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Console:	Microsoft Xbox
Region:
Year:	2005
RFG ID #:	U-075-S-06710-A
Part #:
UPC:	752919520277
Developer:	Volition
Publisher:	THQ
Rating:	(ESRB): Blood and Gore , Drug Reference , Intense Violence , Strong Language
Genre:	Shooter
Sub-genre:	3rd Person
Players:	1
Controller:	Standard Controller
Media Format:	DVD

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• 90 of 7620 collectors (1.1%) have this game in their collection
• 9 of 7620 collectors (0.1%) have this game in their wishlist.
• 1 of 7620 collectors (0%) have this game for sale or trade.

From the instruction manual:

This isn't revenge...it's punishment!

You are Frank Castle, a.k.a. The Punisher, a one-man vigilante army determined to clean up the streets by any means necessary.

After losing your wife and children in a fierce gangland gun battle (innocent bystanders caught up in a hail of gunfire), you vow to never rest until every last one of the criminal scum who terrorise the innocent are put down...permanently!

Believe it or not, the Punisher has been around, in one media format or another, since the early 1970s. While some people may consider him a hero, his means of justice for the guilty say otherwise. The Punisher is not a true "hero" in the same sense as, say, Superman or Spider-Man. He is a vigilante. A vigilante that can, and will, use any means necessary, including torture, threats, and various sorts of bodily harm to get the information he needs or to deliver the type of "justice" he sees fit.

The Punisher, a.k.a. Frank Castle, is a highly decorated Marine who fought in Vietnam. Upon his return from the war, he spent every moment he could with his family, doting on them as any normal father and husband would do.

While picnicing in Central Park with his family, Frank and his wife and children witnessed a mafia execution. Before Frank could rush his family away from the murder scene, the mafia spotted the family...and shot them all, making sure no witnesses were alive to testify against the mafia.

Frank survived, but his family didn't. Frank was able to identify all the people involved in the mafia execution, but the police, under the influence of the mafia, were both unable and unwilling to help him.

This is when Frank Castle died and the Punisher was born. No longer satisfied with relying on the police and the government to stop lawbreakers, the Punisher became the judge, jury, and executioner of the streets.

Fast-forward to today...

Now that you have a general background into the history and mentality of the Punisher, let's grab a submachine gun and clean up New York City!

In the latest Punisher game, published by THQ, we find the Punisher doing what he does best; breaking necks, blowing up cars, and delivering his own brand of justice. The game was released to coincide with the 2004 film of the same name. However, the game itself is not based on the movie (let's all breathe a sigh of relief).

The game is based, more or less, on different stories from the comics. What kind of stories? Well, stories with lots of guns...and explosions...OK, so there's no real story here or some great mystery to solve. Just your typical "the Russians are trying to blow us up" sorta story...the one we've all heard before.

However, the way in which the story unfolds is somewhat unique. We find the Punisher in jail at the beginning of the game, being interrogated by the police after he has raised nine kinds of hell in the streets of New York for three weeks.

The game itself is your typical 3rd Person shooter that takes advantage of every button available on the Xbox controller which, at times, can be confusing for the first several missions until you get the hang of things.

Throughout the game, the Punisher will have access to over 15 different types of weapons, including rocket and grenade launchers. Other weapons from enemies he's killed can be picked up and used. If you pick up two weapons of the same kind, you're able to use one in each hand and deliver quicker kills.

While the game doesn't have the stereotypical "bullet time," the Punisher can go into "Slaughter Mode," much like the slowed-down killing sprees seen in other games.

Now, guns are fun and all, but the Punisher, being trained and self-taught in many forms of hand-to-hand combat, can grab enemies and either deliver a quick kill via a snap to the neck or a bullet at close range to the face, or use them as a human shield when other enemies are around.

Additionally, the Punisher can grab an enemy and interrogate them, which sometimes yields much-needed info vital to completing the game. Interrogation, one of the best traits of the game, can include choking, punching, and a small list of other forms of punishment.

Some enemies will have a small skull flashing over their heads. These enemies know infomation crucial to completing the level and the game. But don't just interrogate them the old-fashioned way! Find a drill press or a table saw to get that information quicker. You could even dangle them out a five-story window. But don't get too carried away interrogating these particular bad guys...for some reason, they can be killed quite easily.

Points, or "style points," are earned in the game based on how you "punish" people...the more creative and deadly you are, the higher the style points. You can use these style points to upgrade current weapons or access new and bigger weapons.

I know, this all sounds a bit gory. But look at the box, Mom & Dad...it says "M - Mature 17+." Keep that in mind when Junior asks for this game. For those of you who do buy the game, you'll notice that some kill sequences are in black-and-white. That was to keep the game from getting an "Adults Only" rating.

The camera angles, a big pet peeve of mine for any game like this, can go wonky sometimes for no real reason. I don't really feel the need to suddenly look up the Punisher's nose while I'm trying to sneak up on an enemy. Graphics are above average and they do a great job of rendering the look of the Punisher. The voice acting and sound are great!

All in all, the game plays well, looks nice, and is pretty fun when you get that "I want to shoot something" sort of urge. The game gets a bit repetative after awhile and the means of interrogation never really change, which was kind of boring after a while. For me, it has a moderate replay value and I could recomend this game to anyone who might have enjoyed Max Payne or anything similar.

Console	Reg.	Type	Title	Publisher	Year	Genre
Microsoft Xbox		S	Punisher, The	THQ	2005	Action/Adventure

Hidden Spiderman Reference: During the cutscene immediately following the Crack House level, if you look closely at the license plate of the car that tries to hit the Punisher, you'll see that it says: "ASM129." The Punisher first made his appearance in the comic book "Amazing Spider-Man" issue #129.

Cheat Mode: Get a gold medal rank on the indicated level to unlock the corresponding cheat in the apartment sub-menu. Remember! You cannot progress in the game if ANY cheats are enabled. The cheats are:

• Crazy Deaths - Lucky's Bar level
• Gun Splinters - Crack House
• Unlimited Ammo - Pier 74 Revisited
• Invulnerability - All Levels
• No Reloads - Stark Towers
• One Shot Kills - Ryker's Island
• Unlimited Slaughter - Takagi Building

Additional Cheat Mode: Create a new profile with V PIRATE (case sensitive, including the space). All missions, challenge modes, punishment modes, armory, war journal items, comic book covers, concept art, flashbacks, movies, skins and cheats will be unlocked.