Customer Reviews

The Punisher

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

It's been a long wait, but it's finally here. "The Punisher" is now available for the PS2 (there are also X-Box and PC versions available), and I can honestly say that they have finally come out with a superb vision of the dark and brutal world of this cold-blooded antihero. It's violent. It's disturbing. It's unsettling. It's intense.

As it should be.

You're Frank Castle, a.k.a. "The Punisher." You have cemented yourself in a life of violence as you plead to punish the guilty since the judicial system does not. The story in the game is that you have been picked up by the police and they are now questioning you about a number of "assaults" carried out by you. You relive those flashbacks and gun down criminals left and right while trying to find out who is the mastermind behind the sudden crime wave (not to mention the number of attempts on your life). Your gut says it's Kingpin, but evidence points elsewhere. It's up to you to find out and learn why you're locked up in Ryker's Island to begin with.

The game has a pretty simple formula to it and once you've done it all... you've done it all. And yet, the game is so entertaining and engaging that the replay level is extremely high. The graphics are crisp and clear, the music is haunting and fits in with the mood, and the unfolding storyline guarantees you wanting to complete the game. There are a variety of weapons for you to choose from and different methods for taking out criminals. You can perform quick kills, use them as shields to protect yourself from gunfire, and the best feature of all, interrogate the guilty. You're going to need help along the way, so getting some answers from the criminal scum is a must. There's simple interrogations (gun tension, choke, face smash and punch), and there are also "special interrogations" on each level and section (can you say "buzz saw," "shark" and "electric chair?"). You can also perform "special quick kills" that differ from level to level. Not to mention the intense "slaughter mode" where you assault your enemies with an unlimited amount of knives.

A nice bonus is that the voice of "The Punisher" is none other than Tom Jane, who was the star of the most recent "Punisher" flick. To some, this may not be a big deal, but to fans like me, it is MAJOR. An excellent decision, I must say. He really adds the tone and mood of Frank Castle splendidly.

Some of the drawbacks are that the controls take a little getting used to and the number of enemies on certain sections can be overwhelming. Also, some of the "special interrogations" can be tricky and if you're not careful, you may prematurely kill the only person who can help you out (I suggest using the "special interrogations" on enemies that don't have the white skulls above them, so that way the only penalty you'll get for prematurely wasting them is some lost points). Like I said, once you've done everything, you've pretty much have done EVERYTHING. However, I have to say the replay level is extremely high. You'll want to replay certain levels over and over again.

Overall, I'm extremely happy with "The Punisher" videogame for PS2. "The Punisher" is one of my favorite comic book characters, and this game does a fine representation of it. If you're a fan, definitely check it out as soon as you can.

Remember, it's not vengeance... it's punishment.

when i got this i knew it was going to be ok but then i actually got on it and and it was better then ok it was great you can shoot interrogate and kill with bare hands but the best is interrogating you can (and these are only a few)

1.put gun to head
2.face smash
3.choke
4.punch
5.lay them down on counter then start shaking knifes
6.dangle from building
7.in a cage cell put them to the ground and bang the cell door into them
8.have them half out of a window and smash it down on them
9.drill
10.electrecute them to death in chair
11.hang them of the edge of somewhere
12.hang them over lead
13.hang over sharks
14.hang over paranas

and more

theres also speacial kills like

1.chucking out of window
2.chucking to a snake and snake eat him
3.chuck into electricity wires
4.chuck into bull horns on the wall
5.push into fire
6.put in coffin and put a bomb in and coffin explodes

and more

also theres great bosses from

the russian (also in film)
bullseye
kingpin
bushwacker

and more

and if that hasnt convinced you then what can?
this game is amazing

also you can go into slaughter mode where you mainly invinceable

weapons

flamethrower
shotgun
machine gun
pistol
sniper rifle

and more

the game is great if you have read the comic book then its based on it

note:when beggining new game put in v pirate (including the space) and you will have all movies unlocked all cheats unlocked all levels unlocked all flashbacks unlocked all guns unlocked and basicly everything unlocked. but if you dont like cheating like i dont then just put in what you want.

JUST BUY IT

Anyone remember Capcom's Punisher arcade game which was startingly similar to Final Fight? Or how about the light gun shooter released for the original 8-bit NES? To say that those games were lacking is saying it lightly, and thankfully, THQ's new Punisher game lives up to it's license. With a story written by current Punisher writer and Preacher creator Garth Ennis (with Jimmy Palmiotti), you play as criminal killing vigilante Frank Castle (voiced by the film adaptation's star Tom Jane) on a mission to not only avenge his murdered family, but to punish criminals everywhere. It's safe to call the game a by the numbers shooter, and the similarities to games such as Max Payne are apparent, but the Punisher proves to be plenty of fun as you can interrogate and "punish" crooks and such in some ghastly ways. The graphics are nicely done, despite some choppiness here and there, and the sound is well done too, including the reprisal of Tom Jane who, even in voice only, proves that he was born to play Frank Castle. Some of the other voice work is a little flat, and the control scheme can take some getting used to, but once you get past it, the game is plenty of fun. All in all, the Punisher is a fun game that lives up to it's Marvel Comics license, and fans of the comics and movie alike should definitely give this a look.

I first saw the preview for The Punisher game on telivision, and it blew me away. I must admit I was hesitant at first, it's not often a game comes out this long after the movie, but I couldn't deny the amazing look of it. After getting it home I opened it up and popped it in. It opened with the Marvel page flip logo that's in the movies, which I thought was pretty neat. What followed was a great intro, and an amazing game. Any enemy can be grabbed, interrogated, (which sometimes yields a comic book flashback!) or killed. There are certain spots where you can do specialty kills and interrogations. After you grab someone, you can also use them as a body shield as you shoot other people. You can duel wield shotguns, or go into "Slaughter Mode" where you gain health over time, and you forego your firearms for knives. The graphics are great, as is the gameplay and storyline. Easily one of the best games out there.

for you people who didn't like the punisher movie than here's something for you! The punisher game. And this one dosen't suck.
Its fun and gory and extremley violent!you have a nice arsenal of weapons and there's lots of ways to kill the gangsters. Unfortunantly, there's no multi-player which would have been fun! The punisher does have some nasty quick kills like giving the enemy his shotgun and stabbing their face. It's entertaining
and addictive. There's not a lot of flwas in the punisher. Now that it's a budget title, you can get this game without hurting
your wallet. So people, please buy this game.

Sometimes the thought of releasing a video game based on a comic book character/movie has been a hit or miss proposition, as has been the cases with Spider-Man (2 hits), Batman (hit and miss) and Superman (Don't let me get started...). So is the case that some people would think that THQ's decision of releasing this game just under a year after the release of the Punisher movie would be virtually like shooting themselves in the foot with a Desert Eagle. However, after a little time playing it, the old phrase "better late than never" never felt so appropriate.

First off, Punisher the game is not a direct spinoff of the movie in any way. The story of the game is an original one written exclusive to the game by the current writers of the Punisher comic book, Garth Ennis and Jimmy Panzotti. The only thing that connects the game and the movie is that the voice of The Punisher is actor Tom Jane, who played the role in the hit movie.

In the story, you (as Frank Castle/The Punisher) are locked up in New York's notorious Ryker's Island prison being questioned by the cops for a series of events (recounted as the levels of the game) that will ultimately lead to you learning how all the events connect and explain why you are locked up in the first place.

As you play through each level you will face criminals and need information to ultimately find your goal. You can do so by grabbing anyone and executing an interrogation via choking them, smashing their face into the ground, punching them or putting a gun in their face and slowly squeezing the trigger.
Breaking your target gets you info and health which afterwards you can either use them for human shields or just flat-out kill them. However, there are certain people to find that have vital info you need, so you can perform a Special Interrogation with them using anything in the environment (one particularly fun SI is one using a shark that will feel like a slight homage to James Bond). For every successful break with this person you can let them be and kill them quickly or finish them off using the environment, but keep this in mind: killing SI's could cost you style points which you can use to buy upgrades for your weapons and/or yourself between levels. However, just on the off chance that you are completely surrounded and if you really want to increase the body count, you can activate Slaughter Mode, which gives you an unlimited supply of knives, faster speed, deadlier Quick Kills, and a health boost.

The graphics are great, and some of the kills are extremely graphic (Let's just say that one of the Quick Kills will make most guys wince at least once as you play since it gives a whole new meaning to "blow your head off"). But then again, what would you expect from Volition, the team responsible for THQ's other hit shooter series Red Faction?

All in all, this is one game that definitely does the character justice, not punishment...

A friend of mine was approached by a subsidy of THQ for a lead-development position. One of the tasks they asked him to do in determining whether or not he was right for the position was to develop an entire level for The Punisher game. I was blessed to be able to witness a beta version of two levels of the game and let me tell you this. It makes Manhunt look like Super Mario Bros by comparison. I didn't get to actually play the game, however, from what I saw and as much as fun as it was to watch, this game is going to really make a mark. Putting people into woodchippers, dunking them in deepfryers. And the level detail and design is just beautiful. This is a must have!

Another Punisher review this time I'm reviewing the 2005 Punisher game for the PS2 & X BOX more or less this is what a sequel with Thomas Jane would be like in fact it takes place a few years after the 2004 movie & your in New York going after different criminal & mafia groups but ghost from Frank Castle's past that was involved with the group that killed Frank Castle's family & now goes by the name of Jigsaw. This is a great game that featuring none other than Thomas Jane doing the voice for the Punisher also Michael Gough does additional voices you get to go around & shoot up Gnucis & go after the Yakaza you get to team up with Nick Fury & SHEILD pop out of coffins blow the bad guys away. There are tourture scenes where you can get information kind of like the movie. I do like the humor in this game & I think it's better than Warzone the humor in this game works cause it's dark ironic with a little tongue & cheeck & a little ironic. The choice of guns is great the apperances by the different Marvel characters is cool. They also tease the Kingpin as the villain in another game. So you should buy this game I got mine for for $15 & it is cheaper than the Genesis Punisher game.

I've always been a big fan of Marvel Comics, especially Spider-Man and X-Men. As I continued seeing the films based on the comics, I reached The Punisher. I played this game, and that's what made me see the movie, and which made me buy the Punisher comics, and write Punisher stories, and-
I'm sorry. As you can see, this game is the whole reason I became such a diehard Punisher fan. It's so dark and yet so damn fun. I can't even describe how fun it is, and yet it shouldn't be such a thrill to dangle a guy over a piranha tank. It is, though, because when I play, I get into the mindset of Frank Castle, and I think like him. No, I'm not psychotic, I just see that what he does is right and wrong at the same time. He lost all that his life was, so he "died" when his family did, and the Punisher was born.
Oh yeah, the gameplay. The graphics are very cool, very comic-like but still sharp. The voice acting is awesome, especially Tom Jane as Frank/ the Punisher. With the game and the movie, he IS the Punisher to me. Everyone else is great as well, putting emotion into these characters. You get a fine array of guns: revolvers, pistols, Uzis, sniper rifles, bazookas, machine guns, rifles, shotguns, grenades, flamethrowers,you name it. You can carry two small guns and one large gun, and you can pick up a second large gun but can't keep it or reload it. You don't care, do you? Well, there's a great variety of levels, and tons of replay value, because wracking up points gets you more ammo, health, silencers for guns, grenade launchers, etc. High points: the interrogations- Frank does some pretty sick things to the baddies in this, like putting them in the path of rhinos, sharks, piranhas, and other not-so-happy animals, as well as getting them a bit too close for comfort by fires, crushers, ledges, car doors that leave a dent when slammed into your head, rapidly-turning gun turrets, and more; the great levels, like the finale at Ryker's Island Prison, the fight with the Russian in your apartment, the short-but-sweet attack at Lucky's Bar, the Gnucci Mansion, the Igor Baltivsky freighter, Fisk Industries, a crackhouse, and a chop shop. There's more, but my hand hurts; and of course, the appearances of other Marvel characters: Matt Murdock (also known as Daredevil) is your lawyer briefly, Tony Stark (Iron Man) pops up as you fight armored baddies at his building, Black Widow helps clear the docks, Nick Fury joins you on Grand Nixon Island, and most of Frank's pals from the Welcome Back, Frank comic series (which was used a lot in the movie as well), like Detective Soap and Lt. Richthofen, your neighbors Joan and Spacker Dave (donde esta Bumpo?), and the Gnucci family.
Well, I guess the review's winding down, so I leave you with this: awesome voice work, great story by Garth Ennis and Jimmy Palmiotti, cool levels, comic-like sharp graphics, Marvel appearances, ingenious interrogations, and high replayability. What are you waiting for?

This game is very true to the comic book story. THQ did a great job. I found myself hooked getting right into the story and even pulled out the old comic book series when Jim Lee was the artist for Punisher. One thing I dont suggest, little kids should not play this game, its just way to violent for 12 and under. I do recommend it for adults and teens and comic book lovers who wish video game companys would stay more to the comic story line than movie story line. Great job THQ.