''The Punisher'' is a 1990

video game Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...

developed by Paragon Software and released by

MicroProse MicroProse is an American video game publisher and video game developer, developer founded by Bill Stealey, Sid Meier, and Andy Hollis in 1982. It developed and published numerous games, including starting the ''Civilization (series), Civilizatio ...

, which stars the

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...

antihero, the Punisher. An unrelated game for

Amiga Amiga is a family of personal computers introduced by Commodore in 1985. The original model is one of a number of mid-1980s computers with 16- or 32-bit processors, 256 KB or more of RAM, mouse-based GUIs, and significantly improved graphi ...

and

Atari ST The Atari ST is a line of personal computers from Atari Corporation and the successor to the Atari 8-bit family. The initial model, the Atari 520ST, had limited release in April–June 1985 and was widely available in July. It was the first pers ...

was released by The Edge also in 1990. In the same year, there was also a third unrelated ''

The Punisher The Punisher (Francis "Frank" Castle, born Castiglione) is an antihero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer Gerry Conway and artists John Romita Sr. and Ross Andru. The Punisher made ...

'' game for

NES The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) is an 8-bit third-generation home video game console produced by Nintendo. It was first released in Japan in 1983 as the commonly known as the The NES, a redesigned version, was released in American ...

, released by

LJN LJN Toys Ltd. was an American toy company and video game publisher based in New York City. Founded in 1970 by Jack Friedman, the company was acquired by MCA Inc. in 1985, sold to Acclaim Entertainment in 1990, and dissolved in 1994. The toy d ...

Gameplay

The DOS version features three different modes of gameplay: driving the Punisher's "Battle Van", walking through NYC's streets and select buildings, and scuba diving. The player takes the role of the Punisher and will try to take revenge upon the organised crime, who has killed Punisher's family. The equipment consists of a knife, several semi-automatic guns, grenades, the Battle Van, and a scuba gear.

Reception

In the issue number 77 of ''

Computer Gaming World ''Computer Gaming World'' (CGW) was an American computer game magazine published between 1981 and 2006. One of the few magazines of the era to survive the video game crash of 1983, it was sold to Ziff Davis in 1993. It expanded greatly through ...

'' (December 1990),

Charles Ardai Charles Ardai (born 1969) is an American entrepreneur, businessperson, and writer of award winning crime fiction and mysteries. He is founder and editor of Hard Case Crime, a line of pulp-style paperback crime novels. He is also an early employe ...

stated that the DOS version of ''The Punisher'' "is wish-fulfillment of the highest order, a ''Death Wish'' revenge fantasy mixed with an honest cry from the gut for justice .. For real New Yorkers dealing with an all-too-real" crime waves, and predicted strong sales in urban areas. He gave the game a qualified recommendation, however, because of flaws including graphics of inconsistent quality, poor controls, bugs, and ineffective, manual-based

copy protection Copy protection, also known as content protection, copy prevention and copy restriction, describes measures to enforce copyright by preventing the reproduction of software, films, music, and other media. Copy protection is most commonly found on ...

. In the issue number 148 of the same magazine, Punisher as in the Paragon Software developed version is mentioned as the fifteenth most memorable hero of all time. In October 1991, ''The Punisher'' was indexed by the

Federal Department for Media Harmful to Young Persons The Federal Department for Media Harmful to Young Persons (german: link=no, Bundesprüfstelle für jugendgefährdende Medien or ''BPjM'') is an upper-level German federal censorship agency subordinate to the Federal Ministry of Family Affair ...

of Germany in a list for games deemed to be a bad influence for younger gamers.

References

External links

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''The Punisher''
at the Hall of Light {{DEFAULTSORT:Punisher, The (1990 video game) 1990 video games Amiga games Atari ST games DOS games MicroProse games Video games based on Punisher Video games developed in the United States Video games set in New York City

Gameplay

Reception

See also

References

External links