

Hugh Jackman’s Logan seemed desperate to keep his claws in check – an attitude that directly opposes the one held by the comic book Wolverine. In those films not only did Wolverine cry (what?!) but there was hardly a drop of blood. Let’s blame the X-Men movie trilogy, a set of films designed to appeal to a mainstream audience. Why does this feel wrong, when it should feel so right? Wolverine’s attacks send limbs flying, torsos tearing, heads decapitating, blood spewing and soldiers screaming. A casual flick of Wolverine’s wrist is enough to separate head from spine, or arm from torso, or leg from hip. Wolverine’s claws make a mockery of bone. Wolverine’s claws are more potent than your average kitchen knife, of course. And, as anyone who’s nicked the tips of their fingers while chopping an onion knows, when you get cut your skin tears and your blood spills. In a fight, if he feels like his life is in danger, he is going to cut someone. Which is silly, really, when you consider the Wolverine has claws. What shocks is that Wolverine is so violent, so filled with gore, that it’s hard to believe it’s a licensed game at all. Not that its God of War-inspired hack and slash gameplay is addictive fun, nor that the Unreal Engine 3 powered graphics display an impressive level of presentation. And it’s all in Raven Software’s upcoming movie tie-in X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Limbs flying, torsos tearing, heads decapitating, blood spewing, soldiers screaming… it is gaming at its most visceral. You can follow along by following either Twitter.
