Though fundamentally a cover-based shooter, “Wanted: Weapons of Fate” truly bends its genre by giving players the ability to curve their bullets.

This unique attack and other fun twists on third-person shooting action build on taut mechanics to make “Wanted” a worthwhile game. Its “Matrix”-like flourishes were introduced mythologically in the 2008 action film “Wanted,” which starred Angelina Jolie and Morgan Freeman.

In “Weapons of Fate,” a storyline sequel, players inhabit both the film's less recognizable protagonist, James McAvoy's Wesley Gibson, and his father in flashback levels. Now an assassin following the bloody initiation rites he endured in the film, Gibson seeks to avenge the death of his father and mother at the hands of the Fraternity, a society of assassins.

Having never seen “Wanted,” I couldn't make much sense of “Weapons of Fate's” plot, but the confusion didn't cramp the game play. As either Gibson or his father, players must shoot their way through sinuous, but linear settings in apartment buildings, factories and European villages.

The core cover mechanics are solid, but unremarkable: Move forward to cover behind a wall or box, pop up, pop a few shots in a foe, rinse and repeat. “Weapons of Fate” sharpens this formula with an accessible package of only a few controls. By the end of the first level, players should be able to move - and shoot - with the utmost precision through their environments, free of the errant maneuvers that abound in less polished shooters.

Where “Weapons of Fate” stands out among its shooter peers is its utilization of the film's bullet-curving technology and other stylized action movie silliness. With each foe players dispatch the old-fashioned way, they earn adrenaline points that can be used to pull off curved shots and slow-motion switches from one cover position to another. Each special tactic is introduced in a brief tutorial before each level to permit players time to master their easy controls.

Shielded enemies present an especially fun challenge: Players must blindly fire at the foe from one spot to daze them, then sneak from one edge of cover to the other until Gibson has a clear shot at the target's back. Such calculated episodes of “Weapons of Fate” are contrasted by frenzied first-person shooting set pieces where scores of enemies must be wiped out from the perspective of a stationary machine gun or sniper rifle scope. The game also features several novel slow-motion rail shooting sequences, where players must direct their gun's reticle to enemies and oncoming bullets within a few seconds.

The blackest marks against “Wanted” are its lack of escalating difficulty and its four-hour length, but the game provides enough mindless fun and replay value that both weaknesses are forgotten faster than a stray bullet.

David Wilcox

253-5311 ext. 245

david.wilcox@lee.net

Game: “Wanted: Weapons of Fate”

Score: B+

Parental rating: Mature for blood and gore, intense violence and strong language

Publisher: Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment

Developer: GRIN

Platform: PlayStation 3, PC, Xbox 360

Price: $44.99

Features: 1 player

The final boss: Like its characters' guns do their bullets, “Weapons of Fate” places a pleasant curve on the third-person shooter.