Also available for XBox 360
Released 28/06/2013
6.5/10
Deadpool is a character that the fanboys really want to see step into the public limelight. He appeared in the movie ‘Wolverine: Origins’ played by Ryan Reynolds, but unfortunately, that representation was extremely poor. Now he has a game in which he is the star and Wolverine makes a cameo appearance.
This Deadpool is much more like what should be expected: the traditional outfit, the humour, the powers and most importantly – the personality.
That is what makes this game. Deadpool is a fun character. He is crazy, unpredictable, violent, childish yet sexually driven, and brutal.
Most of the game’s enjoyment comes from sharing Deadpool’s adventure and the joy he has in having it. He likes nothing more than using his skills to cut through countless enemies in the bloodiest way possible, other than possibly huge breasted women and chimichangas. 
There are no moral questions here or deep matters to resolve. It really is simply a case of messing up bad guys and hoping to get a hot tub full of babes at the end of it. It’s a man’s dream.
This might put some people off, but the game is not intentionally sexist or crude for the sake of it. It’s this way because the character demands it.
Deadpool is an unusual character, even by Marvel mutant standards. He sometimes crosses paths with the X-Men but despite being a product of the same experiments that created Wolverine, he is not one of them. He is an assassin who seems to relish the chase and even more so if it holds a great challenge.
The game begins in his apartment with him watching TV. Straight away you can see that this superhero is really a bit of a slob. Lounging in his supersuit is quite unusual for any mutant to start with. The opening chapter lets you explore his home which gives you the chance to learn a bit more about who he is before starting the game, which is great for anyone who isn’t familiar with the character. For those who are, it is still worth poking around in his stuff as it sets up the humour and tone for the rest of the adventure.
It really is the humour which carries the game. To enjoy it as it’s meant to be you have to be able to let yourself get right into the mood. It’s not a thinking man’s game, it’s a big guns, big boobs, explosions and bloody mess kind of game. It plays for fun and laughs and doesn’t care about anything else and is perfectly aware of this. Whenever a character attempts to explain plot points or story, Deadpool will ignore them until the fighting can start again, which some players may relate to.
The gameplay is straight forward too. It’s a hack and slash with elements of platformer and a little bit of shooting thrown in. Deadpool has a few combos he can use, but button bashing seems to get the job done. When enemies are defeated they drop ammo and coins. The coins can be used to upgrade Deadpool and his weapons and buy him new ones. Every progression makes him that bit more ‘badass’.
Deadpool’s unique abilities are his healing factor, which can come in handy and his teleport ability which is used to evade danger. He can also counter enemy attacks and incorporate guns into his combat combos. All very easy to control and master. He can even continue shooting his opponents behind him while running away.
Enemies come in large groups of clone soldiers. The challenge is usually more in numbers than skill. It is quite satisfying to slice through large amounts of opponents with relative ease. Many games go the opposite route of offering fewer but deadlier enemies, but from time to time you need something like this to just enjoy yourself with. Every so often a tougher opponent will come on the scene and test your skills a little more, but that’s good too to break up doing the same thing repeatedly. You’ll also get the opportunity to use stealth every so often, though with Deadpool’s skillset, it seems a little redundant. You rarely feel that you are in danger.
If it weren’t for the humour though, this would really be an average hack ‘n’ slash affair. It’s great that it doesn’t take itself seriously. It’s fun that Deadpool leaves the fourth wall right open. It’s good to hear him and the voices in his head giving a running commentary almost through the entire time and regularly mocking gaming conventions and tropes.
The idea of the game really is simply to have lots of fun. The gameplay is simple, you rarely run out of ammo for your guns – it’s littered about the level and enemies drop it when beaten, it has simple silly humour (
that on occasion can stoop to lowest common denominator. One of the comments on an upgrade says ‘#YOLO’, which I can not approve of. On the other hand, the comment on the shotgun reads ‘Shop Smart’, so that’s nice) and although the character is a bit of a sexual deviant and unashamedly arrogant, at least he is honest about it. I would be surprised if this game would ever be on anyone’s lists of best games in any category, but it is undeniably fun.
