The Punisher
Score: 75% ESRB: Mature Publisher: THQ Developer: Volition Media: DVD/1 Players: 1 Genre: Action
Graphics & Sound: As expected, The Punisher is a very dark game; a fact that is reflected in both the game’s visuals and gameplay. Inspiration is drawn from the Marvel Knights Punisher series as well as the “standard” comic book hero look. In particular, the model for the Punisher is a dead-on match for the 2D version seen in the books. Animations are equally as dark, offering loads of “oh my God” moments. If you’re not dunking someone’s head into a pool of piranhas, you’re either throwing them head-first into a grind stone or under something really heavy. Environments are just as dark, which may require some adjustment to the brightness scale in the Options menu. The normal setting is playable in open areas, but makes enclosed places seem a little too claustrophobic and hard to navigate. Perhaps the biggest draw in the audio department is that Thomas Jane, who played the Punisher in the recent movie, portrays the digital version of the character. Overall, Jane does an excellent job and provides one of the few high points. Other voices are decent, but certainly nothing to get excited over. The soundtrack is low key and usually hard to hear over the gunfire and screams of agony (as well as the choice words from enemies), but it is there.
Gameplay: The game opens with the Punisher doing what he does best -- dolling out punishment (which, of course, involves lots of bullets and a high body count). From here the story takes place through a series of flashbacks as the Punisher is questioned by the police. Much of the game’s story draws from the Garth Ennis and Jimmy Palmiott “Punisher” books. This series also served as the inspiration for the recent movie, so fans can expect to see several familiar characters, like the Russian, show up in the game. Other Marvel characters, such as Kingpin and Black Widow, also make surprise appearances. For the most part, The Punisher is a straightforward, ultra-violent shooter. Level designs are linear with goals clearly defined at the start of each mission. As you make your way through the game you will, however, be able to discover new mission goals through the game’s Interrogation system. Gameplay is action packed, but lacks any real depth. A large portion of the game is spent gunning down low-level thugs and moving on to the next level. Occasionally you face a boss character, but they are usually very tedious and boring. The game features a sizeable arsenal as you progress through the game, offering plenty of options during killing sprees. There’s no real strategy to weapons selection; however, take note of weapons that seem to drop often in an area since that’s more than likely the one that will come in handy in that area. If shooting becomes old and interrogations prove to be too tame, there’s Slaughter mode. After entering this mode, signified by a really cool black and white screen effect, the Punisher enters a knife-wielding rage, making him indestructible and able to pull off some really slick one-hit kills. Considering how the game revels in violence, I’m impressed to see that the developers keep the “morals” of the Punisher in the game. Although he’s not shy about wasting the guilty, the Punisher never harms the innocent. This credo also holds true within the game; if you kill an innocent bystander, it’s game over. The mechanic provides a reprieve from the more mindless areas of the game since it requires skillful aiming to take out a hostage-holder rather than simply shooting blindly. After completing a level you can go back and compete in Challenge modes to try and get a better ranking. Challenge modes are unlocked by earning points, which are gained by linking together kills in succession and pulling off other moves in the game. The rewards for completing the challenges aren’t worth the trouble and getting a gold ranking only offers cheats, adding little to the game’s replay value.
Difficulty: Outside the Challenge Mode, which lives up to its name, The Punisher really doesn’t come as much of a challenge. For starters, the Punisher is nearly indestructible, even when he’s not in his Slaughter mode. Even direct hits from tanks aren’t enough to dent his health. In the event that you do get close to dying, health can be regained by either through interrogation or by entering Slaughter mode. Nearly every thug you come across reacts to you in battle. Some hide while others duck for cover -- or at least try to. For whatever reason, enemies seem to always miss their cover and end up lying on the floor like slugs. They eventually get up, but not after taking a round or two in the back. Most of the difficulty relies on simply overwhelming you rather than forcing you to plan strategy.
Game Mechanics: Interrogation is a major part of the game’s structure. Not only does it supply you with plenty of scripted violence, but you can also unlock secrets within each level. Interrogations come in two flavors. Any criminal can be interrogated by “natural” means, which usually comes down to a few punches or holding a gun to an enemy’s head. These can be pulled off at any time provided you’re holding an enemy hostage. Over the course of the game, you run across areas designated with a gold skull icon, indicating environmental interrogations. These methods make up the more “exotic” of the bunch and include some pretty grisly deaths. Again, this game isn’t meant for kids or for those with weak stomachs. Interrogations themselves play out in the form of a mini-game. After initiating an interrogation, a meter pops up denoting health and stress levels. The object is to hold the stress level at a certain section for three seconds. The trick is that raising the stress meter requires depleting the health meter. If the victim dies during interrogation, it fails. With the exception of bosses, every enemy you come across can be interrogated. Some have information for you while others serve as “practice” for more important questionings. Enemies with useful information have a white skull over their head. Interrogating other thugs usually yields useless information, but can unlock side quests during levels or flashbacks, which give some of the Punisher’s backstory. Interrogations provide some of the more visceral moments in the game, but also prove to be one of the game’s more disappointing aspects. While the scenes are graphic and creative, they’re way too limiting. The special kill areas can only be used once, which makes no sense for some kills. I also couldn’t help but to think how much better the game would have been if the game offered more freedom. For example, one area features a bowling alley, but when I thought to throw a thug down the lane, he hit an invisible barrier before reaching the pins. The scripted violence would have worked a few years ago, but considering the push towards more “open” gameplay, it feels dated. In addition, using Special Interrogation spots to kill a victim costs you style points, reducing your overall score. I can understand the point loss during interrogations, but it makes no sense to lose points AFTER you’ve broken the person -- especially if those kills are set up as one of the main draws to the game in the first place. In the end, The Punisher is a good game, but proves to be way too shallow an experience. The end result is a game that feels like a “poor-man’s Max Payne” rather than a unique experience. The Punisher makes for more of a rainy day rental rather than a good purchase. Still, fans will enjoy the chance to play as their favorite anti-hero, making this one a “fans-only” production.
-Starscream, GameVortex Communications AKA Ricky Tucker
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