The Punisher

[Ultrawolf]

Well I picked up the ps2 Punisher game and I know I'm a Punisher fanatic but honestly it's a really fun game. They have demos at Gamestop/Ebgames and I definitly reccomend trying it out. It's a pretty solid single player shooter. It's made by volition who I believe made the Red Faction games? Anyway I popped it in and was INCREDIBLY surprised at just the main menu. You're in the Punisher's apartment. You can check out his armory and the weapons you've unlocked. Frank'll narrate with a description of the weapon and usually a funny comment. You can check out the wall of photographs which has pictures of his targets as you learn of them and an X over them when you've killed them. The newspaper clippings of your adventures. There is the Extras section which brings you over to another wall and you can browse comic book covers you've unlocked, concept art, flashbacks, Movies, and Trailers. There's a trailer for the Punisher movie. I have only the opening movie unlocked, which is rendered in CGI very awesome. Sometimes when you interrogate an enemy Frank will have a flashback, usually of his family or something from the comic books.
One time I was interrogating someone and he said something along the lines of "I have a family!" and frank had a flashback which showed a scene from the comic books of his son dying in his arms. Frank replied "Everyone does." and i killed him. Another time someone said "I'm innocent" and it cut to a different scene of frank's family dying. I killed the guy and Frank said "So were they" in reference to the murderers. One guy mentioned that he was only a solider. Cut to frank in viet nam surrounded by fallen allies. It's a very neat thing and you can see all the flashbacks along with the quote that triggered it.
You can upgrade Frank's abilities and weapons with points you recieve when you beat a level. You can add silencers, scopes, grenade launchers, increase accuracy, magazine size, body armor etc with points you recieve.
Theres a lot of options too. If you're a bit squeemish and still want to play the punisher you can turn the blood off in the options.
Warzone leads you to a map of the city and a list of missions. You can choose which mission to play/replay. The game isn't completely linear from what I've seen so far. I had a choice between pursuing Ma Gnuchi or taking out her drug business. I decided to kill her first. After that I did the drug thing. You can earn medals for recieving so many points. Also once you beat a level you can play a challenge mode version of the level. Ie use 6 different objects to kill people in 3 minutes. or Interrogate 6 different ways within a certain amount of time.

About Interrogations. Basically you can grab people and use them as body shields. Walk around with them taking hits for you as you attack with your right hand weapon. Can't dual wield with a body shield seeing as one hand is holding the hostage. You can choose to interrogate body shields in 4 different BASIC ways. Using the joystick to choose your method. You can also drag them over to a white whispy skull to do a special interrogation which are VERY VERY Awesome. Stuff like dangling him over a pirannah tank, taunting a rhino with him, dangling him over a building, shoving him in a furnace thing, etc. You can also quick kill them when you're in melee range or if you have them as a shield. These are very dynamic. Supposedly over 100 ways to kill people depending on the weapon you will do different quick kills and you will hear yourself saying stuff like "cool" "awesome" "woah!" "haha!" some of the kills are just plain awesome and Frank deals out the punishment like no other. The game penalizes you for killing someone in an interrogation after they've given you information. I usually get them out of the interrogation and quick kill them. Sometime interrogations can help you. Like one time I captured a guy and he told me where a hidden key was to a armory room stock with guns and ammo. There are special people you can interrogate who will tell you something very important. Stuff like how to disable the security system, where the key is, there's an ambush ahead. Sometimes they will offer to distract the enemies for you. This can be good or bad. Sometimes they will run into the next room and tell everyone to put their guns down because you're there and they will. All the enemies inthe next room will drop their guns and raise their hands. Where you can proceed to kill them . I've been betrayed before however, one guy told the others to gun me down and bullets were flying everywhere. It's game over if you purposely kill an innocent. Punishment is not for them it's for the criminals. One time however I was looking for a key to free an prisoner from the torture room of this criminal boss' basement. I interrogated someone who told me why they were locked up. For selling drugs to the boss' grand daughter. Killed the informant, grabbed the key ran up to the cage. Frank unlocked the door and the guy started thanking Frank when frank said "Not so fast" "Huh?" "heard You've been selling drugs..." at which point the guy i saved began running. I grabbed him and killed him. No longer innocent
I like dynamic stuff like that. Very cool.
There are special kills too. I won't really go into that but it basically involved dragging a shield over to an Orange skull and doing a quick kill which is usually very awesome. Stuff like throwing em outta a window, etc.

The story of the game is heavily inspired by the Garth Ennis run of Punisher comic books so it's very action packed, funny, dramatic. Very awesome. The Punisher isn't a hero. I saved this girl in the game and she thanked the Punisher when I killed this guy who tried to use her as a hostage. Frank replied "For what?" she said "For saving my life..." he simply said "oh". He doesn't kill bad guys to make the world a better place. He does it because he hates them. He's kind of a paradox in a way. He's simple and very complex. I really like him as a character.

Thomas Jane voices the Punisher and IMO does an incredibly kickass job. He sounds more like The Punisher in the game than in the movie.

This is probably the best Punisher game that will ever be made. I would definitly urge you to at least rent the game or play the demo if you are unsure. The demo (some demos) don't have the Tom Jane VA because they were made before they swapped out VAs. Definitly rent it, if you're unsure. It's a very good game.I'm just worried people might overlook it because It's The Punisher or because of the movie. It's worth a look.

[Blackmage]

Even better than the arcade punisher?

[Ultrawolf]

[Terin]

UW, you know after the body shields are broken, (IE - -you've interrogated them) you can knock them out with the triangle button. It adds to your score instead of the normal penalty you get when you kill them. Still, there's just something about smashing a guy's face into the pavement hard enough to kill him that appeals to me. I dunno..
-T

[Blackmage]

OMFG THIS GAME ROCKS!!

[Ultrawolf]

[Terin]

[Ultrawolf]

[Terin]

I know. I'm thinking about doing FC for Halloween this year. I already have the boots/pants/coat/gloves. all I need is the skull shirt and the black web belts and I'll be in business!
-T

[Ultrawolf]