The Punisher

We all know that movie and comic book-driven games have been hit-and-miss, and unfortunately it’s mostly been miss, but as of late the quality of these titles has been increasing. Two great examples are last year’s Chronicles of Riddick and Spider-man 2. These games in particular showed us that games based on a movie or comic book can actually provide a unique and entertaining experience.

Following this trend is Volition and THQ’s The Punisher for the Playstation2, which - at face value - may seem like another cookie-cutter third-person shooter, when it is actually an adventure game oozing with twisted creativity and comic book charm.

In case you haven’t read a Punisher comic, or you saw the movie’s different take on the Punisher, the story begins after Frank Castle returns to his family from the conflict in Vietnam. He had witnessed his fair share of combat, and became incredibly efficient at killing. By the time he left, he had actually enjoyed his time in war. After being home for awhile, that side of Frank melted away and did not resurface until a tragic family picnic in Central Park. While running around and having a good time, Frank’s family accidentally stumbled upon an execution taking place. The mob members involved gunned down Frank, his wife, and his two kids. Surviving the massacre, Frank became The Punisher, vowing to wipe scum from the face of the Earth.

The main menu of the game is based in The Punisher’s apartment. Here you can look at the weapons you’ve collected on the battlefield, upgrade The Punisher’s equipment, view your unlocked extras, look at various headlines you’ve made on your outings, or go out and kill.

At first glance The Punisher looks like a straight-forward action shooter, but once you start playing you’ll notice things that make The Punisher different. Perhaps one of the first differences you’ll notice is the ability to interact with any enemy in many brutal ways. If you’re a fan of the comic, you’ll immediately feel at home.

When approaching an enemy, you can shoot him with what you have equipped, perform an instant kill, or grab him. Instant kills are a quick, merciless way to dispatch a foe. For example, Frank may toss his M16 at the thug, who is taken by surprise and reflexively catches it. As he looks up, The Punisher already has a knife heading for his face. The sound effects and animation that follow are like adding a cherry to the top of an already satisfying sundae.

If you decide to grab the baddie instead, you now have a few more options. The most useful of these options is to use him as a meat shield, absorbing bullets until his health is depleted. Another option is to do an instant kill from behind which provides a whole new range of animations. You can also interrogate him using threats like your fists or guns, or if you see a floating skull nearby try out one of the many special interrogations, which can range anywhere from table saws to jet engines. All you have to do is scare the enemy to a certain point, then keep him that scared for a few seconds to get him to spill the beans. Interrogations are extremely useful and can provide anything from hidden areas to an enemy cease-fire. Interrogations also refill your health if performed successfully.

The Punisher also has a large arsenal, and as you find new weapons throughout each level they are unlocked in your armory. This means that now you can equip these weapons before each mission. If you run out of ammo, it’s not a big deal. Weapons are scattered all over from deceased enemies, and if there’s any ammo remaining in them Frank will grab it. So after awhile, you’ll have a good amount of ammo for whatever weapon you decide to use. You can also dual wield any weapon you choose – R1 fires whatever is in Frank’s right hand and L1 uses whatever is in his left. This means grenades, secondary weapons, or even a human shield.

As you do battle, you are awarded points depending on your performance. These points relate to how efficient you are and how much variety you use when killing. If you can make it without getting shot, a multiplier will be applied to each kill. Kill six guys in a row without being shot and you get six times whatever you earned in that period. Points are used to both upgrade equipment and rank your mission completion. Scoring higher will unlock bonus material and new modes for that level.

The Punisher also features extra goodies for fans of the comic. Many characters The Punisher has run into in the comics show up in the game, including Daredevil, Iron Man, Bullseye, Jigsaw, Kingpin and more. There are also missions and events that parallel the more recent story arcs of the comic.

Frank also suffers from flashbacks, which are triggered by the pleas of his victims. If you happen to interrogate someone that doesn’t have any important information, they may say something that forces Frank to remember events straight out of the pages of the comic. At this point an image of the event flashes on the screen, and back at The Punisher’s apartment players can look at the flashbacks they’ve experienced. This was definitely a great addition to the game, showing the audience that The Punisher is always tormented by his past.

Even though The Punisher isn’t incredibly long or difficult, the unlockables and extra modes make up for that by adding more replay value and challenge. With good graphics, a great soundtrack, and Punisher-style dialogue (thanks to Punisher writer Garth Ennis) Punisher fans are guaranteed to enjoy this title. But don’t worry if you’re not, The Punisher sports enough adrenaline-pumping action and creativity to hold your interest through the whole game. Hopefully now that we have some good cross-media games we’ll see more high-quality conversions in the near future.   

Gameplay: 8.6
The Punisher offers a new spin on the typical third-person shooters, and encourages players to get up close and personal. Not only is being brutal fun, but you’ll get excited every time you see a floating skull icon.

Graphics: 8.0 
The graphics are crisp and clean, showing a lot of detail. Lots of objects can be affected in the environment too; boxes can be knocked over, TVs and monitors can be shot, and limbs can be blown off.

Sound: 8.8
The soundtrack, sound effects, and voice acting are all excellent. Each gun has a distinct sound that packs a punch and the soundtrack does an excellent job of framing the carnage.

Difficulty: Easy/Hard
The reason I use a slash is because just making your way to the end of the game is fairly easy. The difficulty lies in obtaining the medals and completing the challenge modes, which can sometimes be extremely hard.  

Concept: 9.0 
First of all, a new Punisher game was long overdue. Second of all, not many games combine long and short-range combat very well. The Punisher did an excellent job of capturing the character of Frank and the way he fights, as well as his creative brutality.

Overall: 8.5
If you’re a Punisher fan I guarantee you’ll love this game. The Punisher is fully fleshed out through both his dialogue and his bloody brutality. If all you saw of The Punisher was the movie, this game will give you a much better portrayal of his character. And if you’re just plain a fan of action games, this one is definitely worth a play through.