X2: Wolverine's Revenge

"Good, solid comic to GBA translation."

Story: The stories to these games (Well any game now that I mention it.) never interest me much... Except when I'm playing them of course. I generally read reviews for info on gameplay and graphics. Story, just ahead of sound, is the least important feature for me to consider when purchasing a video game.

Gameplay: This game delivers on a lot of levels. There are cool power ups, a rage mode, healing factor, and retractable claws that don't run out with a stupid X-ability meter or something along those lines. it gets fun being able to switch your claws in and out while beating on some of the mindless thugs in the game. There is even a cool little ''Snikt!!'' action word in the game to give it a little touch of the comic book. Unfortunately, that's as far as the cool little action words go. yes, no ''Pow!'' or ''Smash!'' like we saw in Spider-man: The Movie. The rage mode is a cool little feature that even has a sort of control feature so as to not let the player constantly enter rage mode and make the game significantly easier. After the rage meter drains you enter a brief moment of nausea or dizziness. Your healing factor was also fixed so as to prevent the game from being too easy. you can only regenerate health when your claws are retracted. The last, and most coolest feature of the game, are the acquired abilities wolverine learns as the game progress'. Here are some of the abilities Wolverine acquires thru out the game-- Dashing, climbing walls, sliding, jumping dash attacks, and much more. It kind of gives it a touch of Metroid and Castlevania, if not just a little.

Yes this game is surprisingly well done. But it isn't without flaws. The game is really short, 8 levels to be exact. The game hides Danger Room cards in each stage but the rooms aren't really to awe inspiring. most consist of minor platforming and just clearing a room of enemies. Finishing one of these rooms gives you a continue which will help you get thru the main game. Whoop dee frickin doo.

Graphics: A mixed bag, describes this game's graphics. The character sprites, while fluid and done well, can have a few missing frames of animation. The textures also seem messy and bland. The backgrounds don't get that much better either. Don't get me wrong. The graphics are exceptional. I've just seen better... and by the same developers too. Overall, nothing to complain about. Everything is distinguishable and nicely animated.

Sound: Mediocre. The music is good enough to get the job done. Screams and grunts are cool. No complaints here.

Replay Value: Probably the worst part of the game. You can play the Danger Rooms if you want, but there isn't really any reason to. Maybe a time trial would have been nice. Beat old clearing times for the different rooms. This will probably be one of those games you'll dust off every time you just want to slash up some bad guys or run thru a level every now and then.

Conclusion: If your a Wolverine fan this game is a must. I myself am a comic book fan. Wolverine isn't necessarily my favorite character but he's one none-the-less. It also serves as a just flat out exceptional action game. Played all the other action games out there and need something to tide you over till the next big release? You can't go wrong with X2: Wolverine's Revenge.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 03/02/04