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The Punisher (video game)
Encyclopedia
The Marvel Comics
' anti-hero
Punisher
has made several appearances on numerous electronic and gaming platforms.
was produced by LJN Toys in 1990
. The player controls the Punisher character from an over-the-shoulder perspective through various New York City
locations, shooting thugs and battling supervillains as bosses (the final boss was the Kingpin
). The game was also ported to the Game Boy
in 1991
.
produced a Punisher computer game for DOS
and Amiga
that was unique when compared with the NES game, as it featured three different modes of gameplay: driving the Punisher's "Battle Van", walking through NYC's streets and select buildings, and scuba diving.
titled The Punisher was released in 1993
by Capcom
. The game is a side-scrolling beat-'em-up in the vein of Capcom's Final Fight
, where the player can control the Punisher or Nick Fury
on their quest to kill The Kingpin, and would engage on various foes in a hand-to-hand combat, occasionally drawing firearm
s in lieu of melee combat. A single home version was released for the Mega Drive/Sega Genesis in 1994
.
, a violent Punisher action game
exclusively designed for adult players was released by Volition, Inc. Players take control of the vigilante hero to track down criminals and make them pay for their deeds. The game's story is a loose mixture of the 2004 film
, as well as the 2000 mini-series
, Welcome Back, Frank, written by Garth Ennis
and pencilled by Steve Dillon
, wherein the character has no aversion to committing acts of extreme (if not gratuitous) violence. Thomas Jane
, who portrayed the title role in the 2004 Punisher film also provides the voice of The Punisher in the game.
A mobile phone game based on this series was also released.
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
' anti-hero
Anti-hero
In fiction, an antihero is generally considered to be a protagonist whose character is at least in some regards conspicuously contrary to that of the archetypal hero, and is in some instances its antithesis in which the character is generally useless at being a hero or heroine when they're...
Punisher
Punisher
The Punisher is a fictional character, an anti-hero appearing in comic books based in the . Created by writer Gerry Conway and artists John Romita, Sr., and Ross Andru, the character made its first appearance in The Amazing Spider-Man #129 .The Punisher is a vigilante who employs murder,...
has made several appearances on numerous electronic and gaming platforms.
NES
A Punisher game for the Nintendo Entertainment SystemNintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
was produced by LJN Toys in 1990
1990 in video gaming
-Notable releases:*Bonk's Adventure is released for NEC's TurboGrafx-16 and is the first US appearance of Bonk, the mascot of the TurboGrafx-16.*February 12 — Nintendo releases the NES game Super Mario Bros. 3 in North America...
. The player controls the Punisher character from an over-the-shoulder perspective through various New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
locations, shooting thugs and battling supervillains as bosses (the final boss was the Kingpin
Kingpin (comics)
The Kingpin is a fictional character, a supervillain in the . Kingpin is one of the most feared and powerful crime lords in the Marvel Universe. The character is a major adversary of Daredevil, the Punisher, and Spider-Man...
). The game was also ported to the Game Boy
Game Boy
The , is an 8-bit handheld video game device developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on , in North America in , and in Europe on...
in 1991
1991 in video gaming
-Notable releases:*Microprose creates Civilization, Sid Meier's most successful game .*Electronic Arts releases James Pond 2 and Road Rash for Sega Genesis/Mega Drive, starting a series of games that were popular in the 1990s....
.
Computer
Also in 1990, MicroProseMicroProse
MicroProse was a video game publisher and developer, founded by Wild Bill Stealey and Sid Meier in 1982 as Microprose Software. In 1993, the company became a subsidiary of Spectrum HoloByte and has remained a subsidiary or brand name under several other corporations since...
produced a Punisher computer game for DOS
DOS
DOS, short for "Disk Operating System", is an acronym for several closely related operating systems that dominated the IBM PC compatible market between 1981 and 1995, or until about 2000 if one includes the partially DOS-based Microsoft Windows versions 95, 98, and Millennium Edition.Related...
and Amiga
Amiga
The Amiga is a family of personal computers that was sold by Commodore in the 1980s and 1990s. The first model was launched in 1985 as a high-end home computer and became popular for its graphical, audio and multi-tasking abilities...
that was unique when compared with the NES game, as it featured three different modes of gameplay: driving the Punisher's "Battle Van", walking through NYC's streets and select buildings, and scuba diving.
Arcade
A coin-operated arcade gameArcade game
An arcade game is a coin-operated entertainment machine, usually installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars, and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, and merchandisers...
titled The Punisher was released in 1993
1993 in video gaming
-Events:*March — In Sweden, the Swedish video game magazine Super PLAY starts. The original name is Super Power.*Midway Games embroiled in controversy for its game Mortal Kombat from 1992 when the game is launched for video game consoles in 1993....
by Capcom
Capcom
is a Japanese developer and publisher of video games, known for creating multi-million-selling franchises such as Devil May Cry, Chaos Legion, Street Fighter, Mega Man and Resident Evil. Capcom developed and published Bionic Commando, Lost Planet and Dark Void too, but they are less known. Its...
. The game is a side-scrolling beat-'em-up in the vein of Capcom's Final Fight
Final Fight
is a side-scrolling beat-'em-up game originally released by Capcom as a coin-operated video game in . It was the seventh game released by Capcom for their CP System arcade game hardware...
, where the player can control the Punisher or Nick Fury
Nick Fury
Colonel Nicholas Joseph "Nick" Fury is a fictional World War II army hero and present-day super-spy in the Marvel Comics universe. Created by artist Jack Kirby and writer Stan Lee, Fury first appeared in Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos #1 , a World War II combat series that portrayed the...
on their quest to kill The Kingpin, and would engage on various foes in a hand-to-hand combat, occasionally drawing firearm
Firearm
A firearm is a weapon that launches one, or many, projectile at high velocity through confined burning of a propellant. This subsonic burning process is technically known as deflagration, as opposed to supersonic combustion known as a detonation. In older firearms, the propellant was typically...
s in lieu of melee combat. A single home version was released for the Mega Drive/Sega Genesis in 1994
1994 in video gaming
-Events:*Nintendo calls this year "1994: The Year of the Cartridge".*Nintendo Australia Pty. Ltd, the Australian subsidiary of Nintendo Co., Ltd is established and opened by Hiroshi Yamauchi and effectively ends Mattel Australia's distribution of Nintendo's products throughout Australia.*"Project...
.
2005 cross-platform
In 20052005 in video gaming
-Events:*March 6 — The television show 60 Minutes tackles issues within video game controversy. This segment of 60 Minutes has been criticized by video game players for encouraging video game censorship....
, a violent Punisher action game
Action game
Action game is a video game genre that emphasizes physical challenges, including hand–eye coordination and reaction-time. The genre includes diverse subgenres such as fighting games, shooter games, and platform games, which are widely considered the most important action games, though some...
exclusively designed for adult players was released by Volition, Inc. Players take control of the vigilante hero to track down criminals and make them pay for their deeds. The game's story is a loose mixture of the 2004 film
The Punisher (2004 film)
The Punisher is a 2004 American comic book action film, based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name, starring Thomas Jane as the antihero Frank Castle / The Punisher and John Travolta as the villain Howard Saint, a money launderer who orders the death of Castle's entire family...
, as well as the 2000 mini-series
The Punisher (Marvel Knights 2000 series)
The Punisher is a twelve-issue comic book limited series written by Garth Ennis with art by Steve Dillon and published under the Marvel Knights imprint of Marvel Comics...
, Welcome Back, Frank, written by Garth Ennis
Garth Ennis
Garth Ennis is a Northern Irish comics writer, best known for the Vertigo series Preacher with artist Steve Dillon and his successful nine-year run on Marvel Comics' Punisher franchise...
and pencilled by Steve Dillon
Steve Dillon
Steve Dillon is a British comic book artist, from Luton, Bedfordshire, best known for his work with writer Garth Ennis on Hellblazer, Preacher and The Punisher.-Biography:...
, wherein the character has no aversion to committing acts of extreme (if not gratuitous) violence. Thomas Jane
Thomas Jane
Thomas Jane is an American actor known for his roles in the 1999 film Deep Blue Sea, the 2001 TV film 61*, the 2004 film The Punisher and the 2007 Stephen King adaptation The Mist...
, who portrayed the title role in the 2004 Punisher film also provides the voice of The Punisher in the game.
A mobile phone game based on this series was also released.
PlayStation 3
A PlayStation 3 Punisher game was released on July 2, 2009, exclusively for the PlayStation Network.Guest appearances
- The Punisher has a cameo appearance in the 20002000 in video gaming-Events:* May 11–13 — 6th annual Electronic Entertainment Expo ; the 3rd annual Game Critics Awards for the Best of E³* June 26 — International Game Developers Association renamed from Computer Game Developers Association...
ActivisionActivisionActivision is an American publisher, majority owned by French conglomerate Vivendi SA. Its current CEO is Robert Kotick. It was founded on October 1, 1979 and was the world's first independent developer and distributor of video games for gaming consoles...
Spider-Man gameSpider-Man (2000 video game)Spider-Man is an action video game based upon the Marvel Comics character of the same name. It is loosely based on the 1990s Spider-Man: The Animated Series. The game was developed by Neversoft and published by Activision. Released originally for the PlayStation and Nintendo 64 in 2000, the game...
. In the game, the Punisher helps Spider-Man find MysterioMysterioMysterio is the name of three fictional characters, all of which are supervillains and enemies of Spider-Man in the . The original Mysterio was created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko and first appears in Amazing Spider-Man #13, although it was later retconned that the aliens seen in Amazing...
's secret hideout in Warehouse 65. He offers to help, but Spider-Man declines, stating he wants to "keep the body-count low". The Punisher is then seen again in the last scene of the game playing cards with Spider-Man, Captain AmericaCaptain AmericaCaptain America is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Captain America Comics #1 , from Marvel Comics' 1940s predecessor, Timely Comics, and was created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby...
and DaredevilDaredevil (Marvel Comics)Daredevil is a fictional character, a superhero in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Bill Everett, with an unspecified amount of input from Jack Kirby, and first appeared in Daredevil #1 .Living in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood...
. This is slightly humorous, as the Punisher does not usually fraternize with anyone, let alone known superheroes. The Punisher's voice was provided by Daran NorrisDaran NorrisDaran Morrison Nordland , usually credited as Daran Norris, is an American film and television actor and voice artist. Since 1977 he has participated in more than 400 films, video games, and television projects. He is best known as Gordy from Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide, the voice of...
. - The Punisher was mentioned at the beginning of the 2005 multiplatform fighting gameFighting gameFighting game is a video game genre where the player controls an on-screen character and engages in close combat with an opponent. These characters tend to be of equal power and fight matches consisting of several rounds, which take place in an arena. Players must master techniques such as...
Marvel Nemesis: Rise of the ImperfectsMarvel Nemesis: Rise of the ImperfectsMarvel Nemesis: Rise of the Imperfects is a fighting game for the PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube, DS, and PSP, which ties into the "Marvel Nemesis" comic book series.-Gameplay:...
. A reporter mistakenly claims that the Punisher is "missing in actionMissing in actionMissing in action is a casualty Category assigned under the Status of Missing to armed services personnel who are reported missing during active service. They may have been killed, wounded, become a prisoner of war, or deserted. If deceased, neither their remains nor grave can be positively...
". A torn piece of cloth from his trademark "skull" can be seen hanging on a post over a large chaingun in the cinematic opening.
External links
- The Punisher videogames at Punisher.com
- The Punisher A-Z:PUNISHER VIDEO GAMES at UGOUGOUGO Entertainment, Inc. is a website providing coverage of online media in entertainment targeting males age 18–34. The company is currently based in New York, New York, United States. On July 24, 2007 it was announced that Hearst Corporation would acquire UGO Entertainment...