High Moon Studio
Deadpool

There are very few certainties in life: the sun rising at dawn every day, hipster girls' selfies in front of bathroom mirrors posted on Instagram, the annual release of the new iPhone model, and—last but not least—the summer slack video game, which can boast a long-standing tradition of several decades—fortunately, I would add.

After all, what could be better—when seeking relief from the heat of long summer nights—than spending your time with a game that's clueless enough, with a controller in one hand and an icy beer in the other?
Nothing, I say.
And perhaps that was also what that lunatic Inafune thought when he created Onimusha 3: Demon Siege, the third incarnation of the brand allfeudalJapanandOni-spirits, completely denaturing its essence, cramming inside it some quite trashy elements like today's Parisian setting, the Eiffel Tower, Jean Reno, and some features capable of making the most paltry B-Movies pale in comparison.
Scandal? Dead series? Nah, trifles.
Released in Europe on July 9, 2004, it actually became my quintessential summer playtime.

And again, how can we not mention the two gems by Pandemic Studios? Destroy All Humans and its sequel were more than valid representatives of this genre of ignorant, insane, fun games, which, if released at other times of the year, probably nobody would notice, but they proved to be the most valid thing to play during the hot months, when the competition went on vacation, and when the gamer's brain just didn't want to engage in anything too demanding.

As we have seen, the tradition of the summer ignorant game can boast a long line of representatives, and Deadpool, the title from High Moon Studios, rightly falls into this category.
But what is the Deadpool video game? If we were to give an immediate and categorical definition, we could describe the action game by High Moon Studios as yet another God Of War clone

In fact, the crazy Marvel hero must make his way through seven distinct levels (though the term level doesn't do justice as they are quite large stages) facing thick hordes of enemies, slicing them up with various weapons made available to the protagonist through classic combos resulting from the combination of heavy attacks + light attacks.
Added to the classic third-millennium action mechanics are some ignorant shooting sections inherited from the other GoW instead (referring to Gears of War), during which our talkative hero
with the use of multiple firearms will find himself drilling shotgun-equipped villains in sections reminiscent of the classic "horde modes" typical of multiplayer games.
Last but not least, there are a few very superficial and not too successful stealth sections.

Is that all, you ask? Yes, that's all, except that Deadpool, the crazy Marvel hero and his absurd ideas manage to give a unique and irresistible character, with an exquisitely insane imprint, to the entire production. And so it continues with ongoing irreverent dialogues and curses directed straight at the gamer, guilty of making him die once more. Or again, how not to crack a smile over Deadpool's complaints to the same High Moon Studio after they literally turned his video game into a carbon copy of Zelda (Yes, complete with isometric view, doors, and keys) due to the constant budget cuts?
You can't help but burst into loud laughs, and the title from High Moon Studios makes things clear right away: beyond the clearly derivative nature of the title, the star of the video game is simply him, Deadpool with his egocentrism, his madness, his gab and the curiosity felt by the player in discovering what other absurd things the developers have invented to break the monotony of the action and best describe the madness of the Marvel hero.

The title will run its course in just under 8 hours; however, the numerous unlockable upgrades for the various weapons (from more powerful combos or bonuses for melee weapons to larger magazine capacities for firearms) through collecting numerous "tokens" scattered throughout the levels, combined with the rich presence of collectibles to find, ensure the title has decent longevity.

In conclusion, Deadpool may not be a masterpiece, but it can be considered a more than valid remedy to the heat of long summer nights.