For fans of the Wanted movie, Weapons of Fate is an opportunity to play the part of the film's hero, Wesley, bullet-bending skills and all. In nine acts, players can experience the thrills from the movie while exacting vengeance for the tragedies of the protagonist's past. At moments, this quest for revenge is fun and compelling, but after a bit of time, boredom can set in. Then, only a few hours later, the game will end, leaving you wanting much more.

Many film-based titles struggle with a decent ending because they are limited to the confines of a movie's plot. Wanted does not share that excuse, but its story still suffers. By setting the events of the game just after the conclusion of the motion picture, the writers had the opportunity to create an interesting plot and game world, but were ultimately unsuccessful. Action film clichés are abundant, and none of the twists in the tale are substantial enough to be compelling. Characters and bosses are underdeveloped as well, leaving every potentially climactic moment feeling a bit incomplete. Furthermore, the cutscenes are just plain bad. Poor animation and character design greatly distract from the subject matter, and the script is not going to draw anybody in either. Thankfully, the narrative is not at the center of this title, the gunplay is.

Navigating through this crashing jet is among Wanted's few bright spots.

The gameplay is solid as a whole, but has more than its fair share of issues. The ability to bend bullets is very well communicated by the game's engine, and following a killing shot through the air can definitely be thrilling. The problem comes when this gimmick is out of play, because the rest of the combat is uninteresting. Enemies show little intelligence and lack variation, as there are only a few different types that you'll come across. It doesn't help that the cover mechanic makes dispatching them even easier. Both you and your foes are virtually invulnerable while in cover, even when heads and limbs are clearly sticking out into the open. Therefore, you can just sit behind an obstacle and wait for your health to recharge (should you get damaged) without worry of penalty. Enemies will rarely flank you, so you can use this as a crutch anytime the battles get remotely challenging.

The main action sequences are varied by the use of three diversions: assassin time, sniper, and turret sequences. Assassin time is an on-rails mechanic in which time is slowed to such an extent that Wesley can shoot bullets down in mid-air. In practice, that's really all there is too it. Blow up a couple of bullets, hit an enemy or two, and move on. The only difference between these moments and regular situations is an added blurring effect around the screen and some dimming of the ambient lighting. The sniper and turret sections do little to diversify things as well. When a proper situation arises, you are forced to control either a sniper rifle or a machine gun turret, and must mow down a certain number of enemies without dying. In theory, this is an ideal way to keep things fresh, but in execution, it doesn't quite work that way. Despite the obvious benefits of using cover, it also introduces the inability to establish a line of sight at ground level. It can be incredibly frustrating trying to pick people off with a sniper when you can't see where they are until peeking out.

Despite all of these flaws, there are moments of enjoyment to be had. The action is frenzied at times, and the characters on-screen are capable of doing some pretty cool things both with bullets and through adrenaline abilities (bending bullets and slowing time while moving from cover). Navigating levels while staying primarily behind cover is interesting, and taking people out up close can be satisfying. It's a shame that these elements are intertwined with the repetitive combat and level design.

Like the gameplay, Weapons of Fate's presentation is average at best. The visuals are technically proficient, boasting smooth frame rates and no clipping, but the artistic design does little to stand out. One of the game's more memorable levels, in which one tries to escape a crashing commercial jet, liberally employs motion blurring and other special effects in what amounts to the game's crowning visual moment. Beyond that, the graphics are nothing to write home about. Most levels are appropriately industrial and gloomy, but lacking any sort of fine details to truly immerse the player. Character models lack variety, and are not especially attractive either. Indeed, some of the bosses are ugly, and not just because they are supposed to be.

Up close kills can be satisfying, but are accomplished with such ease that the novelty wears off fast.

Sound is one of the game's more distinct points of failure. It is not so much the quality of the audio that is poorly managed; it's how the audio is used. Enemies will shout expletives, only to reveal their position before they actually fire at you. Wesley will sing to himself while sniping, which obscures the important sounds of battle. Ambient music is also horribly mismanaged. While having music kick in during tense moments is standard fare, these shifts in tone and volume go way overboard in Wanted. The second that the last enemy has been defeated, the music just stops in a rather anticlimactic manner. The same goes for knowing when an enemy is about to show up. If the music picks up when you go around that corner, get to cover; otherwise, just relax. Much of the fun in a shooter comes with the suspense of not knowing what's coming up next. The audio design in this game completely ruins that sense of anticipation.

Wanted: Weapons of Fate tries hard to let you experience the same thrills as last year's film, but in the end, falls short of its own ambitions. While special abilities such as bending bullets, assassin time, and effortless movement to and from cover provide a great rush, they cannot overshadow the otherwise mediocre gunplay. Forgettable graphics and awful sound adversely affect the overall mood of the game as well. Even worse, value may be the greatest shortcoming in this somewhat misguided shooter. The main story can be completed in less than six hours. The game can be played again on a higher difficulty or with alternate characters, but there's little reason to do so. Wanted is not such a bad game that fans of the film should avoid it completely, but as a third-person shooter, there are countless titles that are far more worthwhile.