Wolverine: Adamantium Rage

"Has some problems, but overall a very good game"

After a long line of horrible comic to game translations in the early 90s, we were graced with this little number. The first (and only) Wolverine game I have ever played that truly took advantage of the character, it remains one of my favorites.

Wolverine is at it's heart a side scroller with freedom, ala Metroid. Your general task is to eliminate a set number of enemies scattered throughout the levels (ranging from generic sentry robots to the Hand), then find your way to the exit of each level. At this point you're faced with a boss, various villains from Logan's history. They prove tough, and are very fun to duel with (everyone from Lady Deathstrike to Cyber to Bloodscream is included....sadly no Sabertooth though).

Where the game stands out though is the sheer number of attacks Wolverine can throw. While previous games limited you to a standard claw swipe, claw swipe, claw swipe ad nauseam, here you have several methods of dropping the bad guys. Through various button combinations you can punch, kick, launch flying kicks, dive, uppercut with claws extended, dig with your claws, go into a berserker rage-type claw fury, leap into the air with your claws pointed straight over your head, latch onto walls and ceilings, and my personal favorite, hold your claws out on either side of you and calmly wait for the enemies to run into you and impale themselves. :)

Then there's Wolverine's healing factor, which will take him all the way back to full health if given enough time. However you can't abuse it for TOO long, there's somewhat of a time limit....Elsie Dee, the little robot girl laced with bombs is slowly trodding after you, and what's left of you if she does catch up isn't pretty (told you they covered a lot of villains....).

Graphics - 7

For SNES graphics, they're very nice. Both Wolvie and the bad guys are animated well, and the cutscenes are pretty much comic quality. Nothing compared to later efforts though, such as Mutant Apocalypse.

Music and Sound FX - 8

Some catchy tunes, and decent sounding ''snikts'' whenever Wolverine pops his claws.

Gameplay - 7

The sheer number of ways you can beat the crap out of your foes is great....however, the button placement for doing this is somewhat wacky. And hunting down foes to proceed can get tiresome, but the boss fights more than make up for it.

Extras - 7

You get a nice bio of Wolvie and all the major bad guys he'll be facing, along with their powers and weaknesses. And the attention to detail is very good (Deathstrike for example is one hell of a fighter, but is basically a lunatic and can be tricked into knocking herself out given the terrain).

Replay Value - 7

It's fun to go back and just beat up on the various bad guys when you're aggravated. Passwords come up frequently, so once you pass a level you rarely have to go through it again and can skip straight to the bosses if you wish.

Overall - 7/10

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 05/11/03, Updated 05/11/03