This year sees the 75th birthday of DC Comics and in that time they have certainly helped to shape the comic book industry. The company are responsible for the likes of Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman and Captain Marvel to name just a few. Many of these characters have been made famous, not only in the world of comics, but also on the big screen where nowadays it seems films based on the likes of them are produced on a monthly basis. The latest comic book to cinema adaptation comes from a relatively unknown group of Superheroes known as Watchmen. Now, we all know what that means. Fantasy story plus film release equals inevitable computer game unveiling and this one is no different.
The first thing that we should make clear about this game is that although it ties in with the film, the storyline itself is not the same. Watchmen has two parts to it which are, in essence, two separate adventures (Part 1 has been available as a digital download for some time, Part 2 is due towards the end of August). On both parts you can choose either Rorschach or Nite Owl. Part 1 begins with a prison riot in which a notorious criminal manages to escape. Your task is to track down and capture him. Part 2 sees a different story line, in which a teenage girl is kidnapped. As you can imagine, it's up to you to track down the fiend and dish out a good old fashioned ass-whooping. Both parts are very short however and it should only take one full-on gaming session to complete the both of them.
Beat-em-up is the only category this game can go in. It simply wouldn't fit into any other. It is reminiscent of a next-gen Double Dragon or Streets Of Rage, and in that sense it plays fantastically well. The ideas behind the combat system are excellent and it is a pleasure to see this style bought back to life. It is hard to remember another game since the classic Sega Megadrive and NES series' to have utilised this. The only downside to it is that it can become a bit repetitive. There are moves that can be unlocked along the way and these do work well. However in reality, button bashing does just as good a job and this is the option you tend to turn to when being assaulted by five 20-stone men.
There is a decent finishing move feature too. When your enemy is about ready to be defeated, a button will flash up above his head. Press this and a finishing move sequence will be carried out. These are brutal, with blood flying everywhere and the sound of bones cracking. Generally this has to be the most violent game of the year so far.
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