hours of gameplay, you’ll be noticing repetitions. LOTS of them. The same enemies yell the same things over and over. Also Wolverine says his catch phrases like “I’m the best at what I do.” repeatedly. It kinda gets to you after a while but does not hinder gameplay.

The game has little replay value. You are given a choice of three difficulties; easy, normal and hard. Hardmode is unlocked after you play through the game for the first time. Also there are “Action Figures” hidden all over the game. When you get them, they unlock a costume for Wolverine to wear. Sa mga babaeng gamer diyan, ito na pagkakataon niyo makita si Hugh Jackman na naka yellow spandex (original yellow costume ni wolverine). You can also try new wolverine mutagen builds but that’s as far as replay value goes.

All in all X-men Origins: Wolverine is a pretty solid console port but still has the console problems. The PC edition does not offer anything new. However, if you’re looking for a solid beat them up game, this is a great game to get. If you’re a Wolverine or X-men fan, this is a must get.

Pinoy Gaming Rate

Assassin’s Creed is a third person adventure game/RPG in a sense, but to call it that would be calling the Super Ferry a “bangka”. It won’t do it any justice. The storyline itself proposes interesting plots and ploys. It begins when a bartender – a former assassin – is kidnapped by a couple of geeks working for a secret organization of sorts. They stick him in this machine called an Animus that takes a peek into a person’s cellular memories and finding out about that person’s ancestors. This particular bartender however is a decendant of a man named Altair; a member of the early Hashashin clan back in the time of the 3rd crusade. Interesting no? Di ko maikuento buong story dito no, you have to play the game to find out!

If the story impresses you, the graphics (especially the Directx10 PC version) will make your jaws drop. Naka SLI nga lang ako na 8600GT paano pa kaya pag 8800GTX video card ko sobrang kumikinang siguro ito (pati electric bill ko sunog, yokyokyok). The graphics portray a rich living environment during the middle ages. People walk around the town streets like they really have something to do. They shop, they mingle, they gossip. Plus the feel of the game due to the graphics is astoundingly original as well as unique.

Sounds in the game are fairly impressive. I suppose since I wasn’t alive in the middle ages, it is hard to approximate what a town would sound like at that time. I would wager the game’s developer Ubisoft has the right of it. You can hear murmurs in the crowd, horses snorting in the stables, birds chirping, eagles screeching, and swords clanging. All these contribute to the living environment that Assassin’s Creed depicts.

The Gameplay however is a little less than perfect. You play the game like most 3D third person games. You move around with the mouse and keyboard following the storyline. In this one, you are assigned to kill 9 men responsible for the crusades. This plot, however conniving and underhanded, gives you a sense of being short changed after the actual kill. Ang dami dami mong kailangang gawin bago mo mapatay yung tao. Avoid the guards, go to this person, talk to this person, get this one, make this one, then sneak, sneak, sneak. Then KILL! After that you go…”ahhh so yun lang yun?” most of the time. Some of the NPCs are very annoying too. There are beggars on the street who will keep on nagging you for coin and drunks punch you around. When you hit back, the guards will be all over you. If you like a game of build up and a one shot climax, this is for you.

As for replay value, the game is on an open ended format. There are no major strings to pull you here and there except to guide you through the story. There are so many ways to kill a target or achieve your objective. You can come in with your sword and bow and start hacking and slashing everything (with great consequence) or you can be sneaky and stab the guy in a crowd no one the wiser. So you will want to go back to a target over and over and try new stuff. You will get new weapons and abilities too as you level up, this will entail more ways of owning.

All in All, Assassin’s Creed PC is a game you must not miss if you have the hardware for it. It recommends a whopping 3GB of RAM although 2GB will do for minimum. Even at Directx 9 and on minimum settings though, the game is still impressive.

Graphics – 10
Sound – 10
Gameplay -8
Longevity – 9