The Punisher (2005) Image
Metascore

Mixed or average reviews - based on 19 Critics What's this?

User Score

Generally favorable reviews- based on 32 Ratings

  • Summary: Driven by a hatred of crime bordering on insanity, Frank Castle became The Punisher, a one-man army whose mission goes far beyond revenge. Taking on the city's high-powered crime lords, he wreaks havoc on the corrupt with methods reserved for those on the wrong side of the law. "The Punisher" video game represents the best of over 30 years of "Punisher" comic books and depicts some of the grittiest storylines in the Marvel Universe. [THQ] Expand
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 19
  2. Negative: 2 out of 19
  1. It's not all brutality. The Punisher is also one of the most immersive strategy games ever created. Aim for the head and enjoy.
  2. Mediocre in many ways, with very little in the way of originality or true substance and with far too linear game play.
  3. The special interrogation is one of the nicest touches in the game.
  4. Quickly repetitive actin, with ultra-violence that soon becomes mundane. [March 2005, p.100]

See all 19 Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 8
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 8
  3. Negative: 0 out of 8
  1. This game is awesome i love it ! it was very very different and it still is ! no other game is like this ! u must play it if u like 3rd person shooter and violence XD it has a good story with nice gameplay and a lot of stuff to do after u finish it Expand
  2. I remember this as my favourite game of the year 2005. I do not read Marvel comics, but since I liked most of Volition's previous work I checked this out. I have played through the game three, maybe four times. It's just so... fun. As games should be. What other games let you dual wield M-60s?
    The excellent levels are probably behind this game's staying power. Straightforward, but also not completely linear. I have noticed new things on every playthrough, and especially the enemy reactions are delightfully varied. The only complaint have is technical: low resolution and muddy colours. This game is also extremely brutal, probably up there with the Manhunt series (which I admit to not having played), and it could have raised quite a fuss had anyone cared.
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  3. Luke
    8
    I really enjoyed this game. I played the demo, and enjoyed it enough to get the full game, and was pleasantly suprised just how much fun i had with it. The graphics are not WOW worthy, especially in light of games like DOOM3 and Halflife2, but they are more than serviceable and occasionally include some nice touches. Character models are fairly decent aswell, with a special mention being the Punisher himself, he looks absolutely perfect. The action is really what it is all about and the game is very good in the multitude of ways it gives you to dispatch of enemies - U will not be left wanting for variety thats for sure. The story isnt too bad aswell and kept me intrigued enough. Sound is decent, with Thomas Jane providing the punishers voice adding that extra feeling of authenticity. The game has boss fights in it which generally werent highlights, but one in particular [recreating the battle between castle and the russian from the movie] is very well done. Gameplay wise the game is like max payne without bullet time, as the reviewers say. But, i enjoyed this game far more than the max payne franchise, i liked the punisher character more and thought the game offered more variety in it then payne. overall, i was decently impressed with what i thought would be a shoddy licenced game. well done Volition. Expand
  4. A fun game with some problems. The graphics are not so good in 2005. But in comparison to other Dx 8.1 using games, it's graphics are good. It's really violent. The gamplay is good and fun to play. Good for stress reduction I think. There are plenty of torture types and all of them are good (and fun). Also, there are many quick kill types. These make the game good and really enjoyable. But there are some problems. Problems which make the game a little worse than it can be. There are some kill cams. These are really lame. Some scenes are lame too. But these are "funny lame" and not affecting the gameplay seriously. But some cripple bossfights are. Some of the bossfights are really bad and makes you angry. Anyway, it's a good game with some little funny cripple things and some irritating bossfights. But it's quite enjoyable. Expand

See all 8 User Reviews