Kick-Ass: The Game

Kick-Ass: The Game is a beat 'em up video game developed and published by Frozen Codebase (published by WHA Entertainment for the PSN version) for iOS and PlayStation Network. It is based on the movie and comic book Kick-Ass.

Gameplay


The gameplay of Kick-Ass is an arena-style beat 'em up. Players can choose to play 1 of 3 characters (Kick-Ass, Hit-Girl or Big Daddy) in either single player or co-op mode. Weapon upgrades as well as environment finishers are always available in the game. The game utilizes both joysticks on the PlayStation 3 and is a "Twin-stick shooter" for the iPhone.

Plot
Unlike the comic book and movie, the video game story line introduces all three characters from the start. When Kick-Ass first tries to be a superhero, the thugs beat him. Hit Girl and Big Daddy appear and attack the thugs. The game begins after Kick-Ass is freed from the thugs. The circumstances of the storyline differ depending on which character the player selects. For instance in the film Frank D'Amico's men kidnap Kick-Ass and Big Daddy. In the game's storyline, this would not be possible if the player selects Big Daddy as his or her character, so in that event the game would instead have Hit Girl be kidnapped.

Characters
Playable characters:
 * Kick-Ass (Dave Lizewski) is the main character in the comic and movie. He uses his twin batons to clobber his enemies in an unorthodox yet effective fashion.
 * Hit-Girl (Mindy Macready) may only be 13 but she packs quite a punch. She was trained by her father, Big Daddy, in several fighting arts and special weaponry from a young age.
 * Big Daddy (Damon Macready) is the father of Hit-Girl and the most experienced one of the trio. He uses an array of gadgets and weapons to clear out massive amounts of thugs.

Non-playable characters:
 * Red Mist (Chris D'Amico) is another superhero who in fact is the son of a mafia boss. Red Mist betrays Kick-Ass and Big Daddy.
 * Frank D'Amico is a mafia boss and Big Daddy and Hit Girl's nemesis. He is also Red Mist's father.
 * Katie Deauxma is Dave's love interest. Dave convinces her to e-mail Kick-Ass as she is being harassed by Rasul, her ex-boyfriend.

Development
Ben Geisler, the executive producer of Frozen Codebase, said in a GameSpot interview that they decided to create a fictional social networking website called "Facespace" instead of using the real Myspace that is used in the Kick-Ass film because of "licensing issues."

Release
The iOS version of the game was released on April 17, 2010 and is available for download from the Apple Store at $2.99. iOS version has been pulled from the Apple APP Market. The PlayStation Network version of the game was released on April 29, 2010 in North America and May 5, 2010 in Europe and is available for download from PlayStation Network at $14.99.

Reception
Kick-Ass: The Game received negative reviews from critics. It has an aggregate score of 38.13% on GameRankings and 33/100 on Metacritic.