So I’m a bit late to the party in reviewing Wanted: Weapons of Fate and many of you have probably zipped through this rather short title already. Though I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to jot down my observations about this bullet curving extravaganza, all the same.

Wanted: Weapons of Fate continues the plot of the 2008 film that I could never get motivated enough to see. I knew the basic premise though, and the game does an adequate job of bringing anyone up to speed that also may have skipped the movie.

This game’s learning curve (for lack of a better term) is gentle. In fact, anyone who has ever played a third person shooter, like Gears of War for example, will master Weapons of Fate very quickly. The cover system is very familiar to said title and works fantastically. Moving between cover points feels very smooth and the mechanics in general were executed quite well by developer GRIN. I especially enjoyed being able to knife nearby enemies while in cover by tapping the melee button when in range. It’s a nice touch.

Bullet curving, the real hook of this game, is also easy as pie and fun to use. This ability becomes available simply by gaining Adrenaline Points, which can be amassed by performing kills. When curving bullets, the camera will occasionally follow your bullet’s trajectory and zoom in as your doomed foe is pierced by the fatal steel projectile you’ve kindly sent his way. It’s a pretty cool, arcade-like effect, though sometimes it can be an annoyance when you’re in the middle of a firefight.

Speaking of arcade action, there are also moments where you can enter a “Bullet Time” mode, which seems to be a common feature in shooters these days. In some instances, time will slow down and you’ll be given a limited period of time to hit certain targets in an effort to eliminate your enemies. It’s pretty fun and gives the game cinematic flair. Also, if you’re in cover and you have at least two Adrenaline Points, you’ll have an option to enter Bullet Time as you shift to another cover point. With this you can cause some severe damage, and it adds to the game’s fun, arcade-style of play.

As nifty as Wanted’s various combat features are, they hinder the challenge of this game. The combination of your abilities and the cover system means that enemies really can’t put up much of a fight against you. I honestly felt as though I was actually getting worse at video games as I played through this one since I wasn’t being challenged at all. Even the boss battles are a cinch. You really don’t need to apply much strategy against them at all, and can approach them as you would any other enemy – they just have more health.

This doesn’t mean, however, that Wanted isn’t a fun game. In fact, I think it’s a great game to play on a Saturday afternoon if you’re looking for something that you can blast away at and take a more casual, relaxing approach with.

Visually, Wanted is a pleasant looking game. It’s not a graphical powerhouse by any means and it certainly doesn’t look as pretty as games such as Gears of War 2, but the graphics aren’t bad at all and definitely suffice. The voice acting is solid, and the music creates a suitable ambiance for the action that ensues. Although Wesley, the character you play as (for the most part, there are a few flashback missions where you control his father, Cross) is a bit of an asshole in my opinion, but I wouldn’t say he’s entirely unlikable. However, the character isn’t quite as convincing as a rugged, vicious killer as say, Riddick, for example.

Overall, I had a decent time with this game and found it to be fairly enjoyable. I would definitely recommend giving it a go if you’re looking for a fun shooter to occupy a few hours on a rainy day. It’s not a classic though, and you won’t see it taking home any awards.

Final Verdict:

Although it’s a relatively short game, there’s some enjoyment to be had here… while it lasts. It doesn’t offer any multiplayer components, though I don’t think this a necessarily a heinous crime on the developer’s part. I can’t see folks moving away from games such as Halo, CoD, Gears or Killzone in favor of playing Wanted deathmatches – though considering that GRIN didn’t work on any multiplayer options, I feel that this is time that could have been directed towards lengthening the campaign by a couple hours, at least.

Wanted: Weapons of Fate is available for the Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and PC. Give it a rent, or buy it when the price comes down if you’re the type of gamer that likes to play through a campaign several times.