Deadpool aims to please fans

It’s a shame you can’t rent video games in Vancouver anymore, because Deadpool would make for an A+ rental.

When some games end up as a short experience, you feel cheated; however, with Deadpool hemorrhaging character (and bodily fluids) right in front of you, it’s obvious the emphasis was put on a solid script with a great character, rather than a novel game out to define a genre.

“The Merc with a Mouth”, as he likes to call himself, is a sassy yet violent ninja from the Marvel comics universe. Originally a villain, he’s now more of an anti-hero’s anti-hero.

Known for breaking the fourth wall in comics, he does the same here, phoning the developers at HalfMoon Studios mid-level to air his grievances with his game, and will also talk to you constantly as you play him—or with him.

Possessing a deep arsenal of weapons, teleporting abilities, and regenerative capabilities, he’s as good a choice as any comic-book character to base a game around, and the added style is what really keeps Deadpool from being a below-average game.

His delivery is provided by the talented Nolan North, who has played the role in several Marvel animated features, and which gives it such an authentic feel, I was left thinking a Deadpool movie could work. So many popular X-Men characters appear in the game you could almost think this game is actually intruding on another game in-progress. 

The game play is much like the Devil May Cry and Arkham Asylum/City series it borrows heavily from. While attacking hordes of enemies, you can chain together combos while integrating creative combos between melee weapons and guns to gain more points to spend on more weapons and upgrades.

Because the game isn’t very difficult, I would find myself forgetting to check up on what upgrades I could go for. Too often are you able to resort to your guns to clear a room without digging your blades into anyone and figuring out a way to even the odds in your favour, as DMC or the recent Batman games have done.

If you’re a fan of either Deadpool the character or the Devil May Cry series of games, you should definitely check this out; there’s some entertainment for you, and it’s good to see the minds at HalfMoon pull the character off.

Otherwise, the experience is quite short, and the lack of replay value makes it feel even shorter. If only the experience would have the legs to go a little farther, with side-missions and hidden items.

If your kid is hounding you for this game, don’t let Deadpool's bad reputation fool you; he’s basically noble on this adventure, and more-or-less out to save the day. Despite all the blood, gore, and sexual content, it is done for humour’s sake, so you won’t have a Grand Theft Auto experience on your hands.

However, for those of you looking for something deep and groundbreaking, you should probably hold out for something else.