After a mildly successful turn in the box office last year, Wanted gets a video game pseudo-sequel. Like the film, there is little to no connection to Mark Millar’s Wanted series of comic books. There are no Super Villains here, no magic, and certainly no mind control. Taking place some five hours after the film, Wanted: Weapons of Fate puts the player in Wesley and Cross’ shoes, on the trail of a ruthless assassin named The Immortal. Does the game have the same hyper-kinetic intensity of the film?
Gunplay - which is well executed and addictive - is fundamental in Wanted. From early on, you are given all the necessary skills to stylishly waste scores of nameless villains. Enhanced Quick Movements allow the player to slow time, ala The Matrix, and bullet curving soon becomes an essential tool for survival. Thankfully, it never comes off as feeling gimmicky or out of place. To the contrary, bullet curving acts more of an aiming guide which is invaluable for dispatching hidden foes.
Unfortunately, Weapons of Fate’s disappointingly thin and confusing story doesn’t match its gunplay. More often than not, the in-game cutscenes feel more like an excuse for the player to kill everything that moves instead of an actual plot device. Whether the story was intentionally not fleshed out (leaving the game open for a sequel) or unintentionally thin due to 2 simultaneous stories is uncertain. To be fair, this isn’t the kind of game to play for its story. After all, it is a shooter. As long as the action is suitably intense, a coherent story may not be necessary.
TestFreaks: 7/10
MetaCritic: 6.4/10
GameStats: 6.8/10
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