Wolverine's Origins: The Complete Guide To His Past

Wolverine seems simple enough on the surface. It's easy to think you know everything about him but his past is complex, he's over a century old after all. IGN dives into the topic, deciphering the comprehensive history of Wolverine.

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Joystiq hands-on: X-Men Origins: Wolverine

by Randy Nelson { Apr 7th 2009 at 1:08PM }

When we first got our hands on X-Men Origins: Wolverine, the fiercest of Charles Xavier's mutant do-gooders was carving his way through South America in a game that played like a mix of God of War and Uncharted. And we liked it.

We've now played a near final version -- once again starting out in the jungle -- and, well, we still like it. Luckily we got to see a lot more of what players are in for and found that, while Kratos probably has grounds for a civil suit, there are definitely plenty of unique elements to help Wolverine's adventure stand on its own.

Gallery: X-Men Origins: Wolverine (04-06-09)

Another taste of the game's variety came when Wolverine battled a 200-foot-tall Sentinel.

The fully built-out and polished first level of the game gave us a good taste (and smell?) of what the ferocious X-Man is capable of. Which is, in addition to being super-strong, being able to regenerate his body, and possessing animal-like senses -- well, he rips his enemies to shreds (and rips off their heads, arms, legs) like nobody's business. We also came across a lot of conveniently placed -- and very sharp -- background objects just perfect to slam enemies onto with the grab button.

Part of the way through, an interactive sequence kicked in that had us controlling Logan as he leapt at a helicopter, used his claws to climb around to its front, then pulled the pilot out and held him up into the rotors, severing his head and coating the screen in blood. (Need any more convincing that it's gory?)

(It's worth noting that none of the screenshots or videos provided by Activision display the game's blood and gore. Wolverine is, at pace of almost one per every 10 seconds, grabbing an enemy and decapitating/disemboweling/eviscerating them using a timing-based attack.)

The level didn't offer much we hadn't seen and played before, sans a final "living rock" Golem boss Wolvie had to leap onto and stab away at. What happened next was a nice surprise (for us, probably not Logan). The setting changed to Canada, and the battle became a bar fight with Sabretooth. It incorporated pretty much every environmental object you'd imagine could be smashed over someone's head, including a telephone pole when the fight spilled outside into the rain.


We were told this admittedly brief scene was a taste of the gameplay variety to come later on. Another taste of it -- which we sadly didn't get to play -- was Wolverine battling a 200-foot-tall Sentinel. After strategically taking out the Goliath's feet and fists (while trying not to get squashed), Logan caught a ride as it attempted to rocket its way into orbit. The ensuing sequence saw him ripping parts off the robot using rapid button presses until it went hurtling back to Earth. Wolverine followed in free fall, dodging debris until finally landing on the giant and taking out its final core systems.

The second of the two areas we played was the interior of the Weapon X facility. This scene was Wolverine's enraged escape from captivity. We had to take out dozens of guards (while trying not to hit explosive objects), fight genetically engineered giants (these were almost exactly like the earlier Golem in terms of how they're fought), and use feral senses to escape the labyrinthine compound. Deflecting bullets with Logan's newly acquired adamantium claws was helpful -- and fun -- and we found his spinning attacks worked nicely in the cramped hallways.

While it wasn't especially useful in this environment (except to get onto the larger enemies' backs), we found the game's leaping/pouncing mechanic to be one of its most fun -- and handy. It's not only a combat move; it's used to traverse large gaps, spring on enemies below and cover large areas more quickly.

Raven Software says it's excited to get a chance to make a "true to form" Wolverine game. Well, we're excited to say we played just that. Heck, we're even more excited about it than the film on which it's based, and that's saying a lot.

HOW DID X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE GET LEAKED ON THE INTERNET?

• By Devin Faraci

Today an unwatermarked, time code free workprint of X-Men Origins: Wolverine leaked on the internet. Within hours thousands of people had a version of the upcoming Fox release, and once a file like this is in the wild it can never be fully brought back in.

How the hell did this happen?

I got in touch with a friend of mine who works in a post-production facility here in Los Angeles and he seemed to think my question was funny. "I'm surprised this doesn't happen more often," he said.

While studios bend over backwards to police film critics at press screenings (I've become used to security guards with night vision lenses staring at me while I'm watching a movie), the post-production process is apparently porous. Burned DVDs are swapped around with aplomb in this world; in fact I was told that the Wolverine DVD was switching hands for the last couple of weeks. It's hard to nail down where in the post-production process the Wolverine leak originated; it could have been someone working in digital FX, someone working on the titles, or even someone working on the trailer. Hell, it could be somebody working on the DVD release, for that matter.

My source told me stories of people blithely taking home DVDs of major upcoming studio blockbusters - some with watermarks, some without - so that they wouldn't have to work overtime at the office. And it's not just the honchos who have this access. My source told me about interns bringing DVDs home to watch with their friends. Even he seemed incredulous about the lackadaisical security at most of these post-production houses.

I've experienced some of this stuff first hand. I had someone from a post house meet me at a coffee shop and show me the Cloverfield trailer on a laptop. I've had files emailed to me that are clearly watermarked with post house names. I know a filmmaker who had his film pirated in the post-production stage, and who managed to nail the guy who was handing out DVDs to his friends. And I've come across some of these DVDs myself, although I never knew that they were so rampant.

Post isn't the only source of major leaks; these days getting a script to an unmade movie isn't even a badge of insider honor. They seem to be available to anyone who wants them. Someone told me that the security on the script for Cabin in the Woods was so tight no one would get it. Just to prove him wrong I got it three days later. I don't say that to boast but to explain how lax security is on the script end; once something hits an agency, PDFs of it may as well be deposited in the mailboxes of the biggest movie site writers. But while that's a problem - the mass leak of the script to Quentin Tarantino's Inglorious Basterds being one example - it's not half as damaging as the leak of an actual movie. Very few people will read a script. Many more will watch a DIVX file.

I have a feeling that the Wolverine leak is the tip of the iceberg. My source tells me that he suspects the person who leaked it may have been motivated by a grudge against the house where they work - perhaps someone who has been laid off or had his hours reduced (although to be fair he did also say that it's just as likely that this leak came from a dumb intern who simply made a copy for a friend. My friend has no actual knowledge of the particulars of this specific leak). The ease with which a DVD can be ripped and disseminated makes it child's play, and the ubiquity of laptops make it simpler and simpler for someone to rip a movie without even taking the disc off premises. Studios can keep being worried about someone sneaking a Flip camcorder into a press screening, but the real problem is right in their own system. So far they've been amazingly lucky, but how long can that luck hold out?

X-Men Origins: Wolverine Workprint Leaked Online

by: David Chen

[Update: According to Carlyle (AKA Massawyrm) at Spill.com, the version of the film that's leaked online is most likely an older version that hasn't yet integrated the new material from Hood's recent reshoots.]

Gavin Hood’s X-Men Origins: Wolverine is currently slated for a May 1, 2009 release date in the U.S., but unfortunately, it looks like a few people might be getting their hands on the film a bit earlier than intended. Reports are pouring in that a full-length, DVD-quality workprint of the film has been leaked onto the internet and is quietly making its way across various bittorrent sites and other unsavory online venues. According to Drew McWeeny at HitFix, who has evidently seen parts of the video file, the copy is “near-finished…marred only by a few unfinished FX shots.” In addition, “there’s no timecode, no watermark…nothing. It’s a clean, perfect copy.”

This is perhaps the biggest leak for a major tentpole release in recent memory. Leaving aside the well-known phenomenon of Oscar screener leaks, workprint leaks have certainly happened in the past. For example, Eli Roth’s Hostel 2 leaked onto the internet several weeks before its release (in that situation, Roth was furious and blamed the leak for the film’s weak box office performance). Other films such as Rob Zombie’s Halloween and Michael Moore’s Sicko also experienced similar issue. However, those films were all relatively small compared to X-Men Origins: Wolverine, a film which 20th Century Fox was probably betting on to help revive its recent lackluster box office performance.

The film’s production has already been plagued by bad buzz, and with a fairly pristine copy of the film floating around for consumption by the very audience the film is targeted at, it will all probably combine to have a dramatic and negative impact on this film’s opening and overall box office performance.

Final 'X-Men Origins: Wolverine' Trailer Bursts Out

20th Century Fox has debuted the final trailer for "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" starring Hugh Jackman, Liev Schreiber, Danny Huston, and Ryan Reynolds.

I'm actually quite shocked how good this trailer is and how awesome Deadpool looks. But then again that's what a trailer is suppose to do for you...they always show you the good parts.

But for sure this looks like a good way to start the summer movies with.

Meanwhile USA TODAY, posted some character pics from the film as well. Click on the Deadpool to check out the rest.

Have a look at the trailer below (or for a Hi-Def version go HERE) and let us know what you think about the final trailer.

Hugh Jackman reprises the role that made him a superstar - as the fierce fighting machine who possesses amazing healing powers, retractable claws and a primal fury. Leading up to the events of X-Men, X-Men Origins: Wolverine tells the story of Wolverine's epically violent and romantic past, his complex relationship with Victor Creed, and the ominous Weapon X program. Along the way, Wolverine encounters many mutants, both familiar and new, including surprise appearances by several legends of the X-Men universe whose appearances in the film series have long been anticipated.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine Opens May 1st.

Movie Trailers - Movies Blog

X-Men Origins: Wolverine Hands-on

Posted by Chris Plante on 02/06 at 05:07 PM

X-Men Origins: Wolverine is disarmingly violent. After watching NPC’s crudely decapitated, de-limbed, and disemboweled, any thoughtful, intelligent criticism or comment was pushed aside for me to mumble an “Uh, woa,” or a “Did they just, wow, they did that.” If you have any concerns that Wolverine’s latest videogame foray, brought to us by Raven Software and Amaze Entertainment by way of publisher Activision, lacks the visceral viscera that makes Wolverine one of the most brutal, animalistic superheroes, worry not. This is the most violent Wolverine game yet.

And while I’m at it, how about another hyperbolic generalization: this may be the best movie-game yet, too.

To call X-Men Origins: Wolverine a movie-game, though, is to misunderstand it. X-Men Origins: Wolverine borrows from plenty of sources beyond the film that shares its name—God of War, Uncharted and LOST to name a few.

How could I name drop everyone’s favorite mystery island, without eventually explaining myself. To tell our hero’s tale, Origins uses a narrative device similar to LOST’s flashbacks and flashforwards. You open the game on a tropical island setting, which acts a constant for Wolverine’s back story as you pop from different times and places; tropical stages are palate cleansers between the various levels spent battling helicopters, super villains and a 200 foot tall Sentinel.

More details after the jump…

Oh yeah, you fight a Sentinel. No we didn’t see it, nor did we score any gritty details, but if it’s half as awesome as what we saw, expect your fanboy glands to secrete pure joy.

The gameplay plays like a fusion of Uncharted and God of War. That’s meant as a flattering comparison, as Wolverine borrows generously, but, for the most part, nails what made those two titles great. The attacks—light, strong and grab along with additional abilities—feel like God of War, but without the need to remember intricate combos or button presses.

Thanks to an easy lunge maneuver where you lock on an enemy with right button, and hurl yourself at them with left button, you can leap across 30 or 40 feet in a split second, flaying your enemy up on arrival.

If a bullet or a machete interferes with the slaughter, Wolverine’s down, but not out. Our hero can be injured—torn away flesh and gaping wound—but with time the skin, muscle and bone regenerates. The regeneration’s an impressive effect and a visual way to express the self-healing mechanic popularized by the Call of Duty series.

To break things up, you have Uncharted-esque platforming moments and your “feral senses.” These senses strip away an environment’s colors and highlight interactive set pieces a glowing green; a blue wisp of light emanates from Wolverine, aiming in the direction of your next goal. With the help of these senses, you navigate the lush jungle, and, presumably, some tricky mechanical compounds (read: Sentinel, we hope).

But in the end, this is a movie game, so there must be a downside, yes? Well, maybe. The game contains a bulk of the movie’s events and characters, but takes things a step further with 30% more content not from the film. The folks at Raven claim they were developing this Wolverine title before the film, so we’re curious to see how their take on the beastly tough guy meshes with a big studio’s likely more kosher image.

The devs don’t seem too concerned. The over the top violence and fan service (you can unlock additional Wolverine costumes like the popular yellow and blue outfit from the cartoon) may not make this the best X-Men Origins: Wolverine: The Movie: The Game. However, I doubt that was ever Raven’s goal.

What it does look like is the best Wolverine game, and that is what fans have been waiting for.

Five New Wolverine Photos

by: Peter Sciretta

SpoilerTV has five new photos from 20th Century Fox’s X-Men spin-off film Wolverine. I’m not sure where these originated. As always, click to enlarge. Wolverine hits theaters on May 1st 2009. Four more photos after the jump.

Director: Gavin Hood
Screenplay by: David Benioff
Cast: Hugh Jackman, Liev Schreiber, will.i.am, Danny Huston, Lynn Collins, Taylor Kitsch, Dominic Monaghan, and Ryan Reynolds
Plot Synopsis: Hugh Jackman reprises the role that made him a superstar – as the fierce fighting machine who possesses amazing healing powers, retractable claws and a primal fury. Leading up to the events of X-MEN, X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE tells the story of Wolverine’s epically violent and romantic past, his complex relationship with Victor Creed, and the ominous Weapon X program. Along the way, Wolverine encounters many mutants, both familiar and new, including surprise appearances by several legends of the X-Men universe whose appearances in the film series have long been anticipated.