The Punisher

This is one of my favorate video games but also one of my favorate comic book video games. I'm a fan of the comic book series "The Punisher" and I love the fact that finally we have another game based on the Punisher franchise which never seems to be focused much in the video game department (along with several other figures in Marvel). From the 2004 film that came out (which I personally like) and with some of the video games and content in the PS2 era it was the perfect time for this game to surffice. Though you could also say in a way this game is a spiritual sequel/continuum of the 2004 Punisher film which sadly never had a sequel, so if you want you could count this game.

The graphics are soild, their nothing really spectacular but they serve their purpose well as they bring to life the dark grity world Frank inhabits where evil comes in all walks of life and are at every turn. I even like the character models mainly the character Frank Castle/The Punisher whom looks just right a little from the past run to the recent version.

Voice acting is great there is a pretty good voice acting cast like Steve Blum one of my favorate voice actors he does "Bullseye", "Daredevil", etc. And of course Thomas Jane from the 2004 film, Thomas Jane for the record is my second favorate version of Frank Castle/The Punisher his voice just fits like a glove for the character in this game it really feels like that what Frank would sound like in the comics. Thomas plays the usual cool intensity but in the game you can hear his voice has became more grit and hardness which makes sense as the character has been doing this for a long time which can weight down on a person.

But of course what really makes the game for me is in the gameplay and story. The story is well done it's simplistic Punisher fare but I wouldn't want it any other way, and takes a little from some of the past runs of the series but also some from the Garth Ennis run which is my favorate run and how I really got into the series. I really like as one thing leads to another the story intriguing develops and even like some of the dialog which has some memorable lines; this really gives the feeling of the comic book. What also inhaunces the feeling is some of the characters in Marvel that are involved in the story line like "Daredevil", "Black Widow", "Nick Fury" etc. which I thought was cool showing that Frank/The Punisher is part of the Marvel universe.

The gameplay is soild, it's some run and gun fare similar to "Max Payne" (well kinda) you have an assortment of weapons which you can only carry a limited amount so chose carefully and use them well. There is the RPG element where you get to purchise weapons to increase and upgrade your arsenal.

Each of the levels are well done and designed; the boss battles are soild despite only a few; one of the boss battles that stand out are the fight with "Bullseye" whom like in the comics is crazy as hell but is true to his name, I'll admit the fight against him is a bit tricky but fun all the same because your taking on a well known comic book villain, whom wouldn't want that.

And of course there are the interigation scenes which are in a twisted sense fun as you are putting the preasure on villans to make them spill their guts figuratively and literally. Your given the choice whether to kill them after the interigation or not, to me this is a matter of whether the punishment fits the crime. Though of course I pick the kill most of the time just to see the creative kills which this game has as much as a "Friday the 13th" film, I won't say what they are you have to see them for yourself.

Overall, if your a Punisher fan or even a fan of comic book video games then this is one to check out. The Punisher game hits the target or should I say several targets.

Rating: 3 and a half stars

This video game presents the real Punisher, the one that should have been in the 2004 film, instead of Thomas Jane, and instead of bunch of other characters and developers who made that pu**yass film. In the film, we got Punisher who did less killing and more talking and blackmail on the villains and mafia. While, here voiced by Jane himself (he was great as a voice, dark and violent) Punisher is one mean, sick, cold blooded animal who will kill anyone who stands on his path, except of course innocent people. The plot is like a comic book, which is cool, characters... well most of them are not quite developed, except Punisher himself, Det Soap and Det. Molly, they were great. Previous characters, mostly villains are good, the evil dialogue makes them badass and somewhat irritating. Graphics are solid, not that great, action is pretty sick, there are more than 50, 60 ways to kill a guy, you can interrogate them, make them pi!! their pants if you like, that's cool. Everybody is afraid of Punisher here and I like it. The music is one bright spot here, it is great, composed by Timothy Wynn. This game is a perfect cure for all of those who loves good old violent Punisher, compared to the 2004 film. Thanks to this game, we got the good old vision of Punisher again. If you ask me... this game is better than other films as well.

There are games where the protagonist is a noble defender of justice, eliminating evil while upholding the highest moral standards. And then there's "The Punisher" - a game where the hero deals with problems so ruthlessly that even the most hardened criminals probably regret their choices. This is a brutal, dark, and surprisingly engaging experience where Frank Castle's methods leave his enemies with absolutely no chance.

The story is based on "the Punisher" comics and films. Frank Castle wages his personal war against crime, methodically eliminating scum one by one. Along the way, he visits many iconic locations and encounters various well-known characters.

But the real fun begins when you dive into the gameplay. It goes beyond a standard shooter and introduces truly savage interrogation mechanics. You can grab an enemy, pin him against a wall, and "have a little chat." If you show patience and stop short of lethal force, you might extract valuable information-such as criminal plans. But if your hand slips-well, you can't interrogate a corpse. The game offers numerous "creative" ways to conduct interrogations. The developers were clearly inspired by the bloodiest action films of the '80s and '90s, leaving the player to decide just how ruthless they want to be.

Another key mechanic is using enemies as human shields. Any thug within reach can become temporary cover-while you're holding him, enemy bullets won't reach you. Of course, the poor guy won't last long, and soon enough, he'll drop dead. But in those few moments, you can take down several enemies before they get a clear shot at you.

The criminals in this game are surprisingly talkative. They aren't just scared-they're outright screaming, "It's the Punisher!" Almost every room has at least one guy who feels the need to announce Castle's arrival to the entire world. At first, this adds to the atmosphere, but after a few hours, the repetitive shouts start to get annoying.

Frank's arsenal has everything you'd expect-from shotguns to assault rifles. The weapons feel great: gunfire is powerful, and enemies go down in a satisfyingly brutal manner.

Visually, the game holds up well for its time. I remember thinking it looked quite good when I first played it. The voice acting is solid, reinforcing the feeling of being in a gritty action movie.

"The Punisher" is a dark, violent, and action-packed shooter that's definitely not for the faint of heart. It doesn't offer deep moral dilemmas, but it does let you experience the relentless justice of Frank Castle. Back then, I didn't know much about the Marvel universe, so many characters seemed like just part of the game's cast. Looking back now, I realize that some of them were actually significant figures in the comics.

It's an engaging game, but its intense violence and grim atmosphere make it unsuitable for kids or the overly sensitive. However, for fans of ruthless action, this one delivers.

8 out of 10.

I have the movie for this and that was a great film, and now the game came out and that was good. To all of the Punisher fans that are out there, you should get this game that has a lot of punishment and lots of bad guys to kill. Thomas Jane is once again the punisher/Frank Castle who going to do his punishment on the next set of bad guys and he'll stop at nothing. You can do interrogations for lots of stuff and they are cool. This game should be known for the fans out there and should buy this game. It is too bad that I rented this game instead of buying it but I will try my best to get the game for good as I am one of the punisher fan and I want to do some punishment on the bad guys and become a hero in the game.

I give this a 9/10

When I first rented this game, I found it so fun that after renting it about 30 times, I bought it. So you all can understand I'll list the pros and cons. Pros: Addictive, good aiming system, awesome weapons, simple learning curve, plays well, decent graphics, cool voice over, nice and gory, fun interrogation, good voice work by Thomas Jane. Cons: Repetitive after awhile(a loooong while), Terrible AI(kinda what causes repetition), Too linear, bad head shot response, not a lot of variety, no real punishment if you just fight your way through without thinking(kind of a pro though.) While this game has plenty of flaws but nothing beats walking into the Yakuza building and then jamming a knife in the first guy who says" leave now" and then drawing twin pistols and mowing the place down. And hey, if you get bored with it, use cheats, either beat the game and get them or make your profile name V Pirate(try it different ways if it don't work.) I'd give this game a 9 out of 10 because it rocks and never gets boring to me. I hope they make a sequel some day. (though personally I'd like to make it because I have some great ideas.) *********/10 :] Yeaaah!