by Robert Workman on Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Last summer's action movie, Wanted, revolves around a group of assassins known as the Fraternity, guided by fate to hunt down specific targets that could have a negative impact on mankind. Wesley Gibson, a no name guy who used to work in an office cubicle, gets caught up with this group after the death of his father. The film was a great success, and now Wesley's packing his pistols once again for the upcoming game Wanted: Weapons of Fate.
Similar to the movie, Wesley is given a group of targets to kill, be it dirty businessmen or high-class assassins. He'll need those Fraternity-taught skills to get the job done, from keeping his cool under fire to using a unique "curving" technique to hit his enemies around walls.
The level we've seen takes place on a commercial airliner. Wesley finds himself crawling up seat-to-seat, avoiding various gunmen as he zeros in on his target, sitting near the front.
Wesley can duck behind objects and walls, while also keeping a bead on enemies bearing down on him. The game features smart artificial intelligence, although Wesley can use distraction to his advantage by firing a couple of shots as a decoy to fool an enemy, then move to another spot to easily take him out. If he's close to an opponent, Wesley can also grab him for a melee attack with his knife or use him as a shield.
Wesley has other advantages. For instance, if a bad guy stands near the side of the plane, he can shoot a hole in it and watch the enemy fall out. Wesley also has a magnificent bullet curving ability. He simply preps his shot using a visible arc on-screen, enabling him to shoot around corners.
Best of all, he has an Assassin meter. Fill this up with enough energy (earned through multiple kills) and time slows down. By doing this, Wesley can run in and fire several shots at superhuman speed, offing a guy before he even knows what hit him. Although this is hardly the most original feature in the game, it definitely gets the adrenaline pumping.
Presentation-wise, Wanted: Weapons of Fate still has a ways to go, and we haven't seen additional levels. However, the development team has done a great job capturing the mood and ambiance of the film, right down to the cool slo-mo effect of a bullet going through a thug's head. The music and sound effects are energetic as well, although there's no word yet if James McAvoy, who portrayed Wesley in the movie, will reprise his role. Sadly, there's no Angelina Jolie.
Even though it's coming out several months after the film, Wanted: Weapons of Fate should be a fun shoot-em-up. We'll be back with the full verdict once the game ships next year. We can't wait to curve us some bullets.
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