Deadpool VR tried out: Macabre butchery show for Meta Quest 3
In "Marvel's Deadpool VR" there are almost as many stupid sayings as there are filleted henchmen. We played the wild butcher show at Gamescom.
Even in his exclusive VR game for Quest 3, Deadpool just can't shut up. That was our first realization when we slaughtered our way through the masked demon hordes of "Marvel's Deadpool VR" at Gamescom with quick sword slashes, shots and combos. The masked anti-hero acknowledges every predicament with a silly comment, even when all his limbs have been chopped off: "What a shame, now I'll never be able to compete in the Yu-Gi-Oh! tournament!"
The classic action adventure with a new story takes Deadpool to various locations in the Marvel universe. There he has to kidnap villains such as Mephisto, Lady Deathstrike, Omega Red and Ultimo to force them into bloody battles in an intergalactic game show. Not exactly the subtle way to go about it, but alien producer Mojo (voiced by actor John Leguizamo) has little tolerance for bad ratings. After all, the degenerate audience wants to be kept happy with explicit brutality.
Deadpool VR ausprobiert (5 Bilder)
Meta
)The USK has already rated the game's "drastic violence" as 18+. However, the humor is intended to soften its effect somewhat, especially as opponents are only cut up when they finish. The euphoric soundtrack and the comic design with onomatopoeic speech bubbles ("Boop!") also help to make the carnage look like a playable action comedy.
Everything for the ratings
An important instrument for this are wildly combined kill maneuvers. If you have already thrown a sword while jumping, you can then fish two of your opponent's approaching daggers out of the air to hurl them back. You can then finish off your opponent – with a jump kick, a grenade, an arrow or a shotgun. In this way, you charge up energy for Deadpool's special meter and gain access to pimped-up mojo versions of typical Marvel weapons. These include, for example, the oversized "Mojo-Nir Hammer" or Mojo's explosive Cajun cards. The latter are target-seeking, magical playing cards that can be casually thrown from the wrist.
At the beginning, it was a bit confusing to chain different attacks together. After a few minutes, however, we got into the flow of slashing, wall running, sword slashes and two-handed pistol volleys. The most fun was pulling the enemies into the air with the harpoon and then using the blades to finish them off in slow motion after a double jump.
We also used the harpoon to reach ledges on the course through the first temple. So far, the mechanics have been limited to a simple, dead straight pull upwards. We didn't have to swing on the rope yet. In addition to platform passages with pleasantly precise jump controls, we also encountered small puzzles on the linear path through the mountain catacombs. These included large arrow and spike traps with flashing clues. This time, however, the puzzles remain more in the background than in "Defector", the studio's last wild action hero game. They should not slow down the fast-paced action, Animation Director Matt Schmitz explained to us at the trade fair. The focus is clearly on the feeling of embodying Deadpool.
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Too wild for Marvel?
In realizing this concept, the developers really outdid themselves with silly or macabre splatter ideas: "At first we were afraid that the ideas would go too far for Marvel. But they often surpassed our suggestions with even crazier ideas," reports Schmitz.
When exploring the first locations, we have so far been unable to understand why the release is limited to Meta Quest 3 (S). The stylistically appropriate but simple comic graphics would certainly have been feasible on the old Quest 2 with a little fine-tuning. Elaborate lighting is missing, for example.
The decision to use the Unreal Engine instead of Unity is rather unusual in the VR sector. According to Schmitz, however, the engine turned out to be a convenient option in practice. Especially in active moments, it helped to display many moving objects smoothly, according to Schmitz. Incidentally, we didn't get sick: graphics tricks such as lines of movement in the air effectively prevented simulation sickness.
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Interim conclusion
All in all, our first foray into Deadpool's action-packed VR adventure left us wanting more. Technically, the exclusive Quest 3 title is not in the same league as graphic gems such as Assin's Creed VR or Red Matter 2, but as soon as we got into the flow, we had more and more fun running through caves and arenas and chaining ever wilder attacks for the odds.
"Marvel's Deadpool VR" will be released on November 18 exclusively for Meta Quest 3 at a price of 49 dollars. A euro price has not yet been set. USK from 18.
(jpw)
