Deadpool is one of Marvel Comic’s underdog anti-hero characters who is hugely popular yet not as widely known as icons like Wolverine, Spider-Man or The Punisher.  Deadpool has only been around since 1991 so in the comic book world he is still ‘new’ – either way this is his first starring video game and if all things go as planned not his last.

Deadpool is a typical ‘beat em up’ type of game with plenty of button mashing and upgrades.  Deadpool’s basic moves are jumping, attacking with his swords (katanas), shooting guns and being to teleport.  During the game you collect coins and can upgrade and buy into new types of weapons.  Deadpool gameplay is much like other popular titles that came before it like Lollipop Chainsaw, Devil May Cry and Darksiders.  Something a little different that takes a while to get used to is the free-roaming gun/shooting aiming mechanics.  As Deadpool, you’ll mostly spend time hacking and slashing your way but there is tons of shooting in the game and aiming to fire on the run can be a task to master even for the novice gamer.

There’s a handful of other things Deadpool does differently then its predecessors.  Deadpool speaks directly to camera and is aware that he is in a video game even mocking and making fun the story and other characters in the game.  If you’ve read the comic books then you’d  know that one of Deadpool’s biggest assets is his speech and comedy – so this all fits into the game as planned.  In fact, one of Deadpool’s more popular writers Daniel Way was brought on to write the script so Deadpool’s dialogue is in capable hands.  The Deadpool game also mixes up different gameplay formulas like adding sidescroller elements and top-down 8-bit style gaming — it gives a bit of a variety to a genre that has been overdone throughout the years.

If you are a fan of the X-Men comics or Marvel Comics in general you will most likely get a big kick out of playing Deadpool who is charming and fun.  There are plenty of characters in the game which Deadpool encounters like Cable and Psylocke to name a few.  The gameplay and gaming mechanics are standard and High Moon Studios appear to have gone ‘the distance’ to whatever limited resources Activision set out for this game.  Deadpool retails for about $10 cheaper then most video games out now – you sort of get the sense like the people behind the game were hoping to slip this out as a summer-filler and that pretty much sums it up.

Deadpool Launch Trailer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5aWwYV2kLLw

Deadpool Gameplay Commentary
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBeN86QGmTU