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[Skillator]

So I've gone out this luncheon and picked up one of the latest games. No, not mercenaries, though I hear it is supposed to be better. I'm talking about the game that boasts 100 different ways to kill a man.
It was barely ok'd by the USRB.

http://ps2.ign.com/articles/580/580245p1.html?fromint=1

I know plenty of people who aren't down with the Punisher as a character. That's cool. He kills drug dealers so if you've ever dealt drugs you and him aren't going to go for beers any time soon. He's not a nice guy and some people have a problem with the whole anti hero thing. But I couldn't resist the urge to put a drill through a bad guys head, feed his face to pirhanas, or shove him in a furnace. Maybe that makes me weak. Maybe it makes me psychotic.
I haven't had the chance to play it as I'm working but when i do I thought I'd let you know if it's decent. If you've tested it or are interested, share your thoughts.

It's not based on the movie. It's all about comics' Frank Castle.
Can't wait to fight Bullseye!

[St_Zartan]

Friend of mine pre-ordered, scooped up the demo, and brought it around for a test drive a couple of weeks ago. The setting: a museum, where some sort of "rainforest / Aztec mystery" exhibit is going on.

Graphically, I wish that the game was something really special, as opposed to "about what I'd expect". I'm not a graphics whore by any stretch of the imagination, but a game like this isn't exactly banking on its depth or inventive gameplay - it's pretty much a Max Payne-style shooter, with equal parts strategery and twitch gunnin'. I don't like playing this sort of game with a joypad, and yeah, the game chewed me to pieces. I did like the Punisher's V/Os, though.

They tried their level best to make it "edgy" - during the "slaughter mode" or whatever the hell, you run around slicing up baddies with knives, and everything's gone all red-tinged and the voices of his dead family are all moaning in the background or whatever. Point being that Frank's kind of messed up. I thought this was an interesting idea, but sort of cheap and insulting in its implementation: if you want to make a psychological game, it certainly can be done (and done well, c.f. Silent Hill 2), but people are not coming to play the Punisher looking for a character study of an emotionally shattered mass murderer. They want to see Frank mess lots of people up in creative and fluid ways, and they want to feel good about seeing their frustration-borne violence and mutilation fantasies played out because the Bad Guys Had It Coming. The dead family members, then, are not a pivot on which "slaughter mode" or indeed the game turns, but another k3wl effect.

SO: there's these "special interrogations" - in the demo there was one, the old face-in-the-pirahna-tank maneuver, and it was clearly marked. I was really hoping that these little "play with the environment in sadistic ways" bits wouldn't be marked, to reward inventive play. I spent about five minutes in the fuck*ng demo trying to shove some dude's head into a glass case that clearly contained DANGEROUS RAINFOREST INSECTS, but no dice. Apparently the game dodged an "Adults Only" rating by having the interactive torture cut-scenes go to black and white.

It's the sort of game I'd enjoy watching someone else play, for both the "holy shit" and the "backseat gamer" factors. From all reports, it's loaded with comics geek fanservice (Bushwhacker was in the demo, for God's sake) so it's worth a look.

[Bozack]

Yeah, the pirhannas thing is straight from one of the comics. I saw an ad for this in one of my comics. General consensus- rental? Also, what platform is it on?

[Gimpson]

Yeah, the pirhannas thing is straight from one of the comics. I saw an ad for this in one of my comics. General consensus- rental? Also, what platform is it on?

Looks like everything;  PS2, Xbox and PC.  I'll be renting this shortly.  In my short comic book phase Spider Man and Punisher were my two favorites.  

How many instances have there been of game developers toning their games down for the rating board?  I heard some controversy about the latest Postal, but didn't really follow it closely.  Does the ESRB have a rating stronger than Mature, or will they refuse to rate a game at all if it crosses some line?  How does that work?

[andalucia]

Man, killing drug dealers?  What a hell of non super hero.

[CortJstr]

How many instances have there been of game developers toning their games down for the rating board?  I heard some controversy about the latest Postal, but didn't really follow it closely.  Does the ESRB have a rating stronger than Mature, or will they refuse to rate a game at all if it crosses some line?  How does that work?

Way back when there was the original MK with the "sweat." The main issue is that the ratings are voluntary and stores are under no legal obligation to follow them anyway and the industry would like to keep in that way so most developers will do what they can to stay in Mature or below. Because releasing an Adults Only game mass market, especially one based on a comic book, would raise some undesired media attention.

Here's a sort of history of the ratings.

[Gimpson]

Here's a sort of history of the ratings.

Cort, that is a hell of good article.  Thanks for the pointer.  I am exactly what they were talking about at the end of the article...  I was of age by the time they started rating games, so I've paid the system little mind.  Honestly, I'm not sure how I'm going to handle my childrens' gaming habits when/if I have kids.

[Skillator]

So, played a good chunk of it. The Zoo is so far the best part. I mean I got a guy impaled on a rhino's horn!

But the 8 out of 10 on the ign article may have even been generous. I give it a passing grade but really, I figure anything 8 or better is a recommendation to buy that sucker. This one is a renter. It's just max Payne with some added stuff and I hated max payne.

The aiming isn't good, especially for a game that rewards accuracy. The camera angle is frustrating. The graffics are average and it just doesn't seem that original. If I want to kill a guy 100 ways. I don't want the majority of them to be me shooting him in different places.

Overall I give punisher a 6 or so. Rent it... Maybe.

[arkabee]

i saw a commercial for the punisher game last night on my teevee.

um.

er.

well.

[Bozack]

I think the Punisher just kills people who kill other people, right? I mean, in one, he killed those guys who offed a pot dealer because they thought they were following the "Punisher" prototype. I'm pretty sure he plays by Boondock Saints rules- gang lords get it, as do murderers and rapists.
I still think he's an asshole, but he's a good "asshole" character.

[slink]

I've always kind of liked The Punisher, though never really read it much.
The movie put me off the game though. Truly dreadful movie.

[slink]

I thought this was an interesting idea, but sort of cheap and insulting in its implementation: if you want to make a psychological game, it certainly can be done (and done well, c.f. Silent Hill 2), but people are not coming to play the Punisher looking for a character study of an emotionally shattered mass murderer.

I worked for a while, a few years back, on a game idea that I had hoped was going to be filled with great storytelling, as well as those kinds of psychological elements.
Gotterdammerung (subtitled Ragnarok in some terms) was going to be a Half Life TC, created by a bunch of guys I met playing games and modding. It was somewhat based on Leon, in terms of the city atmosphere I was trying to create. Planned parts were to include dreams brought on from the nightmare of losing his family, and evading the cops trying to get revenge on the evil crimelord.
About a year or two later Max Payne came out, doing the dream thing, and the story thing, and most of the plot thing. Oh and it featured a club called Ragnarok.
I happened to roundabout know one of the guys who worked on it too, he'd been a figure in the internet's music scene. I was kind of pissed off, but did enjoy Max Payne in some ways, though it was very limited. Plus, I wasn't finishing Gotterdammerung anyway...

[Skillator]

Sat down and gave it a good solid play this weekend. In fact I did nothing except play Punisher and Katamari Damacy on Sunday. A good balance of light and dark. Anyway, Punisher is not as lame as I'd originally said in fact I'd say it's gone up a great deal in my books.
As you get used to doing what you do and pick up some better guns and meet some cool people, you get into it. It also gets a lot harder. You actually have to plan your assault, draw guys out and very frequently grab a hostage or you're dead.
Punisher doesn't make mistakes. You know why? Cuz if he did he'd be all kinds of dead.
I must admit having the special killzones and interrogation areas clearly labelled does kind of spoil the fun. Like a present that comes unwrapped. But I'm always finding new destructive areas where I can knock shit over on guys of throw them into cool stuff. I also picked up a grenade launcher... Fun.
They add the fact that you get points for doing what you do best. Those points aren't for nothin' y'know... You spend them on scopes for your weapons, body armour, improved accuracy, bigger magazines, and longer frenzy mode... Oh and the one I can't wait for healing for every guy you kill. This motivates you to go back and play levels again, now that you're better and know what you're doing. There are tonnes of cool little bits that make this something more than just Max Payne revisted. I'm really having fun with it and it's definitely upped my opinion of ol' skullchest. Any game that lets me stab guys in the head is good.
It's nowhere on-par with Spiderman 2 (perhaps the greatest experience a comic book fan can ever truly have), but it's prett decent. Rent it... Twice. It's good.