The first I had even heard of the Watchmen was last year, when the first film trailer debuted. At the time, everyone was getting their teeth sunk into the Dark Knight -personally one of my all time favourites – which shared the same DC comics’ origins as the Watchmen. After making the essential purchase of the actual Watchmen graphic novel, I was blown away; never had I witnessed such a meaningful plot within a casual example of reading. Also as a gamer, I was glad to hear that a Watchmen game was also in development, but now as a fan of the graphic novel, I was saddened to hear it would be an arcade title, meaning less effort would be required in production.

The merciless Rorschach takes to the streets in search for the Underboss.

The game itself will apparently come in instalments, each episode depicting the adventures of the comic’s heroes. Episode One: The End is Nigh, will have you playing as either Nite Owl or the brutal Rorshach against the Underboss, a criminal only mentioned briefly in the comic book, but must have a vital enough role to become the main villain in the first episode.

          The game itself is pretty much a glorified beat ‘em up with Watchmen spice added to it. You will be able to play through the story mission’s solo, or with a friend, each one choosing one of the two available characters. The only difference between the two characters is that Nite Owl can unleash a lightning attack, and that Rorshach has a Rage meter, which allows brutal attacks when full. The one thing that upset me a little was that there seems to be no moves which require both players, as in no team-up moves which you see in so many other similar games.

Co-op play has potential but is hamstrung due to the fact players cannot link attacks.

          As for the visuals, the game is impressive for just an arcade title, and enemies actually get a variation in design too. Levels seem to harbour enough space for big battles, and are also designed well. Potential fans of the film will be glad to know that the Watchmen actors will also be provided voices for the characters in-game,and of course the movie soundtrack will also feature during play.

I have been buying a fair amount of arcade games recently via the Playstation Network, but it seems the best ones are those that are accompanied by a demo (bar Flower), and including one could urge on sales, but without one, even I will try to avoid the game, especially if it has a heavy price tag. The game is set to launch within the same week as the film (March 6th) but I’m still undecided on how this arcade beat ‘em up will perform.