The Punisher: No Mercy

The Punisher is a strange beast. One of Marvel's most enigmatic characters, his methods are the antithesis to the traditional superhero's: swearing to avenge his murdered family by destroying evil wherever may lurk, he has no hang-ups in using kidnapping, torture and execution to get the job done. Remorseless, relentless and unwavering in his quest, he's constantly at odds with more ‘noble' heroes, and his story arcs are as dark as his methods, featuring such subject matter as sexual slavery, child abduction and white supremacy. Having exterminated thousands of criminals over the course of his career, you'd expect a game featuring the iconic character to exploit this rich fountain of backstory...

Which makes it all the more surprising to find out that The Punisher: No Mercy is a first-person fragfest with an emphasis on multiplayer akin to the Quake series; ability-enhancing powerups and announcers included. There are numerous game variations, each involving you racking up your score by killing as many opponents as you can. Using preselected weapons chosen before matches and between respawns, control is solid, if a little cumbersome, and pulling off kills is satisfying. Doing well to any degree online is a challenge though, as every match seems to haemorrhage with lag, making proceedings far more hit-and-miss than they ought to be.

Things run more smoothly offline, and it's here where most of the fun the title has to offer can be found. The Story mode forms the bulk of the offline experience, and can be played with either one player or two co-operatively, although the ‘Story' only offers to serve as justification for the forthcoming match's location and combatants, much like Unreal Tournament III. The motion comics loading screens providing the narrative are the most intriguing parts of the title, the Mike Deodato-drawn panels being as captive onscreen as they would be on paper, with uncensored expletives helping to capture the mood of the comics perfectly. However, the characters don't quite sound as you'd like them to, The Punisher himself in particular. His voice should be hate-filled, weary after years of his endless, restless pursuit: instead it just sounds like he's lost his voice. They'll keep you interested though, even if the climax is somewhat of a gyp.

The offline bots are a hell of a lot easier to dispatch than online opponents, not just because you can actually hit them, but also because they're not very bright. These guys will make a beeline for you no matter which weapon you're wielding. It's good fun mowing them all down, but those looking for something a bit more challenging may find this a walk in the blood-stained park. It's obvious the developers know they're subject matter, as there's more than few references to the comics in almost all aspects of the game. The good selection of avatars features characters ranging from classic Marvel figures to more recent Max creations, unlockable costumes make reference to several Punisher story arcs, and character-specific dialogue mentioning Captain America and other media are entertaining to hear, even if they do start to grate after the umpteenth time of them being said.

The Punisher: No Mercy is a solid little actioner, making up for its lack of originality with capable shooting, suitably bleak ambience and large amount of fan service. However, what this title needed to elevate it to must-buy status was a single-player storyline to rival those of the comics, one that made you feel the hatred of the title character on his unending path of vengeance. Failing to deliver on that count, the wait for an excellent Punisher title continues.