Deadpool, Review

Release Date: June 25, 2013

Platform: Xbox 360, PS3, PC (Reviewed)

Developer: High Moon Studios

Publisher: Activision

Genre: Action, Superhero

My favorite Marvel anti-hero has finally gotten his own game. But Deadpool, like many other superhero-based games, focuses on keeping the character true to the comic book, instead of creating a full package game experience.

First, I’ll say kudos to the Deadpool game writers for a hilarious experience throughout the game. Although the dialogue is highly offensive by being crude and sexist, the conversations and adlibs of Deadpool feel genuine to the character, and never grow stale. Some of the game’s greatest moments come from its cutscenes, such as Deadpool singing a Patsy Cline song in an elevator. Voice actor Nolan North does a fantastic job voicing Deadpool. If you’re a fan of the Deadpool comics currently being written by Brian Posehn and Gerry Duggan, you’ll be laughing until the end of Deadpool the video game, if you can stand the gameplay for that long, that is.

With that being said, Deadpool fails to provide any uniqueness with its typical gameplay. You spend most of your time doing the hack-and-slash dance we’ve done a million times in previous action games, with very little variation. You can chain together your slashes with gunshots for long combos to earn coins which will allow you to choose from a small variety of upgrades, ranging from health boosts to new weapons. There’s a limited selection, but more noticeable than that is the lack of Deadpool alternate costumes available for purchasing. Boss battles are way too simple even on the hardest setting, and don’t provide for much of a challenge. Basically, you shoot the bosses from a distance and teleport away from getting hurt while you recover your health. You can literally do this for any of the bosses you’ll face in the game.

The controls feel lightning quick as you’re playing, but there are some minor issues. The same button you use to attack a foe while trying to chain a combo is the same button used to teleport, but the gameplay is too easy to make the wonky controls much of an issue. Controls aren’t the game’s only issues, though, as you can tell that this is clearly a licensed game. The graphics are less-than-impressive, environments look uninspired, and framerate drops make their expected appearance throughout the game. There are even a couple of screens that feel like they were taken from PowerPoint animations.

I know we aren’t supposed to take Deadpool seriously, especially since it is an attempt at action game parody. However, it is supposed to be an overall fun experience. If you can accept that the only thing making this game worth playing is the fact that Deadpool is hilariously an asshole, than this game is for you. But, if you’re looking for something to last you longer than a few hours of fun, look elsewhere.

Story – 5/10

Graphics – 5/10

Gameplay – 6/10

Multiplayer – N/A

Sound – 7/10

Replayability – 3/10

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