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Developed and published by Capcom in 1993 Follow me on Twitter: Add me on Google : Released in 1993, The Punisher is a side-scrolling beat 'em up featuring the Marvel comic book character. The game remains one of my principal inspirations for the starting this channel in the first place and also has the honour of being the game that inspired me (somewhat foolishly), to pay £130 for an X-Arcade stick just to play it with! Despite recording two separate longplays in the past, I wasn't happy with either video thanks to low resolution/encoding quality, so I was happy to dust the game off to record it for, what I hope, is the definitive version! The game sees The Punisher continuing his quest for vengeance against the mob, before switching his attention to super-villain, Kingpin. The game is an out and out brawl-fest set across six levels of side-scrolling action where one player controls Punisher and a second player takes control of agent, Nick Fury. The game's combat is tremendously satisfying and is probably the best of any game in the genre that I've played. Tapping the attack button unleashes a flurry of punches and kicks that can be chained together to form devastating combinations that send enemies flying across the screen. Fleshing out the move roster are grapples, throws and pile-drivers, as well as a number of evasive/defensive moves. This is a game that keeps you constantly on your toes thanks to the large number of foes on screen, all of which will attack you from all angles. One of the great things about the game's fighting mechanics is it's perfectly possible to chain together some punches on enemies in front of you, before switching directions and continuing the combo chain on enemies approaching from behind. Similarly, it's possible to grab an enemy and change the direction you intend to throw them right up until the final moment. The Punisher fists are deadly weapons in their own right, but there's an entire arsenal of weapons to pick up and use against your foes. Such implements of pain include baseball bats, knives, katanas, battle axes and number of firearms. On the subject of firearms, the game will change things up periodically by throwing waves of gun-toting goons in the Punisher's way. Whenever faced by gun-wielding foes, the Punisher whips out a hand-gun that allows him to unleash hot lead as fast as the player can hit the attack button. Any melee enemies on screen can also be shot, so a good tactic is to kill these guys before taking out those packing heat. Although it doesn't feature gallons of gore like Mortal Kombat, there is a surprisingly dark under-tone to the game (in keeping with the actual comic book character). Following the defeat of the first boss, the Punisher shoots him in the face once he's finished interrogating him, rather than letting him go (or putting him in jail). If I have one complaint, it's that some of the boss fights are rather protracted. The boss droids in particular are quite long-winded, thanks to the fact they will knock the Punisher down if he stands too close to them for too long. Visually, this is one of the best-looking arcade games from the early 90's. All of the sprites are highly detailed and boast impressively fluid animations - even today, the game looks absolutely stunning. The audio, too, is equally impressive. Capcom's CPS hardware truly raised the bar in terms of music and sound effects found in a lot of arcade games and still sound fantastic today. Every punch and kick connects with a satisfying crunch, sure to make every player cackle with glee as they bring justice to each and every hapless thug on-screen. Offering some of the best co-operative (and single player) fighting the genre has to offer, The Punisher remains a great arcade title that I strongly urge you to play, should you get the chance. #retrogaming
