Those who have read the graphic novel or watched the awesome live-action film version starring Morgan Freeman and Angelina Jolie have been looking forward to Wanted: Weapons of Fate for the Xbox 360. Not only does it continue the story of one Wesley Gibson - who woke up to the reality that he carries the blood of a member of an old order of assassins - but it also showcases the same stylish action that was featured in the movie.

WEAPON OF MASS DISTRACTION

The good news is that the game does manage to do a good job of picking up the story where the movie left off and the ultra cool gunplay can be found in the game. The problem is that Weapons of Fate is far from the perfect action game despite its action-packed story. As I mentioned above, you follow the continuing story of Wesley Gibson who had just finished taking on a fraternity of assassins that was connected to his parents. Searching for clues about who killed his mother and how she died, Wesley finds himself the target of a rogue faction within the Fraternity. Why was his mother assassinated and who is behind the Loom of Fate?

Weapons of Fate does remain faithful to the graphics novel seeing as it also includes the black assassin suit but it also features the likeness and voices of the movie’s cast such as James McAvoy as Wesley and Terrance Stamp as a Fraternity munitions manufacturer. In the opening level, we find Wesley in France attempting to learn something about his mother when armed mercenaries attempt to take a framed photograph Wesley has of his mother. It is here that we are introduced to the basic gameplay mechanics via brief tutorials for skills such as moving for cover as well as aiming and firing.

On the surface, the basic cover and shooting elements are no different from other third-person shooters. What does set Weapons of Fate apart from other titles; however, are the special abilities such as the ability to curve bullets and enhanced quick movements. One of the first special abilities you’ll learn is how to fire your weapon and curve the trajectory of the bullet using the RB button and the analog stick so it’s possible to hit an enemy behind cover if done right. Then there are the enhanced quick movements that allow you to slow time as you slide to cover. This allows you to aim and shoot while moving for cover. The game even takes a page from the Gears of War games when it comes to firing blindly from cover as well as moving to cover.

WHO’S YOUR DADDY?

For the majority of the game you’ll be playing as Wesley but there are moments when you’ll be playing flashbacks as Wesley’s father, Cross. One of the more exciting moments in the game does belong to Cross as he attempts to assassinate a man connected with his beloved’s assassination aboard a burning airliner heading for a collision course with a mountain. In fact, there are a number of memorable and fun moments in this game … especially later in the game when you do go up against the Loom. Each chapter does contain areas where stealth is a good strategy and slo-mo events that have you attempting to take out enemies as well as bullets heading in your direction.

Unfortunately, all the entertaining moments in the game or the special abilities can’t hide the fact that the game follows a linear path that can get boring in spots and even the excitement of curving your bullets can get old quickly no matter how cool it is to pull off these shots. Sure, the game attempts to mix things up with a sniper segment and gun emplacement parts but they just aren’t thrilling enough. While you do run out of bullets in the game, it’s nothing a little melee attack won’t fix. The worst part is that the enemy AI makes the bad guys in the game way too dumb so there’s no real challenge here. Not even the boss battles will have you breaking a sweat in this game. This is also a short game with very little reason to come back for more.

IF LOOKS CAN KILL …

Visually, Weapons of Fate doesn’t really take advantage of the Xbox 360’s graphical capabilities. Sure, Wesley looks exactly like James McAvoy in cut scenes as well as during the action but every other character looks bland and occasionally not as well detailed as the main character. Some of the backgrounds do look nice while others have a washed out appearance. You would think the special effects would look better but it doesn’t.

As far as the sound is concerned, it’s a step above the visuals. The voice acting is handled wonderfully enough thanks to some of the familiar stars and the sound effects are just magnificently detailed and loud. The score isn’t bad at all either so - just like the movie - play this one on a good sound system.

In the end, Wanted: Weapons of Fate for the Xbox 360 is a short ride that offers a few genuine thrills that don’t last very long thanks to its repetitive action and gameplay. Yes, we love the fact that we can curve the bullets and perform cool assassin tricks just like in the movie but there’s little here that remains fresh or inventive. If anything, Weapons of Fate should be considered a good weekend rental instead.

Gameplay: 7.0
Weapons of Fate is a short game with some interesting gameplay elements such as the ability to curve your bullets but most of the levels will grow a tad tedious really quickly. At least the game allows you to see the story from another character’s perspective and the story is actually good.

Graphics: 7.5
Visually, the game could have looked a lot better but generic-looking enemies, some flat textures and poor lighting effects don’t give the game a true Xbox 360 feel to it. Still, Wesley looks great since he’s modeled after James McAvoy but the other characters don’t get the same treatment.

Sound: 8.0
The voice acting is top notch thanks to some of the movie’s talent and the sound effects are impressive if you’re playing the game using a good sound system. The music makes the action scenes even more intense.

Difficulty: Easy/Medium
Even in its medium setting, the game isn’t very challenging. This is mostly due to the brain-dead enemies and easy-to-figure-out bosses that hardly pose much of a threat. When you do die, it’s because you don’t like to take cover.

Concept: 7.0
Fans of the graphic novel and the Angelina Jolie-fueled action film will get a kick out of stepping into Wesley Gibson’s shoes. Curving bullets and the slo-mo events are super cool but even that novelty wears off quickly. There are some extras to unlock as well.

Overall: 7.0
While not a horrible game by any means; Wanted: Weapons of Fate has its share of fun action-packed moments that runs out of steam way too quickly. With linear levels and poor enemy AI, it’s hard to enjoy the game’s awesome gunplay. This one is worth the look if you liked the movie and the graphic novel.