Wolverine: Adamantium Rage

"Wolverine: Aluminum Rage? Looks like it"

Wolverine: Adamantium Rage is one of those rare platformers where the Genesis version is completely superior to the SNES one. While not breaking any ground, this is still an enjoyable game that will keep you busy for a good while.

Graphics 7/10
Everything's clear, and surprisingly, not cartoony, except for in the comic cut-scenes between levels. The picture of Wolverine at the beginning of the game does look a bit tacky though. Something about the backgrounds just isn't eye-catching enough though. And there's a penguin in the northern Canada level. Penguins only live in the southern hemisphere. Minor complaints, but enough to keep this from getting an 8.

Music: 7/10
The start-up tune is an example of what the rest of the music is like in this game: pounding heavy metal done in a way only the Genesis can. It fits nicely with the gritty tone of the game, although by the end of the level you could get tired of it. There's no seperate boss music either. Nothing beats the opening song though.

Sound 5/10
Slashing makes a nice whoosh sound, but the rest is subpar. Hitting enemies sounds like you're punching instead of slashing. Hitting a switch/metal enemy makes a rubbery bouncy sound instead of a suitable clang. So much for gritty. At least the glass shattering is decent.

Story 5/10
Basically Wolverine is wondering about his past, has a flashback, and then all of a sudden finds himself in chains at the old Weapon X HQ. I'm sorry but I don't have the instruction manual to fill in that gap. Then he precedes to fight his way to who chained him up, and seemingly everyone's in on it. Oh, and the ending absolutely sucks. I can't spoil it, but just to give you an idea how rushed it was, there's no congratulatory music throughout it or the credits. And it's pretty peculiar how Wolverine goes throughout the entire game without getting a single rip in his costume, when in the comics he can't go 5 minutes without one. This could have been handled a lot better.

Gameplay 7/10
Wolverine's got more moves than Carter's got little pills. Aside from the standard button slash, (which you press twice for a combo) there's an extended slash, a forward leap slash, an uppercut slash, a circular jumping slash, and 2-directional jab. Oh, and he has a worthless kick button, which is only good for the switches. And speaking of worthless, those claws can't be adamantium. It takes something like 7-10 slashes just to kill *one* pathetic scientist. Even more for the armored guys with guns. And that's on the Easy setting! Strongest metal in the world, huh? The healing factor is almost next to useless since it goes too slow (about 2 hp per 8 seconds or something like that) and Elsie Dee's on your trail so you can't just pause and heal unless you want to be blown up. All this makes up for a challenging game. Bosses like Lurker and Bloodscream will make you pull out your hair/throw the controller in frustration. Oh, and did I mention that there are 2 or 3 bosses in most of the levels? Thankfully, there are some exceptions. (One level doesn't even have a boss) But the challenge is all part of the fun, right?

Replayability 2/10
Until you consider the ending. It should be a gaming crime to make someone go through so much pain and frustration just to see an ending that took less than a minute to make. There aren't any secrets either, so after you beat it, you'll probably never play it again, unless for nostalgia. And you'll probably use game genie codes too.

Overall, a decent game and loads better than the SNES one (trust me). Wolverine fans, masochists, and people who love challenges should try to find this game. If anything, to laugh (or cry) at the story. A penguin in Canada, geez...

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 01/12/02, Updated 01/12/02