Before we sat down to experience X-Men Origins: Wolverine we, like many of you, were not expecting much. There’s been little in the way of previews and the fanfare had been kept to a minimum. The cynical would assume this would be little more than fodder to tie in with the movie release. Just to prove that the world can be a wonderful place, this couldn’t be further from the truth.

Taking its inspirations from the likes of God Of War and Ninja Gaiden, Wolverine at its core asks nothing more than to tear guts from an abundance of enemies who attack thick and fast. The reason it excels beyond mediocrity, however, is down to two reasons: the insane amount of violence and the extremely well-implemented upgrade system. We’ll start with the former…

To be blunt, there’s a damned good reason why Raven Software’s latest comes with an 18 rating. Logan literally savages enemies to the point of ripping off arms and thrusting his claws through their heads. While this may not be to some people’s tastes, it suits the character perfectly and makes the game horrifically satisfying to play. Origins throws an almost-perfect mix of foes your way, allowing you to feel like an absolute monster one moment before asking you to use a more cerebral approach when a harder adversary hurls itself into the zone of combat. The pacing is pretty much spot-on.

On top of this, Raven has ensured events don’t get stagnant by introducing a levelling system. Extra moves and chain attacks become available as you progress, some of which are so brutal it almost becomes the reason to play on. You haven’t lived until you’ve seen the comic book hero rip out a man’s spleen. Throw in a few excellent set pieces and some truly solid boss battles and Activision has thrown the rulebook out the window.

It’s only fair to mention the pretty lacklustre job done technically – slowdown is a constant problem as well as all manner of glitches – but none are game-breaking and quite frankly don’t take away from the ridiculous fun. If you happen to stumble across this in a store there’s only one thing to do: buy it!