Wanted: Weapons of Fate

Overview

Wanted: Weapons of Fate was developed by GRIN Barcelona under a publishing deal with Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, and both companies are attempting to create the game with a feeling that resembles its gritty movie counterpart. Wanted: Weapons of Fate features no multiplayer, giving the team a greater amount of focus on the story of Wesley and Cross's hunt for the French Fraternity fanatics. Their goal was to create an intense single-player experience.

The game is comprised of 9 distinct chapters, each taking an average of 30-40 minutes to complete, giving the game a length of approximately 5 hours (though there is an achievement for finishing it in under 2 hours on the hardest difficulty). The game features a number of unlockables to play with as well.

Gameplay

Wanted is a third person shooter in the vein of Gears of War or Dark Sector, as it relies heavily on cover. Like said games, you can navigate from behind cover with the flick of the left stick and the push of a face button, however Wanted attempts to stand out by putting players under constant pressure. That is to say, it is far more effective to constantly shift to a different source of cover then it is to stay static. The enemy A.I is designed in such a way that it will continually try to flush the player out of cover, and if you don't move, you may find a grenade lodged in your backside. Another bonus to jumping around to multiple cover is that it keeps your adrenaline high. Adrenaline in this game is shown on screen with a meter, and when it fills up, Wesley or Cross will be able to pull off special moves such as Assassin Time, which slows down time and allows you to get optimal head shots, as well as bullet curving and so-called "Shrapnel Storms".

As stated above, there is a huge focus on moving between cover, and thus there are a ton of transition animations, designed for many different ways to traverse the area. If you are sharing cover with someone on the opposite side of you, you may reach over cover and stab the person in the head. The A.I may do the same thing. The best strategy is to keep moving.

Playable Characters

In the game's regular campaign, the player will take the control of Wesley or Cross, depending on the level. The two play almost exactly the same, with the exception of the weapons they carry. Early on, Wesley carries only a pistol. Cross, however, can carry dual Hellfire Semi-Automatic Pistols, giving him access to the "Bullet Explosion"/"Shrapnel Storm" ability. Wesley gains these pistols and abilities later in the game.

Unlockables

Fans of the movie complained that the costume Wesley wore in the comic never made an appearance. As a bonus, Grin has added some unlockable costumes, one of which is Wesley's original costume. Other costumes include The Immortal (the game's end boss), Janice (Wesley's overweight ex-boss), a SWAT team leader, the Original Spider (from the graphic novel), and more. It should be mentioned, however, that these costumes have no bearing on the actual gameplay; they are merely extra skins.

More gameplay modes can also be unlocked through entering special codes in the game's codes screen. These modes include Close-Combat Mode, where the player must execute a certain number of close-combat kills in order to progress, and Headshot Mode. Time attack mode is also unlocked upon completion of the game on its highest difficulty. Each of these extra modes has a corresponding achievement for completion.

There are also a number of collectibles to find in the game, which will give you access to special videos, posters, artwork, and comic book covers.

Differences from other WANTED fiction

The game features many changes from the established fiction of the movie and comic series it was based on.

Compared to the movie we see much more of Wesley's mother, who was barely a footnote in the movie. We learn more about the fraternity at large, adding unknown sects to the movie's version of events. Mr. Gibson is also cast as a much more caring father, escaping Paris with his child and lover. As killing Wesley's boss and girlfriend are optional this can be either in line or out of line with their fates of the film, though since there are achievements for killing each of them the player is encouraged to alter their fate.

The changes made from the comic series are too numerous to name, but here is a short rundown:

• The Fraternity is made up of Assassins rather than Super-villains
• The Fox is based off of Angelina Jolie instead of the comic version's being based off Halle Berry

• Mister Rictus is completely absent (main villain from comic series)

All of these changes and many more are based on the movie's telling of events, so are not necessarily on the shoulders of any Grindividual even though the game was boasted as being closer to the comic than the movie was.

Demo

The demo was released on Thursday March 5th 2009 on the Playstation Network and Xbox Live Marketplace. It shows players the basic tutorials, then proceeds to advanced tutorials for curving bullets and using slow-motion. It also has a playable level; the fourth in the game, where Cross fights his way through an airplane.

PC System Requirements

Xbox Hard Drive Installation

• Wanted requires 6.8 GB of space to be installed to an Xbox 360 HDD.