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News: Tom Morello stars in Guitar Hero III
Activision has announced that Tom Morello, from Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave, will guest star as a boss character in Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock. Click here to read the article.
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The Punisher
Waiter, there's a Max Payne in my Punisher. The comparisons are obvious, so let's get them out of the way. Playing through The Punisher will remind many gamers of another game by the name of Max Payne. Similar action and gameplay are noticeable, but where The Punisher shines and differentiates itself from other 3rd person action titles currently on the market is the incredibly addictive interrogations.
If you want to get some info out of an enemy then you have to make them. How, you ask? How about dangling them out of a window or punching them so many times they're starting to see their dead relatives at the end of a long, brightly-lit tunnel. They don't want to comply? Well then you decide if you want to let them live or end their sorry excuse of a life. After all, who's going to miss a scumbag drug dealer?
Another great feature consists of The Punisher going postal while the screen turns to a grayish, dream-like color. The action on screen goes into slow-motion while The Punisher goes on an all-out killing spree; all the while bullets simply bounce off him like a rubber ball bouncing off a wall. Think of it as "Hulking Out" for lack of a better example. The feature is very useful when you are being cornered by many enemies.
The Punisher is a pretty straight-forward action game. Get from point A to point B without dying. Rinse and repeat. What makes the game enjoyable as I already mentioned, is the interrogations. What also makes the game enjoyable are the weapons at your disposal. Grenade launchers, flame-throwers, machine guns and much more make for some great action moments filled with over-the-top violence. This is after all rated M for Mature, and boy did this game earn that rating!
Visually, The Punisher suffers from being a multi-console release. The power of the Xbox was not put to good use. Don't get me wrong though, the game isn't ugly. The cut-scenes are very well done in high quality CGI and help move the story along. I would have liked some more variety when it came to enemies though, along with better animations. Some higher quality textures would have been nice. How about some sweet, sweet bump-mapping?
What drives the sound quality of the game is the incredible voice-acting done by none other than Thomas Jane, the actor who played The Punisher on the big-screen. His gritty, low voice will send tingles down your spine. The in-game soundtrack consists of orchestrated music that sets the mood appropriately. Sound effects consist of guns blazing and thugs screaming.
Overall, The Punisher is a fun game with great action and unique gameplay features, coupled with average visuals and exquisite voice acting. Definitely worth a purchase if you're looking for a new 3rd person action game.
Report Card:
Gameplay = 8
Graphics = 7
Audio = 8.5
Replay Value = 7
Overall: 8/10
Click here for The Punisher website!
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