The Punisher Preview

Comic book vigilante The Punisher is coming back into the video game scene thanks to Volition and THQ. The comic books have been around for quite some time, and just recently the movie was released. While the movie didn’t follow too closely on the plot of the comic, the game is definitely shaping up to be the comic brought to life. This is for certain, because it’s taken straight from Garth Ennis and Jimmy Palmiotti – the two most famous Punisher writers.

The action genre is taken in a new direction with The Punisher; instead of just running through a room with guns blazing, the game allows you to think and act like The Punisher does in the comics. If you decide just to blow everyone away, there are plenty of realistic weapons to do it with. I got to play with a shotgun, dual uzis, and dual pistols. If you happen to get close to an enemy, however, you are given more options. Pressing X will give you a quick kill where The Punisher will do something a little more creative (or gruesome) than just shoot the guy. Pressing A instead will grab the enemy, giving The Punisher a human shield. From there you can throw him using the left trigger, and if you aim at a ledge or body of water that’s where they’ll fall, or you can drag him to one of many “hotspots.” These hotspots allow you to torture or kill your enemy using objects in the environment. One example of this was using the spinning chambers of a gatling gun to pummel a guy in the face. It can get pretty gruesome, but I guess if you aren’t into that you wouldn’t be a fan of The Punisher anyway.

The Punisher is turning into a great comic adaptation and an excellent action game. There will even be plenty of unlockable content in the final game and an armory where you can collect and upgrade The Punisher’s arsenal. The Punisher was a load of fun to play, and it still has awhile before its release. Get ready for punishment Fall this year.    

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