The Punisher review:5 stars (Best comic hero game ever!!) - Outstanding! From the graphics to the music, dialogue, storyline, and of course the blood and gore. A perfect 10. I do wish the game had been a little longer, but I guess I'll wait on pens and needles for the second in the series. Who would have thought a game would translate this well from the comics to the xbox?4 stars (...It's Punishment) - "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.
4 stars (MY FAVORITE VIGILANTE) - 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.
The Punisher Features:
Video Games
Xbox (x box)
Microsoft
Action
Adventure
Xbox
ESRB Rating: M (Mature)
Action/Adventure

The Punisher is the Video Game version. The full version can be purchased by clicking on the "CLICK HERE TO ORDER" button below for around 19.99USD.