Wanted: Weapons Of Fate - Curving Your Gaming Bullet

Lets start out with what the game does well enough. Wanted: Weapons of Fate is a movie tie-in game (which in turn comes from a comic book). If you haven't seen the movie Wanted (and you like action flicks), you need to go rent it now. Done watching? Good, because the game takes off with this same storyline, albeit advanced forward. The character Wesley continues the story of being an assassin with a gift - the ability to "adjust" reality. He can move exceptionally fast and he can even bend the path of bullets he shoots, known as "curving the bullet". From a storyline perspective, the game keeps to it's predecessor's traditions rather well. As a player, you take over Wesley's life and live out what its like to be an assassin. You also get to play as Wesley's father in some levels. The story is as interesting here as it was in the movie, so if you liked one, you'll probably like the other.

Visually WWOF is what you would expect from a current title. The expectations are high here, since the movie set a rather high bar with its over-the-top special effects. WWOF uses everything in the movie and more, including equipment and clothing only seen in the comic book. The main character looks remarkably like the actor in the movie, and not in a bad way at all. While the backdrops and the villains all seem to become the same over time, there's enough here that looks good to get you past what doesn't work as well. The cutscenes and cinematics on the Xbox might look better on a 50 inch widescreen flat panel, but it's doubtful. This is probably the only bad thing that can be said about the game visually, other than the fact that every villain seems to have shopped at the same "Bad Guys Clothing Store". Had that been improved a bit, this title would have garnered an Excellent rating in the graphics category. As it is, it's just a good looking game, not an exceptionally good looking game.

Now it might seem a little harsh to give such a low rating here, but you have to understand. One of the things that made the comic book and the movie so compelling was the action involved. The idea of "curving the bullet" was a signature move, and so bringing that concept to the game should be exceptional considering today's hardware and gamer expectations. And this move is only one of the various ways an assassin of this caliber kills. Unfortunately, the gameplay in WWOF falls exceedingly short of where it should be. Curving the bullet is fun for a few seconds, but over time it begins to pale. The action sequences the movie is famous for are just not there in the game (except for one noteworthy airplane scene), and the game turns into a monotonous sequence of curve the bullet, kill whoever is left, curve it again, kill some more. Even the boss fights are midly boring at best. To make matters even worse, there are a few moments where you have to use a turret, but the implementation of it is painful and discouraging. Sorry, but the game fails spectacularly where it should have shined the most.

Overall this game is barely average. The uses of bullet curving, cover, and assassination start out nice, but they fall flat long before the game ends. Visually the game is done well enough, but its just not enough to rescue this title from mediocrity. The storyline flows from its origins really well, encompassing both its comic book and movie predecessors. The expectations of fans and non-fans alike however, will be much higher than this game can deliver. It's truly unfortunate. This game could have been a noteworthy adaption of some truly interesting concepts and ideas, but in the end you'll be left holding an empty bag. Save yourself the irritation and don't buy it. Renting it is an option (because there are some halfway decent aspects of the game) but don't make it a permanent part of your gaming library.