From Issue #13 (Fall 2009)
by Agent J
As any X-Men fan that is also a NES gamer can tell you, the first ever X-Men video game was The Uncanny X-Men for the NES, which was released by LJN. And as any NES gamer can also tell you, that game stinks. So I can only imagine the feeling that X-Men fans got when they heard that LJN was following up that “masterpiece” with a second X-Men title, this one simply called Wolverine.
Wolverine is the most popular member of the X-Men crew, which is a Marvel superhero team created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby for Marvel Comics in the 1960s. He was not part of the original X-Men team but was a member of the revamped X-Men team that was introduced in 1975. Since then he has gone on to his own comic book series, his own NES game and now he’s the first to star in his own spin-off movie.
While Wolverine is nowhere near as bad as The Uncanny X-Men, it still is disappointing. The game is eight platforming stages long and according to the instruction booklet Wolverine has woken up on the shore of a beach with no memory of why and has no choice but to move inland. Apparently his arch nemesis Sabretooth has something to do with all this but that isn’t explained. As you make your way through each stage you will quickly notice that you won’t really see anyone from the Marvel Universe except for some bad guys that look vaguely like the Silver Surfer. There are no bosses at the end of each stage until you reach the end of the seventh stage where you will finally see a Marvel villain in the form of Magneto. A very lame battle ensues with him, which is followed by the final stage – your showdown with Sabretooth. As far as the other X-Men go, you won’t see any unless you find the secret doors in certain stages. If you can find the secret doors then you will discover guest appearances from Havok, Jubilee and Psylocke. None of them are integral to the game but all will provide you with a little assistance.
Wolverine has certain abilities he can use such as his retractable claws, unfortunately he loses a little bit of his life each time he uses them so they need to be used strategically. He can also self-heal a tiny bit if you are able to find Havok to help you out with this.
Overall, Wolverine tries to incorporate a few elements of the X-Men series but doesn’t do near enough to really make this feel like a true X-Men title. Instead this game feels like a generic and somewhat boring platformer.
Positives:
Each stage is divided into a different theme such as air, fire or water. These themes provide the game with some variety. The music in this game is killer and the colors are very bright. Wolverine can move quickly and can jump pretty far. The controls are solid and the game provides a decent challenge. There are a number of secret doors to be found throughout the game – some have 1-Ups or continues while others provide Wolverine with additional powers.
Glaring Negatives:
The game just doesn’t feel like a true X-men release. I quickly realized that this game is easiest if you just race through each level avoiding bad guys as opposed to beating them up. Because of this I never actually used Wolverine’s retractable claws once until I reached Magneto. It also seems a little strange that the game is easiest if you just run over or through all of the bad guys, you really do have to defeat very few to win the game. Why doesn’t this game feature more characters from the X-Men series? This game could have followed some kind of storyline from the comics and featured plenty of cool characters being showcased in nice, large sprites. Instead you barely ever see anyone from the Marvel universe and they are all so tiny that when you do see them; they don’t really even look like themselves. It also seems weird that Wolverine’s energy gets replenished through hamburgers and pop.
Graphics and Sound: Good
The music in this game is very good and has a bit of a following on the Internet. It definitely fits the style of Wolverine since it’s aggressive and full of energy. The graphics are too small for my taste but at least the backgrounds are colorful and interesting.
Gameplay and Controls: Solid
The controls are solid; Wolverine will do what you want him to do. The gameplay is OK, you have to run, jump and beat up bad guys. One problem is that when you are hit by a bad guy you don’t gain invincibility so if you don’t move you can easily go from full health to dead in a matter of seconds.
Features: Continues
LJN allows you three continues in your quest to defeat the vile Sabretooth.
Fun?: Not a whole lot
This is the big problem with Wolverine; the game just isn’t that fun. You would think that this game would be full of Wolverine whooping up on bad guys from the Marvel universe; instead you just run away from generic bad guys until you reach the end of the stage. In fact, Agent K insists that this goes completely against Wolverine’s character.
Challenge: Medium
This is another one of those NES games that seems impossible at first but quickly becomes ridiculously easy. As long as you can figure out where to go in each level and you avoid confrontation the game doesn’t really pose any difficulties.
Replay: No
I can’t imagine ever playing this game again now that I’ve beat it.
2 Player: Yes
You can alternate turns in the two-player mode.
Bottom Line: Typical LJN fare
For some reason Nintendo kept letting LJN pump out this garbage. Instead of having some killer Wolverine game, we are stuck with this mediocre platformer that feel almost nothing like a real X-Men experience. Any fan of Wolverine will be disappointed with this release.
| Reviewer: Agent JCompany: LJN
Released: 1991 Rarity: B- Expertise: Beat it! |
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About the Author: Agent J and K are the duo that operate NESArchives.com. Their mission? To review every NES game every released.
Video Game Trader magazine & price guide is a quarterly print publication dedicated to classic and retro video gaming. VideoGameTrader.com serves as a companion site to the magazine. An iPhone app is also available by searching 'video game price guide' in iTunes App Store. 
