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DEADPOOL (PS3)
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Publisher: Activision.
Developer: High Moon Studios. Released: June 2013. Genre: Action/Adventure. Other versions: X360; PC. Posted 21st August 2024. By Shane Battams © 2024 |
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Just as with the opposing voices who inform his every move, Deadpool’s solo debut into gaming has something of a split personality. On the one hand, the Merc with a Mouth is represented in excellent fashion, capturing his insane antics with glee thanks to a fantastic vocal performance. On the other, High Moon Studios would trap him in a middling effort which is sagged down by generic levels, bland combat and underwhelming production values. This means anyone without an attachment to the comic book anti-hero will find little of value here, but for those who enjoy his brash personality, this may warrant a second look.
Deadpool’s story is equal parts action-packed and bizarre. After a little explosive motivation, High Noon agrees to create Deadpool’s first game, though the initial script leaves him less than impressed. After rewriting it with crayons, the mercenary sets out on a quest to capture media mogul Chance White, only to have his contract nicked by supervillain Mister Sinister. Now, with the help of some cameos from X-Men and longtime comic partner Cable, Deadpool sets out to get revenge. Whether it’s calling up Peter from High Noon to query why the game is buggy, endless pop culture quips and the serious character’s befuddled reactions to these hijinks, the story here absolutely captures the anarchic spirit of the comics, which should more than please fans of the source material.
Of course it's action-packed and over-the-top: it's Deadpool!
Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for the gameplay. Mixing hack ‘n’ slash melee and gun combat, the game suffers from a lack of personality, in stark contrast to its titular hero. Environments, taking you through dull sewers and muted palette outdoor locales, feel a chore to navigate. Enemies come in very few varieties, being referred to as clones, and while some special variants pop up (such as self-destructing copies of Gambit), these fail to spice up the action much. There are a handful of platforming and puzzle segments, the latter mostly involving deactivated Sentinel parts, but they fail to spark the imagination. There’s a couple of memorable segments, such as a trio of challenges which involve side-scrolling platforming, on-rails shooting and meta question answering, but these are most often due to Deadpool’s charm shining through.
You can blow through Deadpool pretty quickly, depending on your starting difficulty. Easy feels pretty straightforward, while Normal sees some sections spike in challenge, and the hardest setting proves tough with a default character. However, every kill and combo rewards Deadpool Points, which can then be used to upgrade the arsenal of weapons, unlock special perks and unlock more guns and melee armaments, including bludgeoning hammers and shotguns. You’ll find these unbalance the game somewhat, as a fully upgraded merc should see you breezing by most of the hardest difficulty with little resistance. There’s also Challenges, with a handful of maps tasking you with killing waves of enemies within a time limit. It’s not the most robust package, but those who enjoy it might see the game spinning in the disc tray for a while longer.
You can blow through Deadpool pretty quickly, depending on your starting difficulty. Easy feels pretty straightforward, while Normal sees some sections spike in challenge, and the hardest setting proves tough with a default character. However, every kill and combo rewards Deadpool Points, which can then be used to upgrade the arsenal of weapons, unlock special perks and unlock more guns and melee armaments, including bludgeoning hammers and shotguns. You’ll find these unbalance the game somewhat, as a fully upgraded merc should see you breezing by most of the hardest difficulty with little resistance. There’s also Challenges, with a handful of maps tasking you with killing waves of enemies within a time limit. It’s not the most robust package, but those who enjoy it might see the game spinning in the disc tray for a while longer.
FOCAL POINT: METHOD ACTING
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Arguably the highlight of the game is Nolan North’s turn as Deadpool, a role he has played before. The talented voice actor does a great job with all of the merc’s voices, with shoulder angels of sorts voicing their approval and displeasure as well as questioning Deadpool’s actions, often with great comedic timing. While most of the other voicework is alright, with a nice return from Steve Blum as Wolverine, just as with the story itself, Deadpool is the star here. One of the funnier moments comes at the start, as while freely exploring the apartment, you can opt to make a call to Nolan North himself, as he pitches an alternative take on the character. Let’s just hope it wouldn’t have ended up with no mouth, like in the derided X-Men Origins film.
Another game to make use of Unreal Engine 3, something incredibly commonplace during this gen, Deadpool doesn’t pop with much colour. Everything has a murky look, with environments erring on the dull side. Animations and effects are lacking, performance often dips and not even gleefully gory kills can help the visuals stand out. The sound, outside of voicing, is much of the same. The soundtrack is incredibly generic, made up of weak-sounding guitar riffs that add little to the game. The effects are muted and unsatisfying, with combat coming off as a touch flaccid as a result. It’s just not particularly impressive to the senses.
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The character is the driving force as the gameplay struggles to drum up the necessary creativity to help the game stand out
Deadpool marks an unsatisfying debut into gaming for the iconic character, meshing his oddball personality with a completely unremarkable game. While fans would likely get a kick out of the insane story, fourth-wall breaks and constant quips from the spandex-clad hero, most gamers will tire of the unsatisfying level design, bland presentation and general lack of spark. Unless you’re an avid fan of the source material, this one proves an easy skip.
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VERDICT
"Despite Deadpool’s oddball personality shining through, the character’s held back by a completely unremarkable game that suffers from unsatisfying level design, bland presentation and a lack of spark." OVERALL: 5/10 |
OTHER HUMOROUS VIDEO GAMES REVIEWED
The Simpsons: Hit & Run (2003, PlayStation 2)
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Portal 2 (2011, PlayStation 3)
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