Video Game Reviews by Jeb Haught

DEVELOPER: Raven Software

PUBLISHER: Activision

SYSTEM: Microsoft Xbox 360 (PC, PS3)

PRICE: $59.99

ESRB RATING: Mature

REVIEW RATING: 4 stars (out of 5)

Wolverine is used to conspiracies. You would be too if people had been chasing after you since childhood. But the cruelest plot of all is the fact that no video game featuring the adamantium-clawed mutant properly depicts him as a raging feral animal, until now. In fact, "X-Men Origins: Wolverine Uncaged Edition" is more than just a great action game, it's actually better than the movie it's based upon.

Let's face it; the recent Wolverine movie is a bit disappointing. Comic fans are fuming due to all of the unnecessary changes, and action fans are asking their girlfriends to wake them up for the fight scenes. "X-Men Origins Wolverine UE" follows the events of the film and the characters closely resemble their movie counterparts. In addition, extra back-story sequences have been added to lengthen the adventure.

What the movie was missing, and this game certainly isn't, is copious amounts of blood. If some madman was using 12-inch metal claws to tear through hordes of enemies, I expect to see some crimson. That's not sadistic, just realistic. I guess the developers at Raven Software were thinking the same thing because Wolverine rips off appendages easier than Bernie Madoff ripped off investors.

Lunging at characters from 50 feet away to sink Wolverine's claws into their chest is one of my favorite moves. It instantly closes the gap and inflicts damage at the same time. Moreover, this handy maneuver can be used to traverse large gaps and jump on the back of boss characters for some good old-fashioned backstabbin'. I also enjoy the free-form combat that lets players combine moves to create their own combos.

On the downside, most of Wolverine's moves are learned near the beginning of the game, which makes the later portions rather repetitive. It would also be nice to have more enemy mutants to fight, but that doesn't stop "X-Men Origins: Wolverine Uncaged Edition" from being the best movie-based game available!

 

'Excitebots: Trick Racing' Gets a Little Off Track

 

DEVELOPER: Nintendo

PUBLISHER: Nintendo

SYSTEM: Nintendo Wii

PRICE: $49.99

ESRB RATING: Everyone

REVIEW RATING: 3 stars (out of 5)

Many people were surprised when Nintendo ditched two wheels in favor of four for the sequel to the classic game, "Excitebike," and the result was mediocre at best.

Now the third iteration is upon us, titled "Excitebots: Trick Racing," and it couldn't be more different from the source material.

To begin with, players race vehicles shaped like animals rather than motorcycles. Don't be surprised to see a frog, rat, ladybug or turtle all on the racetrack at the same time. Who knows why we are racing four-wheeled animals, but it sure is crazy looking.

On top of that, the vehicles change shape at different times during each race. Grab a particular power-up and the vehicle starts running on legs instead of spinning tires. Launch off a ramp in "eg form" and the vehicle turns into a glider. In addition, hitting boost just before the end of a jump extends "wings" to help players fly farther!

One thing that confuses me is why there are so few tricks to perform in a game that is subtitled "Trick Racing." Sure, you can spin off of jumps, but that's it for midair maneuvers. Sports Tricks let players slam into a conveniently placed soccer ball or football to score points, but I hardly consider that a trick.

I guess players are supposed to focus on the "bar system," which is my least favorite feature of this game. Red and yellow bars appear onscreen and the player's vehicle automatically reaches up an arm to grab them and spin around. The problem is that this drastically breaks up the pacing of each race. In fact, players have to spin on the red bar 10 times before they can proceed. The last thing I need in the middle of a race is a mini-game!

Since "Excitebots: Trick Racing" is even more surrealistic than "Mario Kart," the game is obviously geared towards children. Honestly, I don't know who else could tolerate it for more than 30 minutes at a time.

 

REVIEW SCORING SYSTEM

5 stars = Must Have

4 stars = Pretty Good

3 stars = Above Average

2 stars = Bargain Bin

1 star = Don't Bother

 

RATINGS KEY

Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB)

E: Everyone

E10-plus: (Everyone 10 and older)

T: Teen (13 and older)

M: Mature (17 and older)

To find out more about Jeb Haught and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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