Deadpool Preview

I've always been partial to a bit of Deadpool. The devil-may-care, cocky attitude, his outstanding skill as both a swordsman and a marksman, not to mention probably my favourite aspect of his personality (or should I say personalities?), his unpredictability. It is this unpredictability that makes Deadpool so special, as he can constantly surprise, taking his fans on adventures that they never dreamed possible.

High Moon Studios has harnessed the ridiculous awesomeness of Wade Wilson and put it to some really good use in the form of a new third-person action adventure game, simply named: Deadpool.

The story, which had some writing help from former Deadpool writer Daniel Way, begins in a dark, dingy apartment and involves the anti-hero wanting a game made about him, the rejection of this idea by the developers with a consequential bomb being set off and then spirals on from there, with a crazy concoction of win that I won't spoil for you here.

We are eased into the game mechanics with a nice tutorial-like phase. It is here we learn to string together attacks, mixing heavy and light melee hits with jumping and teleporting to produce some really very cool outcomes. Consecutive hits will lead to combos, which can be strung out as long as you're successful and look just, well, awesome, not to mention some absolutely amazing area-of-effect moves that you charge up to use to devastating effect.

I was concerned about the transition between melee and firearms, but there was really no need as going from one to the other is smooth, and doesn't interrupt your battle flow. There is also the nice inclusion of an auto-aim feature, so obliterating your enemies is satisfying and speedy, rather than slow and clunky whilst you try and nudge the aim onto a moving target.

Weapon upgrades, as well as new combos, are purchasable with achievement points that you earn throughout the game. Each weapon that you can unlock has its own individual perks which you can then pick to even further enhance your combat. Whether you prefer pistols, shotguns, sledgehammers or even bear traps, you can really explore your options here and try out all kinds of styles.

All this stuff is great and everything, but what really makes the game is the humour. Everything about it is extremely well written, and completely epitomises Deadpool. If you are a fan of the Marvel universe, and particularly the game's namesake then you're probably going to love this game. There is a lot of violence, bad language, and sex jokes, all of which you would expect, and these work together to be the cherry on top of a very tasty looking cake.

It's worth noting too that due to Deadpool's tendency to break the fourth wall, (accomplishable through the multiple voices in his crazy head) there are some really great moments that are used to celebrate the people behind the game, as well as make a big joke of it at the same time. For example, at one point he picks up a bookcase in his apartment and shakes it like you would a crisp packet to obtain the last morsels, making a comment about its poor design obviously being due to a "Junior Designer". It's things like this that take the game to the next level, and will be what keeps the fans coming back to play again and again.

With this mixture of great comedy, impressive graphics, and a smooth combat system, it's going to be a game you won't want to miss. I for one can't wait for this to hit the shelves!