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Play Max Payne 2

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 5 / 10
Date: February 03, 2005
Author: Amazon User

This game is essentially a Max Payne 2 clone, or perhaps "Xerox" is a better term, as it loses much of the greatness.

Much was made about the violence of this game. Allow me to say the violence was vastly overrated. There's actually very little blood in the game. You typically just shoot a guy and move on without much gore at all. Occasionally you get to do one of the scripted torture scenes, and while these are entertaining (chroming a guy's head was a standout), they are rare. 95% of the time you have the same four dull methods of torture.

The levels are absurd. The first level is the longest string of apartments you'll ever see. No attempt was made to make the level realistic, it's just a ton of identical apartment rooms strung together as one long chain. You move linearly through them with absolutely no variation in eye candy or tactics. Typically the levels are very cramped and leave little room to strafe let alone change attack methods.

Later levels find guys above and below you. Picking them off feels less like a joy and more like a chore. I can't put my finger on it, but it just isn't fun.

Three of us rented this one weekend. We fought over who got to play it first, and the guy that paid took the honor. He played for the first two levels as we watched. He turned and asked if we wanted a turn, and we declined. Watching him took all the fun out of it. It was just boring to watch. He laughed, and said he was sick of it anyway.

If watching a game for half an hour convinces you not to play it, well, it says a lot about the game. Avoid this one.

I'm glad I rented this game first

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 1 / 6
Date: February 02, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I was filled with promise that a Punisher game was finally coming out on a gaming console. To be honest, I was prepared to purchase the game before I even played it because of the fact that it is based off of the Punisher franchise that is owned by Marvel Comics. At the very least because I am a comic book collector, I had to give the game a try. I can admit now that I would have really been upset if I purchased this game before I played it. Marvel and the game developers messed up making this a 3rd person game, it shoudl have been more like a 1st person shooter like Halo. Actually, Halo is a little more than a 1st person shooter, but enough on that. After playing this game for several hours, I can honestly say that Red Faction on PS2 was much more enjoyable than the Punisher on X-box and that is shame. The game play mechanics are really bad, and the aiming and over the shoulder view is horrible too. Rent this game for sure, but don't buy it or you will be sorry and left with a $50 game that is worth $10 of your time.

It really is a shame that such a bad game was put out on the market. I am sure I'm not the only true comic book fan who was left wondering where in the world did they dig up the concept of this game. It is as if they threw a bunch of comic book stories together. There is so much more to Frank Castle than just shooting bad guys, read the comic book if you don't believe me!

The most recent Punisher movie was okay. This video game truly STINKS! And the comic book is awesome, so take your $50 and invest in the comic book, you will enjoy it much better.

Well balanced but not awesome=RENT IT

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 0 / 5
Date: February 07, 2005
Author: Amazon User

This game is one of those that is fun for the first few levels then gets boring. The levels are too long, the enemies are plain stupid, and Frank Castle is too overpowered. The first level, was pretty good, it was pretty exciting, but the problem was there were only 2 guns you could actually use. I think the only reason people bought this game was because they waited so long to get the game in the first place. Then they realise that in getting the game, they just wasted 50 bucks for a game that probably shouldve cost 30. Frank Castle is way too powerful in this game, because it takes about 10 minutes of people firing at you to actually make you die. In one level, a soldier shot me with a rocket launcher. I expected to see the health bar go down by a lot, but instead, only about an eigth of the bar was taken out. The enemies are also very stupid. They stare at you and scream "its the Punisher!" then just stand there for about 3 seconds for their brains to tell them "maybe you should fire at him, you dont have that thing in your hand that looks like a gun for nothing, ya know." Also, whats the point in putting 5 doors in a room that have nothing interesting behind them anyway? In the first level, you have to choose between 5 doors at a point in the game and waste alot of time and patience, before realising that you passed the correct door 3 rooms ago. Also, the soundtrack kinda sucks. The only music in the game is either Opera like music, and some choir like music. WHAT happened to the rock or the rap or the pop? If you really want to play this game and wont listen to my advice on it, I suggest not making the same mistake I did and rent it instead of buying it.

It's okay

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 4 / 9
Date: January 19, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Frank Castle (better known as The Punisher) may ultimately be a crime-fighting hero, but he's still not a very nice guy. After losing his family in a mob crossfire, the guy has come a bit unhinged in search of revenge. Spider-Man cordially hangs criminals by a web from a building; The Punisher tosses criminals off buildings then make a wise crack. In bringing The Punisher to PlayStation 2 and Xbox, THQ and developer Volition have vowed to maintain the integrity of the gritty Marvel Comics character. The result is a third-person shooter that has captured a Mature rating and then tossed it off the nearest building. As with any modern action game, you have an arsenal with which to dispatch the many baddies that cross your path. When something less traditional is preferred, Punisher resourcefully takes advantage of his surroundings. For instance, you can fire up a forklift so it rolls into a support column and take down a gunman on the catwalk above. Further showing off Punisher's people skills, interrogation provides pertinent info tidbits (and health benefits), as well as more cheap thrills. By grabbing the nearest foe and wiggling the analog stick just right, you'll menace him until he breaks (emotionally) then after he tells you what you need, you can break him (physically). Still more vengeful variety is offered at spots designated by a floating Punisher logo, at which you can make a special interrogation(such as pushing a criminal's face toward a whirring grindstone) or relieve him of Castle's misery via a "special kill" (such as chucking him out a window). Style points are earned for creative life-taking, though some especially nasty takeouts result in points being taken away. (Perhaps THQ didn't want to seem too eager to reward lethal ingenuity, even if it's in pursuit of retribution.) The Punisher's fun at first, but soon becomes repetitive both in terms of the Punisher's actions and the criminals' voice responses. Add to that weak graphics and animation, as well as not enough opportunities to "enjoy" Punisher's originality, and you end up with an adventure that turns a bit stale too quickly.

...It's Punishment

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: May 23, 2005
Author: Amazon User

"The Punisher," Marvel's anti-hero with powers more befitting an avid member of the NRA than your typical superhero (in fact he has no super powers to speak of save a seething hatred for all things criminal), finally makes his way into the world of video games post "Max Payne" and "Dead to Rights," and it's immediately clear that he belongs here. Despite simple, derivative gameplay in settings and scenarios that do little to surprise, "The Punisher" manages to entertain thanks in no small part to the character's cold, remorseless demeanor, conveyed in the game via special kills, brutal interrogations, and a John Woo style ballet of bullets.

The game's story, though penned by respected comic book writers regular to "The Punisher" series, does little to envelop the uninitiated in the ruthless world of Frank Castle (aka, the Punisher) beyond the bare bones minimum, but it's enough, coupled with Tom Jane's excellent vocal portrayal. The plot's potential for suspense is foiled by the game's penchant for flashbacks, which represent every mission in the game until the finale, thus killing most any tension it might otherwise have provided. Still, in the most basic fashion, it provides ample excuse to terrorize the criminal underworld and commit unspeakable acts all in the name of cold-blooded vengeance.

It's immediately apparent that "The Punisher" owes a considerable debt to "Max Payne," in that, aside from bullet time, both games are rather identical. Even Castle's forward dive, guns out, looks strikingly Payne-esque. Regardless, "The Punisher" mixes things up a tad by replacing Max's aforementioned time bending fete in favor of slaughter mode, which essentially allows Castle to temporarily throw aside his firearms, flick out a never-ending supply of knives, and have at the bad guys with brutal efficiency. Though it's rarely if ever necessary to switch to slaughter mode, thanks in no small part to the Punisher's resistance to bullets and anything that really resembles pain, it's still a hell of a lot of fun, and some of the quick kills are gleefully sadistic no matter how many times you see them.

With guns blazing, "The Punisher" is a fairly standard and less than awe-inspiring third person shooter, but again the aforementioned quick kills, though perhaps to easy to actually pull off, liven things up considerably. Add in location-specific special kills that allow you to sacrifice thugs upon a pagan alter in a museum or throw old mafia moms from five story windows and you've got a good variety of death-dealing tools at your disposal, and as long as you're not squeamish about violence in your shooters, that's definitely the game's strong suit.

Interrogations are also an option. You can capture bad guys and beat, throttle, or otherwise threaten information out of them, which provides you with a health bonus and, on occasion, some extra goodies for your efforts. None of this is particularly necessary, but of course the true reward is the sadistic practice of draining criminals of all information they possess and then killing them anyway as they plead for mercy they won't actually receive.

"The Punisher" offers a fairly large assortment of weapons, but only a few of them really feel all that different from the rest, and later in the game you'll almost certainly find what you like and stick with it `til the end, essentially killing the initial sense of variety here. And no matter which weapons you take into battle (and you're realistically limited in your selection per mission), the game is far too easy. In fact, it's an out and out cakewalk. Despite Castle's lack of superhero powers, the man is either wearing mithril Kevlar (which is strange) or he's entirely unbothered by your garden-variety bullets (which is stranger). Walking directly up to your standard villain and quick killing him is exceedingly easy because said villain's constant stream of ammunition seems more irritation than out and out threat.

Though the game provides some stirring set pieces (such as a funeral home slaughter), most of its levels are of the "been there, done that" variety - especially the docks and warehouses which are enough to elicit groans. What's more, the gameplay rarely ever offers up anything new as it goes, what with its lack of puzzles (at least any that are remotely challenging) and lack of combat diversity. Thank god it's so much fun to interrogate, assassinate, and throw your enemies, because if it weren't the game would proffer little else of value.

What with its linear gameplay, lackluster story, and grossly simple action, "The Punisher" definitely won't tickle every gamer's fancy, but I dare say its sheer, shameless brutality will certainly win over many who give it a chance. All in all, it equals a fun romp that, while not devoid of problems, does a fine job of bringing the comic book character to life in a brand new medium. A tighter storyline, more interesting environments, and a tad more challenge would go a long way toward making a sequel glisten with quality.

Rent It

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: February 02, 2005
Author: Amazon User

When I first picked up this game, I wasn't as excited as I thought I'd be. Maybe, just maybe, I'm psychic. I'm glad I didn't invest $50 into this game, however, this game is definitely worth renting.
The controls take a couple minutes to get used to, but once you get used to them, you'll be rolling in no time.
The special kills and interrogation spots are fun, and they don't get as repetitive as I thought they would.
The enemies aren't too stupid, they gave me a challenge here and there, and I used the normal difficulty.
The bosses can be annoying, very freaking annoying. Luckily, some dude invented the internet, and all I had to do was look up a walkthrough.
The reasons this game is a must play are the obvious. You get to be the Punisher. You get to dual-wield nearly every weapon in the game (even shotguns and M-16s). The special kills and interrogations are quite entertaining.
The biggest reason this game is in the "rent" category and not the "buy" is due to the fact that I could not make myself imagine playing it again. I beat it, it's done, time to take it back to Blockbuster.

A Solid Shooter.Short But Sweet.

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 3
Date: February 16, 2005
Author: Amazon User

The Punisher is a Third Person Shooter kinda like the maxx payne2 game.The Quick kills are excellent in this game ,there's one where you throw the guy your rifle ,he then looks at it like ,huh what?,then Punisher puts two knifes in his forehead.This game is what being a bad@#% is all about.The Punisher is got seriously big kahuna's if ya know what I mean ,wink,wink.You have a mode in this game called "Slaughter mode" simular to the Matrix or Maxx payne bullet time or even BloodRayne.In this game when Slaughter mode is activated it speeds you up and slows everyone down ,then you have the ability to throw knifes at your enemies from a distance and also do quick kills up close,it lasts for a short period of time but as you advance in the game you get whats called style points after each level and you can buy upgrades such as longer slaughter mode,increase accuracy,body armor,increase ammo capacity,increase clipsize,etc.There's a strong emphasis on Interrogation in this game .You can interrogate any enemy of your choosing and gain info which will help you on your mission such as location of more weapons or a hidden key etc.etc.You also have special interrogation areas hilighted by a white skull which gives you more style points and usually its the enemy with a white skull over his head.The only negative about this is that you lose points if you accidently kill the target while interrogating him,but when you do kill him on the special interrogating area its a very kool kill,usually followed up by a kool line from the Punisher,kinda like Clint Eastwood's do you feel lucky punk line.There's also special kill areas marked with a Gold skull ,which after you bring an enemy to this area a cutscene special kill is shown and large amount of style points are awarded.Some of the levels are nicely done like "Grey's Funeral Home" and the "Central Zoo" Level,but others are a little bland and plain.There's (16) levels total with about 14 bosses including BullsEye,The Russian,BushWacker,and JigSaw.I had alot of fun playing this game but its a short game I rented it and beat it in 3 Days playing it on Normal mode with no cheats activated.I suggest you play it on HARD mode cause its the only way to earn a gold medal ,because after each level your given style points and either a gold,silver, or bronze medal.Only HARD mode can you earn a gold medal.The bosses arent to hard once you figure out there secret.The punisher can also double weild just about any weapon,I love to have a shot gun in each hand my favourite.I love the way The Punisher reloads the shotguns,very kool.You can also grab any enemy and use him as a bullet sheild.Also after interrogating any enemy you get health from them.There's extras also in the menu section like original comic covers after completing a challenge mode.Challenge modes are opened up after getting enough style points on a level.This game was Short But Sweet.The voice was done by the guy in the punisher movie.Here's a CHEAT to open ALL LEVELS CHEATS & EXTRAS.While entering profile name enter " V PIRATE " as a name ,notice there is a space between V and Pirate,also it has to be in capital letters.Then all cheats will be opened up.NOTE: you cannot get style points with cheats activated.But since all levels are opened you dont really miss anything youre still able to play all missions and see all the movies.Good Luck and go deal some PUNISHMENT.

MY FAVORITE VIGILANTE

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 4
Date: February 23, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I'm a huge Punisher fan. I was furious when Max Payne stole Castle's life. But now Frank has stolen Payne's game! You'll be used to the game if you played MP, but this still feels diffrent somehow. The torture feature is amazingly fun, sticking heads into piranha tanks and into boiling water will satisfy the sickness in all of us. Meeting guys like Iron Man, Nick Fury and Black Widow (and surprisingly more MARVEL characters) will keep you coming back for more. While he did steal the Max Payne gameplay, I can forgive Castle. You stare him in the face and say you don't.

a gun a head ah the possibilities!!!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 1 / 2
Date: November 28, 2005
Author: Amazon User

punishment to the saints,sadist,rapest,muderers,and the phycos. yep thats what Frank Castle said,belive me this is so true,and its all brought to life by sanders,drills,45s,shotguns,grenade launchers,electric chairs and a truckload more!these are all ways to make a criminal talk.this game is just so much fun.it has good graphics,cool weapons,and smooth controls,an all in all good buy!

A Game Based on Inflicting Pain

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: August 12, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Based on a classic comic book anti-hero, The Punisher is a decidedly mature title in which a vigilante takes on most of New York City. Be prepared for lots of torture and swearing.

If you know the Punisher comic book series, you know what you're in for. This guy loves to hurt "bad guys" - and anybody he considers a bad guy is fair game. The number of ways in which you can kill your enemies is astounding. You run through a crack house and shoot people in the crotch, in the head, all the while saying "It sucks to be them". The women are trying to sleep with you while you save them. The druggies are claiming you're a mirage.

Every new level offers roaches scuttling across the floor, innocents who you bypass as relatively meaningless, and bad guys who you kill with cold detachment in extremely gruesome ways. You roast them in the fire. You boil them in oil. You slash them with glass. It's all in the name of "progress" - you supposedly are getting information out of them. However, there is no empathy at all. Because your family died, you now are able to kill every other human you run across without much feeling.

There's some wry humor in here, as in when people call out "Hey, it's that finisher dude". There's also incredibly nasty violence if you choose to push someone past their limit. I suppose it's all in your hands - but it's really nasty that they have some options in here.

The graphics are good in a comic booky way. There is a good balance between realistic movements and a smooth animated flow. I do have to comment that his normal "walk" is a bit slow and melodramatic. The audio is well done, with a deadpan main actor and the usual collection of druggies, hookers and other sleazes as people to talk to. There usually isn't much 'background noise' - the screams and pleas of your victims are the soundtrack here.

While this is in general a well done shooter, I admit that I'm not very comfortable with a vigilante running around deliberately causing as much pain as he can to people. If anybody knows what great pain can drive someone to do, it would be him. If someone happens to fall into drugs, I'm not sure that they deserve a window pane to the neck as a "punishment" for that, or that millions of game players out for rest and relaxation should find enjoyment in repeatedly performing that pain-inflicting action.

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