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ToriJ reviews: Deadpool
Deadpool is an action, beat em' up game developed by High Moon Studios and published by Activision, based on the Marvel comic character of the same name. It was released in June for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and the PC, and today we'll be looking at the PlayStation 3 version. If you like sanity in your games, well, you've come to the wrong place.
Deadpool doesn't waste any time in showing you what kind of game this is going to be. Right from the title screen we have bitching music and Deadpool sitting down on his couch relaxing with the title of the game all made up with his eyes making up for the O's. If you wait long enough Deadpool will disappear from his couch and mess around on the screen. Tiptoeing across the room, change his outfit, and one time he knocked on the screen and asked if I had any girls in my room. It's rare for a game to have a main menu you actually want to stay on just to see what all the title character will do. So, if they've gone through that much trouble with the title screen, let's see what the actual game itself has to offer.
Clicking on campaign we have our stages with a funny description added to each. Home Sweet Home offers us: “Our hero is chilling out, maxin an' relaxin' when suddenly... A script appears!” Did I just get Fresh Prince'd? Job One description says: “Contract target: Chance White. He's got a private army in his media HQ. Go Deadpool go!” You get the idea. After selecting a stage we have our choice of difficulty. There's Genetically Superior, Veteran, and Ultra-Violence. Once again we have descriptions done in that classic Deadpool formula.
Genetically Superior: Do you just want to kill stuff and win? Select this mode if you're new to melee/shooter games.
Veteran: You're looking for a challenge eh? Invite your friends over and let them bask in your glory.
Ultra-Violence!: Play this alone, or risk punching the person next to you. You've been warned.
That should have been a warning label on Dark Souls. Just saying.
The game starts off in Deadpool's hotel room. Here you can look around the place and familiarize yourself with the controls, so think of it as a tutorial. If you're unfamiliar with Deadpool, which would make me question while you got the game to begin with, you can get a quick summary on the TV by sitting down on the couch. Deadpool is infamous for breaking the fourth wall, and I don't mean a subtle wink at the audience, I mean the developers of the game call you on the phone about your 'Big Game Idea' and tells you no. He knows he's a comic book character in a video game and will refer to you as 'The Player'. He can see his own health bar and DP points. He has voices in his head. You can just stay seated and listen to them talk and be content. You won't beat the game, but you'll be content.
In his hotel room you can watch TV, take a trout (I'm not kidding), drink beer, eat pizza, call people, surf the internet, cook in the kitchen, take a nap, blow up a sex doll... All while someone is ringing the doorbell and pounding on the door. Once you're ready to play the game you'll receive the game's script in the mail and Deadpool will be the least excited about it. From there you're taken to the sewers to learn how to fight.
Deadpool: Uh, does anyone remember how to play?
Voice #1: I never read the manual.
Voice #2: You can't read.
Voice #1: Yes I can!
Voice #2: I only play PC games.
Oh, great, one of the voices in my head is part of the PC master race–! I mean, Deadpool's head. Yeah, Deadpool's head...
Now we learn that buttons make us do stuff. X makes us jump, square is for light attacks, triangle is for heavy attacks, circle has us teleport and we can mix these attack buttons together to perform different combos against enemies. The more enemies you kill, the more DP points you earn, then you can use these points to buy upgrades. You can also sneak up on bad guys and press triangle or R1 to... to jump right in front of him at the last minute and kill him. SURPRISE!
Did I mention you can shoot? Press R1 to shoot with your guns and L1 to auto aim. L2 reloads your ammunition and you can pick up more ammo on the field. R2 lets you throw grenades. To Build up your momentum meter just keep nailing a bunch of combos so you can perform stronger attacks that can take out multiple enemies at once and score you even more DP points. Need to replenish your health? Just wait. You have a healing factor. It's awesome. Deadpool will also start to look torn up if he takes a lot of damage and then even his costume will regenerate while healing.
In Deadpool we have big enemies, we have small enemies, we have enemies that can fly, and we have enemies that can spontaneously explode! Regular soldiers you can either just cut down to size with your swords or shoot them to hell. Bigger enemies, like the guy, in the picture are a little tougher to take down (duh) and are some times equipped with a large gun you can hold on to for a short period of time to use on enemies. Flying enemies shoot electricity at you and are fast, so auto-target is your best bet with them.
Bosses don't particularly stick out all that well, I'm sad to say. They feel like a drawn out regular enemy battle and I can't decide if that's good or bad. They're just not very memorable. In addition to his swords and twin pistols, Deadpool can access sais, giant hammers, plasma guns, and various other weapons of note through buying more upgrades. You can never go wrong with plasma guns, or the sais. I love the sais.
Deadpool also has a lot of fun X-Men cameos as you advance through the game. We have Wolverine, Rogue, Psylocke, Domino, and even his old pal Cable comes along for the ride. When anyone from the comics come along you have the chance to press X to get a quick summary of them in case you don't know anything about them, or just to see the fun narration. Gambit has a bit of a cameo to a lesser extent and you can even play as Rogue for a short time in the game.
The game is hilarious both in Deadpool's interactions with the other characters, himself, and in breaking the fourth wall. I can't remember the last time I laughed so much during one playthrough. You can be playing the game minding your own business and then all of a sudden it's an old overhead view game because Deadpool blew the budget on so many explosions, or you're suddenly surrounded by hot babes in bikinis turning down your advances. It's just an all around crazy ride and the game does a great job of embracing Deadpool's insanity.
Cons: The only real drawback to the game is that the gameplay can get boring and repetitive after a while. Which is a pretty big downer if you can't get into the story or the comedy. Otherwise, there isn't much to say in this area.
Conclusion: Deadpool is a fun, action-packed game that fans of the Merc with a Mouth are sure to love. Even if you don't know Deadpool very well (like me) it's still easy enough to get into and enjoy. So if you like action, beating up bad guys, the X-Men, and comedy, Deadpool is right up your alley.
ToriJ Says: Get it.
