Deadpool

Deadpool is a character that always has, and always will, ooze personality. He oozes so much personality that he has multiple personas in his head speaking at once in the comics. After being around for so long you would be surprised it has taken him so long to break into the comfort of our living rooms in something other than cartoon or comic form.

Deadpool is made by High Moon Studios, the creators of the highly successful Transformers games. With High Moon doing such a fantastic job and staying very true to the comics with Transformers they showed that they were most certainly the right guys for the job and have managed to effortlessly bring Deadpool to life in game and stay true to his character.

In Deadpool we see our trusted and tormented hero chasing Sinister after a botched contract that Deadpool has been given. Well at least that’s part of the plot. The other part being that Deadpool knows this is a game and is partially trying to augment the script after threatening to blow up High Moon. It’s the perfect way for Deadpool to break the fourth wall. Telling you what he would have intended and how he imagined some situations, as well as trying to end the game at every corner he turns. It’s pretty funny and is definitely some of Daniel Way’s best writing, especially with some of the rather geeky references and Easter Eggs that can be found. There are even some neat and hilarious cameos scattered throughout the campaign that really bring it all to life and capture the essence of the Deadpool Team-Up comics.

Deadpool has an extensive and comical arsenal at his disposal, and rightfully so. The game blends both third-person shooter and action game mechanics almost seamlessly with some unique moves ‘borrowed’ from Equilibrium in which Deadpool (once upgraded) works in some really cool Gunkata, also known as Gunfu, into elaborate combos. There is far more depth to the game than you would think; I managed just to complete my first play-through using only the sword, and completely forgot I could buy Sais and Hammers.

It’s great fun to toy around with all the special games and momentum moves finding your optimum combo and learning which moves are most efficient against specific enemies. Once completed it’s definitely worth going through on Ultraviolence to get some extra points to spend on all the upgrades. The upgrades themselves are highly entertainingly named, quoting Predator with “If it bleeds, you can kill it”, and the next upgrade going one further with “If it bleeds more, it dies sooner”.

There is a great sense of satisfaction that comes with seeing an enemy’s head pop-off after a sick combo that killed everyone around you, even if you were only mashing X to see what happened. The upgrade tree also allows you to build toward some memorable special moves, including a ‘mashable’ breakdancing katana dance. Everything about the combat just feels like Deadpool. It never grows stale and there is a lot to fall in love with.

High Moon have spared no expense in finding the best of the best to take the roles of our favourite heroes, including Steve Blum as Wolverine and Nolan North as Deadpool. There is even an incredibly hilarious and meta moment when Deadpool contacts Nolan North to voice him. The script is acted perfectly and there are a good few pieces of fan service for the most dedicated comic book fans. Deadpool even acknowledges and announces in-game achievements when they pop-up which is really the icing on the cake in terms of dialogue.

There are even some really cool bits where the game just toys with you, allowing you to monotonously hammer buttons in the name of amazing dialogue and quips. There are mini-game segments and pokes at games being released with serious bugs, as well as the issues developers face with funding. Add to that an 8-bit segment and some nostalgic nods to TMNT and you will find yourself exploring every facet of Deadpool, excited for the next Easter Egg and smartarse quip.

The best bit about Deadpool is that much like the comics the game doesn’t take itself too seriously. Its only shortfall is its length, and a wonky camera at times coupled with the fact that the game doesn’t particularly look amazing aesthetically. It was never going to be a masterpiece that brought tears to the eye, but that’s okay. It’s not often, if ever, you get to see Cable and Deadpool in game, nevermind Rogue, Psylocke, and Wolverine too.