The Uncommon Geek

Though it is little more than a year old as of this writing, the Deadpool video game came and went off the gaming radar with amazing swiftness. After having had a chance to play it, this Uncommon Geek reviews Deadpool’s game and takes a look at why it all but disappeared from mainstream game coverage.

I am what you might call a “casual” fan of Deadpool. I enjoy reading most of his comics, even the ones that are so absurd as to defy explanation (read the “Deadpool Kills Deadpool” series if you don’t believe me), though I don’t have any of them in my collection. I enjoy his cameos in various other comic continuities, as well as appearances in films like Wolverine Vs. Hulk, but I can’t say that I have ever felt compelled to own anything in which he has appeared (at least because he was in it.) Deadpool is one of those characters that I have come to appreciate more and more over time, especially as a writer, as he really embodies a sense of creative freedom and the ability to throw curveballs at ideas within geekdom that have grown somewhat stale. But, even with that appreciation, it wasn’t until I played Deadpool’s video game that I finally acquired a genuine affection for the character, one that rivals my fondness of other favorite comic book heroes such as Iron Man.

Deadpool has been out for over a year. I knew about its release, told my good friend and hardcore Deadpool fan Andrew about it (the same Andrew Shell who has been a recurring guest on our podcast), but within a matter of weeks the game seemed to have been swept under the rug. There were scant few reviews making the headlines (for good or ill), there was talk of antagonism between game developer High Moon and publisher Activision, and the game was quickly buried. I assumed that this was because Deadpool was yet another bad comic book tie-in that was destined for the bargain bin at the evil Gamestoppo. This assumption was exacerbated when Deadpool (along with other Marvel-licensed Activision games) was pulled from the digital marketplaces of Xbox LIVE and the PlayStation Network.

But at the behest of another of our podcast guest stars, Travis of 8-Bit Evolution, I found myself wanting to give the game a fair chance. After procuring a reasonably priced copy online, I took the plunge into Deadpool’s crazy world…

It’s Deadpool’s world, we’re just living in it

The sense of humor in Deadpool is infectious, and it begins from the time you select ‘New Game’ from the menu. The fourth wall doesn’t stand a chance, and right from the outset Deadpool himself begins interacting with the player, and establishes that he (in his mind) is the true creative force behind this video game. The least confusing way that I can describe it, is that you are basically playing a video game about Deadpool playing through his own video game (as High Moon is developing it on-the-fly). The story isn’t supposed to make any sense, and it is just a glorified excuse to bring Wade Wilson and the X-Men together, and more importantly, for Deadpool to be as Deadpooly as possible.

This is a tale of guns, guts, babes with big assets, and ultra-violence turned up to the nth degree. It is all at once brainless, juvenile, and yet completely brilliant. I laughed, I grinned, I cheered, I cursed at this game, but no matter what I may have been feeling toward it in a particular moment, I was having fun. Having the video game, comic book, movie, and entertainment industries turned on their head, hearing internet culture get torn to shreds with jokes that had me roaring, all of these things made the game and its ludicrous excuse for a premise insanely fun.

Story and Setting: A

This isn’t even close to as ridiculous as Deadpool combat can get.

But how does Deadpool’s first solo game actually play? The most apt way I can put it, is that the gameplay is effectively a hybridization of Batman: Arkham Asylum’s as well as old-school Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ melee combat, along with Gears of War-esque shooting, albeit minus a cover system. It doesn’t do either style of combat as well as the aforementioned games, but it manages to be adequate in all the ways that count. Deadpool doesn’t feel like quite the badass that he should at times (especially when playing on Ultra-Violence difficulty), but by the same token, I rarely felt cheated in combat. Aside from some camera issues and odd enemy spawn patterns, most of the time any deaths I encountered were legitimately my fault. When Deadpool criticizes your lack of gaming skills for dying (or letting him get too beat up), it’s a nice reminder to chill out and just enjoy the game, even if you are stuck on a tough part. Some might find Deadpool’s knocks on the player’s skill to be obnoxious, but I found it refreshing and hysterical.

Deadpool’s gameplay will never win any awards, its not terribly deep, but it does exactly what it needs to where it counts, and its shortcomings are never enough to derail the game’s manic sense of frenzied fun.

Gameplay: C

Deadpool has lots of fun at Wolverine’s expense

Deadpool is not exactly a showstopper in the graphics department, but like the gameplay itself, the graphics accomplish what they need to, and they don’t detract from the experience. The level of detail is solid, but not mind-blowing. The graphics have a good comic vibe to them despite not using cel-shading or any other “comic like” technique. The best part of the visuals is in the variety. High Moon will have you in a sewer, an 8-bit world, a dungeon, a carnival ride, a mine cart, sometimes all within minutes of each other. I experienced no slowdown, pop-in, texture clipping or tearing, the game physics worked well and didn’t get me stuck in the environment, and High Moon added in cheeky boob physics for Deadpool’s female guest stars. Every aspect of the graphics, like the gameplay, is there to service the game’s wanton sense of humor. In that respect they deliver, and in fact do so a degree better than the gameplay proper.

Graphics: B

I love how much Deadpool loves Rogue.

I can’t sing the praises of this game’s voice cast enough, most especially for the man who brings the “Merc With a Mouth” to life, the great Nolan North. I was consistently blown away by North’s performance, and at every turn his Deadpool voices had me laughing like an idiot. Comedy is one of the hardest things to pull off in any sort of acting, and what Nolan North does here is, in my book, worth any and all awards that a voice actor could earn. I really can’t do the performance any further justice here, you the player just need to experience it for yourself.

Special mention also goes out to the legendary Steve Blum, whose unmistakeable voice is once more called upon to bring Wolverine to life.

The sound effects, on the other hand, merely fill the role of “adequate.” The guns sound okay, but could’ve used a lot more punch. Most of the other effects are serviceable but hardly stand out. Also unfortunate is that Deadpool doesn’t have much of a worthy soundtrack. I dug the industrial/heavy metal title screen music, but the rest of the soundtrack was fairly forgettable. Some more rocking, heavy music would have been nice to hear, and would have been a better complement to the action.

Voiceovers: A!

Music and other effects: C

Be prepared to see just about anything in this game.

I really haven’t had this much fun in a game in quite a while, in fact this is most sheer joy I have experienced in a video game since Borderlands 2. The game’s weaknesses almost become strengths when you embrace the whole idea of meta-gaming and abandoning the fourth wall. The premise is absurd and doesn’t pretend to be anything but. The humor can be juvenile at times, yet it is so infectiously charming that even the shallow end of the joke pool can elicit a smile.

Deadpool is a gamer’s game, and is a pile of fun in a box. Why Activision would pour the money into licensing this popular Marvel character, and why they would invest the time and advertising into a game only to almost immediately abandon it is beyond me. It doesn’t make good business sense to me, especially after Activision purportedly forced High Moon employees to work brutal overtime hours in order for the game to make its deadline.

Critically and commercially, Deadpool is effectively a “forgotten game.” I find it to be underrated and criminally overlooked. It may not be for everyone, but it is a ridiculously fun ride that deserves a lot more love and success than it currently has to its credit.

I give Deadpool’s video game an overall score of B. It is no AAA title, but it’s fun factor outweighs its weaknesses.

FIN