For many, Sunday at a convention is spent trolling through retailer row or artist alley trying to pick up things on the cheap, or visit with some of their favorite creators. For me, it meant finally getting the chance to see what Wanted: Weapons of Fate was going to play like. As a fan of both the film and the comic, I was really excited when I heard there were plans for a game. After speaking with some of the team behind the game, as well as playing an early build this past weekend, I’m looking forward to the game even more.

First things first: the game takes place just hours after the conclusion of the movie. The team on hand described it not as a sequel, but more as Wanted 1.5. My demo started with Wesley returning to the Fraternity site he had just destroyed to take out some more Fraternity members. Controls are fairly simple. The A button clings/removes you from cover, X reloads, the Right trigger fires, and the Left trigger brings up your precision aiming reticule. As I made my way through the devastated textile mill, guns blazing, I built up my bullet curving meter. Holding RB brings up an arcing line that rotates 360 degrees around objects, and even other enemies, until it turns white to indicate a lock-on. Once they  locked, I release RB to bend the projectile, and fire a near sure shot at my foe. The more enemies you kill, the longer you can keep curving bullets. For those worried about just curving all the time, you’ll be glad to know that not every curved bullet ends in a kill, and I’ve been told there will be enemies later that will be able to dodge your bullets. However, getting the slow-motion head-shot kill camera is extremely satisfying.

Moving from cover to cover was extremely smooth, and during my brief playtime, I witnessed at least four or five different ways to move in and out of cover. While there aren’t anywhere near as many variations as in a game like Uncharted, it’s nice to see that the developers at least spent a little time on the mechanic so players don’t get thrown into stock animations. It’s also not quite as smooth as Gears of War’s cover mechanic, but I was only playing a demo build. Wesley had some cool close quarter combat animations, too. Triggered by getting near an enemy at hitting the B button, players can either slay their opponent, or if you happen to sneak up on a guy, can use enemies as human shields. Even though what I was playing wasn’t a finished build, the graphics were pretty solid, particularly the environments. Wesley looked fine, and the baddies had some decent details differentiating them as well. Explosions and gun play looked great, but with a developer like Grin on hand, that’s no surprise.

Wanted: Weapons of Fate is due out in just under two months, and even though hype from the movie may have died down, the game has a chance to stand on its own. As long as the guys at Grin can keep things fresh for the whole game, I can definitely see this as a bit of a sleeper title. It’s fast-paced, violent, and chock full of action. I can’t wait to play the final game.

Be sure to check back for our video walkthrough with some of the developers later this week.

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