User Reviews (1 - 11 of 26)

Show these reviews first:

Highest Rated
Lowest Rated Newest
Oldest Most Helpful
Least Helpful

Make Every Bullet Count... (4.5 stars)

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 25 / 28
Date: January 25, 2005
Author: Amazon User

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.

NOT WHAT I EXPECTED!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 7 / 7
Date: March 29, 2005
Author: Amazon User

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

Manhunt pale's compared to this game.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 6 / 8
Date: November 29, 2004
Author: Amazon User

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!

Worth the wait

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: January 20, 2005
Author: Amazon User

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.

Don't wanna talk? bust his ass, then shoot 'em

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: October 02, 2005
Author: Amazon User

The Punisher has always been one of my favorites. Kill or be killed. The rules still apply with this game except, piss me off, you get killed.The game for the most part has a dark setting, which fits the Punisher. The graphics is one of the games biggest faults. It almost looks like Max Payne, it doesn't have that fresh, crisp look like Devil May Cry or God of War. And sometimes characters you mingle with unintentionally block your path with no way of getting through. Also there were times I knew I was behind cover and was still gettin' shot. The camera can sometimes be a problem when your stuck in a crossfire.
The controls is easy to learn but it seems like a chore to aim and hit your targets at will. Now for the torture mode that everyone seems to touch up on. This is where the game shines in my opinion and why I gave it a 3 and not a 2. The torture mode adds something brand new to this type of game. When you get your hands on a lowlife you have to literally squeeze info out of them. your purpose is to scare the guy into talking, if you over do it and kill him, it can cost you valuable info or certain items. Controlling the scenes is a snap. You can strangle, beat the s*it outta dude, busts his ass wit' a window or pop his top. This is what keeps me playing.
Overall this game is so-so at best and it's not very hard. If you can endure the problems I mentioned, this is'nt really a bad game. However there is action games out there that is light years ahead of this. If it wasn't for the torture mode, this could have easily been brushed off as a Max Payne clone, minus the slow- mo effect, or lost in the shuffle behind games like Devil May Cry 3 & God of War.

Punisher fans will love this...

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 3 / 4
Date: April 13, 2005
Author: Amazon User

You'd think this game would have been released while the movie was in theaters to capitalize on the popularity. Oh well, better late than never. The storyline is taken directly from the comic, which is another added bonus. Overall the game is excellent. The play control, graphics, story, and fun are all above average.

The amazon reviewer says, "It's a decent play, but it doesn't stack up to other run and gun shooters like Max Payne and Psi-Ops. Laughable enemy AI, a poor targeting system, and sluggish movement really hold it back from being anything more than average."

First off, comparing this game to Max Payne is ridiculous. Let's face it... Max Payne sucked as far as graphics and play control. Max's targeting system was terrible!! Every time Max tried to shoot someone on a higher platform while running, the stupid targeting system would automatically recenter, causing me to miss and then end up getting shot several times! Also the frame rate slowed down whenever there were more than two bad guys in the room and the graphics are not even comparable to the Punisher. Max Payne looked like a cardboard cuttout even in the cut scenes. The Punisher's targeting system always leaves you in complete control, it never recenters, and in my experience, is quite accurate. The graphics in the cut scenes and in regular play are much better than Max Payne and many other shooters out there. The AI is pretty decent too... there's been a few different situations where I was flanked by bad guys, ducking behind cover and then they found another way around the building so they could sneek up behind me. And it's hilarious when you launch a grenade in a room full of bad guys and they all start running like crazy, shouting obscenities. If you're a Punisher fan, it's definitely worth checking out, at the very least it's worth a rental. This game continues to see plenty of play in my PS2.

Mixed reactions.

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 4 / 7
Date: February 13, 2005
Author: Amazon User

First things first. I'm not into shooting games. I suffer from motion-sickness, and shooting games don't help the situation. But then again, I'm a fan of Marvel Comics, and even though I've always view The Punisher as some sort of a third-rated hero, it didn't stop me from borrowing this from a colleague who simply can't stop buying games that involve big guns. And how I regret.

I know I shouldn't bother too much about the story. If you've read the comic, or even watch the dreadful movie from last year, you'd have know that the plot revolves around a revenge theme. Frank Castle's family was gruesomely murdered by the bad guys, and he goes on the journey of showing them the meaning of pain. Basically, that's it. Taking the role of Castle, you end up shooting a lot of bullets at a lot of people. Added with some interrogation scenes in between, and you get the most of this game.

To be fair, the gameplay is quite ok. Apart from shooting, you get to grab an enemy to act as a shield, and this takes the action a level higher. However, with the action coming in thick and fast, sometimes, you may just find yourself forgoing this luxury and go for the quick fix. This grabbing ability also allows you to interrogate the victim, which, if done correctly, could give you some valuable information. Of course, most enemies know nothing, so an interrogation will most probably result in a silly one-liner. Some enemies, however, will feed you important snippets. To make it easier for you, these enemies are identified with a skull over their head. Trust me, no matter how "easy" this could sound to you, it actually saves you a lot of time.

Your arsenal of weapons also increases over time. You begin with a customary pair of pistols, but soon enough, you'd see yourself handling items such as machine guns, rocket launchers, and hand grenades. Ultimately, however, the weapons are only as good as their user. The game provides an adequate targeting system, but if you can't shoot properly, you can't. Unfortunately, I'm one of those who can't really shoot properly. Just ask my Army Instructor.

Graphics wise, the game scores ok. It has some specific animations, which look good the first few times, but quickly become old. It's also strange that for a game rated M, the killing sequences seem a little over-filtered. The camera angle automatically zooms out, and the screen becomes black and white when you decide to finish off some poor chap. Now, I'm not into violence, and I'm certainly not a supporter of violence in games. Yes, I know Kill Bill Vol. 1 has a similar b/w segment when The Bride walloped the Crazy 88s. But hey, that was "artistic". This is a bloody game for Christ's sake. Just show us the blood.

Audios wise, The Punisher feature a large amount of voice acting. It's an average effort at best, though, since the dialogue are mostly cheesy. The SFX are disappointing, due to poorly positioned, or even missing sounds. Surely, when someone is shooting at you from distance, you'd expect to hear some firing sound? I mean, even when I'm typing this, I can hear the keyboard tapping.

As a result of some of these issues, The Punisher may not be the most value for money. It's at best an average shooting game that has a slightly higher profile due to its Marvel Comics connections. Perhaps I'm a little harsh, but you may want to rent this game before deciding whether you want to add it to your collection.

Finally, a Punisher game that lives up to it's license

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 4 / 7
Date: February 17, 2005
Author: Amazon User

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.

who hates killing the crap out of people?

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 4
Date: August 03, 2005
Author: Amazon User

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.

Prepare to keep the coroner's office REALLY busy...

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: January 31, 2005
Author: Amazon User

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...

Review Page: 1 2 3 Next 

Actions