by Brian LeTendre
I have to tell you, I’ve never been a huge fan of Deadpool. I mean, I like the idea of the "Merc with a Mouth”--a psychotic,wisecracking assassin with ninja skills and a healing factor to rival Wolverine. But every time I’ve tried to get into the comics, I get bored. I feel like Deadpool gets written as a one-trick pony a lot of the time, and the fun wears off pretty quickly for me.
Having said all that, I think Deadpool has a lot of potential as a video game character, if done right. And major kudos need to go out to high Moon Studios, because they have created a game that truly delivers the Deadpool experience. As it turns out, that interactive element is what was missing for me--I enjoyed the heck out of playing as Deadpool in the game.
The story in Deadpool: The Game (written by comic writer and former Deadpool scribe Daniel Way) is ridiculous and pitch perfect. All you really need to know about it is that Deadpool threatens High Moon Studios into making him the star of his own video game, so he not only knows he’s in a game, he constantly refers to the script and the game design itself as you play through it. Mr. Sinister is the big bad that Deadpool ultimately has to face off against, and along the way there are appearances by both popular and obscure heroes and villains from the X-Men universe.
I have to tell you, I’ve never been a huge fan of Deadpool. I mean, I like the idea of the "Merc with a Mouth”--a psychotic,wisecracking assassin with ninja skills and a healing factor to rival Wolverine. But every time I’ve tried to get into the comics, I get bored. I feel like Deadpool gets written as a one-trick pony a lot of the time, and the fun wears off pretty quickly for me.
Having said all that, I think Deadpool has a lot of potential as a video game character, if done right. And major kudos need to go out to high Moon Studios, because they have created a game that truly delivers the Deadpool experience. As it turns out, that interactive element is what was missing for me--I enjoyed the heck out of playing as Deadpool in the game.
The story in Deadpool: The Game (written by comic writer and former Deadpool scribe Daniel Way) is ridiculous and pitch perfect. All you really need to know about it is that Deadpool threatens High Moon Studios into making him the star of his own video game, so he not only knows he’s in a game, he constantly refers to the script and the game design itself as you play through it. Mr. Sinister is the big bad that Deadpool ultimately has to face off against, and along the way there are appearances by both popular and obscure heroes and villains from the X-Men universe.
Deadpool: The Game is a third-person action game featuring ranged and melee combat, platforming and some light puzzle solving. You can shoot and slice your way through hordes of enemies with upgradeable weapons special attacks that you charge through chaining combos together. It can be repetitive at times, but most action brawlers are, and if you embrace the combat system, you can have a lot of fun with it. There is enough customization so that you can spend most of your time with the weapons you like most and then upgrade them with damage buffs and other perks. You’ll get out of it what you put into it. I myself upgraded a pair of sledgehammers until they pulverized just about anything that got in my way.
The real stars of this show however are Nolan North, Daniel Way and the dialogue writers for the game. North so perfectly captures the multiple personalities of Deadpool that I will now hear his voice(s) every time I see Deadpool in a comic from here on out. And the writers fully embrace everything about the insanity of the character. From the fourth wall breaking, to the banter between personalities, to the fact that he never stops talking for more than two seconds, North’s Deadpool is consistently entertaining.
The real stars of this show however are Nolan North, Daniel Way and the dialogue writers for the game. North so perfectly captures the multiple personalities of Deadpool that I will now hear his voice(s) every time I see Deadpool in a comic from here on out. And the writers fully embrace everything about the insanity of the character. From the fourth wall breaking, to the banter between personalities, to the fact that he never stops talking for more than two seconds, North’s Deadpool is consistently entertaining.
There are a lot of genuinely laugh out loud moments in this game, like the scene in which Deadpool is belittling Vertigo’s superpower as he’s vomiting profusely through his mask. He literally crawls toward her and keeps jawing at her as he gets sicker and sicker. It’s gross and hysterical at the same time, and a great example of how there are really no boundaries with how far High Moon was willing to go with the character. And the supporting cast is full of characters from Deadpool's various comic runs, including fan-favorite Cable. Every single time Cable shows up is pretty much a gut-buster.
I had a blast with this game, and as I mentioned, I’m not even a big Deadpool fan. Those who do follow his comic exploits will absolutely love this game. I had so much fun that it actually made me want to go back and give the comics another chance, especially Way's run.
4 out of 5 Disembodied Voices
I had a blast with this game, and as I mentioned, I’m not even a big Deadpool fan. Those who do follow his comic exploits will absolutely love this game. I had so much fun that it actually made me want to go back and give the comics another chance, especially Way's run.
4 out of 5 Disembodied Voices
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