Thanks to the release of Deadpool & Wolverine, fever around the titular Marvel heroes is higher than it has ever been. The film is an ode to both characters in many ways, with exceedingly silly antics, rock-bottom humour, fourth-wall breaks, and gratuitous cameos boosting its sense of ridiculous fun and entertainment.
But before Deadpool & Wolverine made an impression with its divisive brand of slapstick, there was a video game that pulled off nearly the same tonal whiplash, with a real sense of enthusiasm and wild joy. I’m talking about High Moon Studios‘ Deadpool – one of the only games to suffer the strange fate of being delisted twice.
Prior to being a support studio for Call of Duty and Destiny, High Moon worked on a range of original and tie-in properties, from Darkwatch (a game that still deserves a sequel), to Transformers and The Bourne Conspiracy. Then, in 2013, High Moon and parent company Activision entered a partnership with Marvel to create a Deadpool adaptation.
At the time, the titular hero was a well-loved annoyance in Marvel Comics, but hadn’t been well-realised on the big screen. His only “mainstream” appearance at the time had been as a poorly-adapted side character in X-Men Origins: Wolverine – and there was plenty of grumbling about how the character had been handled. (Of course, this would later serve as a plot point in the spin-off Deadpool movies.)
How High Moon saved Deadpool
High Moon was in the tough spot of having to resurrect Deadpool‘s reputation – but it did seem well-fit for the job. There was positivity about the game following the announcement at SDCC 2012, particularly given the tone its early trailers struck. Where X-Men Origins: Wolverine presented a more serious side of the character, the first glimpses at High Moon’s work were irreverent and silly, skirting a line between annoying and amusing.
In a word, they were perfect for Deadpool.
High Moon also made the choice to have Deadpool lead marketing, with a self-referential, fourth-wall-breaking tone behind ads, as in the comics. Yes, the tone was frequently crass, and the assumed audience was young boys – so there was plenty about “boobies” – but with writing by Marvel Comics veteran Daniel Way, and a strong understanding of the character, it was still an endearing approach.
The game itself maintained this tone, with its action and story defined by Deadpool’s unique proclivities. Hack-and-slash combat served this action well – even in repetitive – and the voice talent of Nolan North also elevated the game’s light-hearted, carefree script.
There’s also the matter of the game’s many cameos. Like Deadpool & Wolverine, this game leaned heavily into the appeal of cameo characters. Wolverine appeared, of course, as did a gamut of other X-Men members: Rogue, Psylocke, Domino, and Cable. There was a conscious choice to include the women of the X-Men, and plenty of scenes to degrade their inclusion (again, this was a game targeted at young boys) but regardless, their cameos were a blast of fun.
Read: Marvel’s Midnight Suns review – Friendship triumphs over evil
It was this irreverence that defined High Moon’s Deadpool – and tonally, the eventual film adaptation shared much DNA with this game. While you can argue both were simply good adaptations of the comic book hero (or anti-hero, depending on what you read), there are plenty of shared quirks between Nolan North’s version of the character, and the version played by Ryan Reynolds.
As one of the first games to feature an accurate portrayal of Deadpool, High Moon’s game occupies an important space in pop culture. What’s strange about the game, however, is that it’s never been allowed to claim that space. Despite its high energy style, and its devotion to comics-accurate, eye-popping adventures, Deadpool is largely forgotten in the modern gaming landscape – and it’s not even available for purchase anymore.
How to play Deadpool in 2024
High Moon Studios and Activision’s license to publish Marvel games expired in 2014 – meaning the game had less than a year on sale before digital versions were pulled. If you owned a physical copy, of course, you could keep playing it. But for everyone else, the game simply vanished. Less than a year was not enough by any stretch.
Thankfully, Deadpool did get another chance in the spotlight, years later. To hype up the release of the Deadpool film, in 2015, the game was re-released for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One (and it also returned to PC). Finally, players had the chance to experience the game that time had forgotten.
And for a short time, that was the case. You could buy Deadpool digitally or physically, and enjoy the silly, tongue-in-cheek romp for yourself. But rights issues are dastardly, and after an additional two years in the sun, the game was delisted for a second time – seemingly, for good. As of November 2017, you can no longer purchase the game digitally, and physical copies are exceedingly rare.
Head to eBay, and you’ll find PlayStation 4 copies of Deadpool going for upwards of AUD $150. The original PlayStation 3 version of the game is marginally cheaper, at AUD $80 – but that’s still pretty mind-boggling for a game of its era. Given plenty of those eBay listings have high bids going, it’s clear that people still want to play the game – and that after Deadpool & Wolverine, interest will likely skyrocket again.
Regardless of the complications of wrangling Marvel rights, and the additional costs that come with that (at the time, it was estimated to be one of the most expensive games ever made), Deadpool is a game in high demand. It’s also a game that deserves that demand.
In 2024, there are few legal ways to obtain a copy of Deadpool, and that’s a real shame. It certainly doesn’t deserve its double-delisted status, and while a third return may prove too complicated, it would be very appreciated. In the era of Deadpool & Wolverine, we should all remember this weird, wacky gem, and how it finally let Deadpool realise his true potential on-screen.
Deadpool & Wolverine is in cinemas now. Disney provided passes for GamesHub to attend the premiere screening.
