Deadpool Review
Played on PlayStation 4 (base)
Developed by High Moon Studios
Released 25th June 2013
Before Ryan Reynolds boosted ‘the Merc with a Mouth’ onto the big screen, High Moon Studios took a crack at showcasing his iconic 4th wall breaks and vulgar behaviours. The result: a fantastic comic book journey.
Story
The story is a hilarious blast. Don't expect to enter this game with the most heartfelt story and the sincerest dialogue. Instead, expect it to be a relatively short experience, chock full of numerous comedic moments and jokes that land each time and that propels the source material well enough to make most Marvel comic fans happy. The narrative follows Deadpool as he threatens High Moon Studios to make a game about him, as he goes about various levels and locations tracking Mr Sinister with friendly cameos from the X-Men, Cable and some of Deadpool's own roster of villains. This story structure not only allows for many unique set pieces but also allows for some wacky twists and turns without negatively affecting the story.
Gameplay
This is a blast to play and is truly the definition of a fun game. By no means is the gameplay perfect as it lacks many layers of depth, but it is a fun joyride. The hack'n'slash formula is reminiscent of the beat’em up format of the Arkham games as you continuously spam one of two attack buttons, occasionally press the counter button, and if you live your life on the edge, you might even use attacks other than the Light and Heavy. That being said, other than the repetitive gauntlets of enemies, I can't see a problem in the basics that this game has developed. It's incredibly fun to pump your enemies full of shotgun slugs or slice and dice them with your twin Sai. The fun continues in set pieces where you're either DJing an electric chair or mounting a Gatling gun inside a big boot. The main problem, however, lies within its depth, or better yet, its lack of depth. Everything I've said so far is the furthest you can expect the gameplay to go. There aren't any crazy new combos to do, no new enemy types that require a different playstyle, and no abilities to gain that'll help you on the battlefield: there is nothing. That results in the game feeling like it needs a breath of fresh air and fortunately, the game isn't long enough to make this flaw a giant red flag; waving around, right in front of your face. I would also comment about the bosses, but their showdowns aren't significant enough to write a whole individual section about them. Instead, I'll provide 5 words that best summarise them: no different than the gameplay.
Characters
The characters in the game are the best material for Deadpool's onslaught of joke-cracking but they also provide an awesome factor to the game. As I said before, don't enter this game expecting Oscar-worthy performances. The type of game you should be expecting is all the classics that we love Deadpool for: side characters serving as nothing but either fan service or explanations to a ridiculous story, and Nolan North's fantastic voice acting work.
Atmosphere
The atmosphere fluctuates. First and foremost, the soundtrack. It rocks. The rock vibe when it comes to slaughtering enemies, the hip-hop influence when Deadpool becomes laid-back, his own hilarious theme song and more are great. The large variety of genres allows for more differentiation (audio-wise) and they perfectly impersonate the schizophrenic Deadpool we're presented with. Visually the game doesn't disappoint with its ensemble of explosions and chaos, whether it's in the penthouse of a corrupt media mogul or in the sewers. However, the locations do disappoint in the second half of the game. We're mostly treated to a run-down island, and while that's great for a level or two, it stays this way for the final 2-3 hours of the game, ruining the insane potential of the game's limitless ideas and making the monotony of the gameplay more noticeable. The same problem happens with the audio since we've been listening to this epic rock music and enemies' screams for a while now and we don't get anything different for 2-3 more hours.
Story- 8/10
Gameplay- 7/10
Characters- 7/10
Atmosphere- 6/10
Good
One of the most fun games that came out during Activision's top-notch publishing of superhero games.
