Wolverine
Nintendo Entertainment System
Nostalgia Factor:
I first played this game back in the 1990s, when I rented it from Blockbuster Video. I remember very little about the game, other than the fact that I liked it, and that I was able to beat the game. I seem to remember it being somewhat difficult. I also remember a water level driving me nuts. Other than that, I don't remember much of anything.
Recently, I happened to stumble upon an AVGN review of the game, where he trashed it and said it was terrible. Like I said, I don't remember much about the game, but I do not remember it being terrible. I told myself that I was going to return to Wolverine someday and see if the AVGN was full of shit or if he was right.
He was full of shit. Keep reading for my full thoughts.
Story:
There is probably a story somewhere in the game's manual, but I didn't have access to the manual when I fired this up. In-game, nothing is explained. You are just thrown right into a side scrolling action stage.
After you beat the first level, Sabretooth appears and taunts Wolverine. Then you play the second level. At the end of this level, he appears to taunt Wolverine again. This happens after every level in the game.
On the second to last level, you fight Magneto. On the last level, a few fellow X-Men show up for moral support. Then you have to defeat Sabretooth by punching him off a cliff. Your reward for beating the game? A still shot of Wolverine posing, followed by a screen that says: The End?
What. A. Story.
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Gameplay:
For an LJN game, Wolverine handles pretty well. You can walk forward and back. You can duck. You can punch. You can jump. Wolverine can jump pretty high for a little guy. You can move around mid-air and adjust yourself with relative ease. The controls are pretty responsive, and I never found myself battling against them. That doesn't mean the gameplay is perfect, though. Wolverine's range of attack is very small. You often have to get right up in an enemy's grill in order to hit them with your melee attack. This often results in taking unnecessary damage that you never would have had to take if your range was just a teeny bit longer. This is especially annoying when fighting flying enemies. It is very hard to not take damage. Swimming can also be a touchy affair.
The basic point of the game is to simply make it from the start of the stage to the end. Point A to point B. You are constantly under attack from enemies, most of which are invisible and materialize when you get near them. This often results in taking some cheap damage. Other enemies are located in fixed positions. I was having some difficulty when I first started this up. I was taking a lot of damage and dying a lot. Then I remember something I had read on Reddit: treat this game like you are trying to speed run it. If you stop to fight every enemy in your path, you are going to have a rough time. But if you keep moving and keep pushing forward, often jumping over and evading your enemies, it makes the game much easier. And sure enough - it did.
There are nine stages in total. Most of them are pretty straightforward, although they do often feature branching paths you can take to get to the end. The only one that I struggled navigating was the underwater stage because it is very maze-like. The game is very tough, and you are going to find yourself dying quite often. You get three lives, with one continue. Use up all those lives, and you have to go back to the beginning of the entire game. I did manage to beat this as a kid, but all I can say now in my old age is thank god for save states.
I have to talk about the glaring problem with the game: Wolverine's claws! You don't use them by default. He just punches with his regular fists. You can press the select button to pop his claws out. They are a little longer than his normal attack, plus they deal out extra damage. Unfortunately, each time you press the attack button with your claws out, it drains your health. This game is so difficult, it basically makes the claws not worth using. You need every scrap of health you can get. Luckily, enemies go down pretty easily, and you never really need to use your claws.
The whole game can be beaten in about a half hour if you know what you are doing. I played through it twice for this review. The first time, when I was still learning the game, it took me over an hour to beat the game. My second attempt, when I knew what I was doing, was much faster. A half hour, give or take.
Graphics:
This game looks okay, I guess. I would not say it is ugly or anything, but it is very primitive looking. You can tell who the characters are, but just barely. It looks like a seven year old made them in MS Paint. The backgrounds are fairly dull and unexciting - although they do get better as you make it deeper into the game. I guess plain is the word I am looking for. The game is very plain. Doesn't look bad, just plain.
I do like the little Sabretooth teaser screens between stages. There's also a still shot of Wolverine at the end of the game that looks like it was pulled right from the comics. These look decent. But as far as the game itself, when you are actually playing? Very meh. It's a few steps below Mega Man, if that helps put some type of reference point on things.
Sound:
I've read a lot of praise for this game's music online. Some people even say it is the best thing about the game. I think it is okay. Again, it is not bad, but it is not what I'd call great, either. It's just kind of your typical NES crunchy, techno-ish music. It is fast and upbeat. I don't really know how else to describe it.
Overall:
Let me get this out of the way: this game does not suck. I had a pretty good time with it. It can be frustrating at times and there are a lot of annoying things about the game, like the invisible enemies and the way using your claws drains your health. I also wish you had unlimited continues, because for how tough this game is, three lives and one continue is not nearly enough. The game itself is fun, though.
I like the controls. I like the platforming. I like the quick decisions you always have to make. I even like how fighting versus running is a completely valid way to play this game. You have multiple ways to tackle things.
The game is also pretty short, and does not overstay its welcome. This is perfect for a quick game to blast through when you have an hour or two to sit down and play a retro game.
I have to give Wolverine an above average score. That's a no-brainer. But do I go with a C+ or a B-? That is the question. Ultimately, I feel like the quality of the game's visuals and the cheapness of the difficulty is going to hurt it a bit. I just can't see myself giving it something in the B range. It's close, but it doesn't quite earn it. Even though I had a relatively fun time with this, I can see why it is so divisive.
Does it stack up with Mario, Sonic, Castlevania, Contra, and all the great classics of the 8 and 16-bit era? Not really. I am never going to be like "oh yeah, Wolverine, what an amazing game!!" In fact, now that I've played through it for my review, I am not sure if I will ever play it again. So yes, I liked it. Yes, it is a decent game. But ultimately it is forgettable in the long run. If you missed it growing up, you should not feel any rush to go back and give it a try. I would not discourage you from doing so, but by no means is this a must play game.
THE GRADE:
C+
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