The Punisher (NES) - Basic deathless strategies - Part 1

[MuscleManDaniel]

wow!!! they should have made more nintendo games like these! Nintendo made some of the best games. This would be cool with robocop.

[Tzunoy13]

ooh back in the day i mastered this game and beat the last boss with 22 lives remaining and i don't remember if i died once then but the game was addictive.

[rang3r34]

Looks cool for an Ljn game I gotta admit!

[Johnlindsey289]

@rang3r34

One of their only decent ones but the worst one was X-Men for NES don't you think? i enjoyed this one since i was 9.

[rang3r34]

@Johnlindsey289 Never played the X-Men Ljn game. Looked crappy from vids I've seen on YT. I just picked this one up for 3 dollars and it's pretty enjoyable!

[MuscleManDaniel]

@rang3r34 depends on you definition of crappy. If you are good enolugh to beat the game without cheating then you can say that. I actually find that game to be quite fun and challening. Especially when you finally find the bosses. It had a nice range of characters you can switch around from and a good classic selection of bosses and chalenges in the game. One of the frustrating ones was spierman sinister six.

[rang3r34]

@MuscleManDaniel I'll give it chance if you say so. Maybe I will like it!

[MuscleManDaniel]

@rang3r34 If you like or grew up with NES you should like it. I never played it to be honest just admiring the preview lol. I can recommend a ton of good games though

[MuscleManDaniel]

@rang3r34 If you loved x-men old school style and super fun games you can lost in you'l love it. forget the graphics and try to get obsorbed into the simplicty of the game. then pretend you are living back then and this was all there is.... the suspense of the bosses is killer....if you can get to them

[MoKillaGorilla]

is this game compatible with the Zapper?

[dnee]

wow how you could kill hitman that fast???

[NanosoftRussia]

I remember that I played this game. My grandfather said that "put sound off, my ear s hurts when you shoot". Now he is dead :( (not because of the game)

[bubbaXzone]

i was scared of this game :(

[TypicalJoe1900]

Why does this game get so many bad reviews? I loved it when I was a kid, and still do, and 20 years later I still haven't found anything not to like about it. Great Dynamite Duke-type of game.

[pornokrat]

@TypicalJoe1900 Probably because of:

1) Such view wasn't typical for NES;

2) Repeatative levels;

3) Frustrating gameplay.

P.s. But I don't think this game was bad. Especially compared to real bad Marvel games.

[IamAdamWafer]

I thought the music was kinda cool.

[Generations1st]

LMFAO @ 5:42 you just stand there... no challenge at all xD

[papifolks]

MAN this game was the SHIT!!!! Man this game was so damn cold my MOMMA was always playing it and she was the FIRST in the household to beat this game, lmao.

[zeosilvertooth123]

@papifolks Yours too! My mom played this more than me!

[probeinmypants]

ahh the memories

[kornozzyc4]

what a classic!

[MaijinMando]

This game is excellent!

[hkrivell]

If you could play this with the Nintendo Zapper, it would be worth it.

[Vechz]

Considering that it's LJN, and that the usual for them is a self collapsing vortex of fail, AIDs, frustration, and broken gameplay all in one... it doesn't look so bad. At least I would venture to say that's it's actually a game, and that it's playable.

[MoKillaGorilla]

@Vechz AVGN!

[Symphonia30]

Right no music in the game, real entertaining

[frankenmuth1]

i find it ironic and kinda stupid that you have to waste precious ammo to get more ammo isn't that a little counter productive.

[OCPrunsthecops]

like the saying goes "spend money to make money"

[LiveForMyMoment]

Where is the Jigsaw Fight ? Could not find it in this one :/

BTW I'm pretty disappointed about this version.

To my great surprise, The GB version looks one billion times more fun than this one !

I will take a short and fun experience over a longer and boring one any day of the year !

[DTysonator]

The fight with Jigsaw might have puzzled you, because it's very brief. It can be found it at the 5:36 mark.

Yeah, the NES version is definitely a lot more repetitive and slower paced, compared to the Game Boy version.

They can both be fun in their own ways, but maybe that's just because I'm a freak :).

[LiveForMyMoment]

Yeah you're surely a freak mr joker :p

Why so serious ?

You're just living your passion deeply and strongly and that's exactly how I am about anything (music, video games etc) .

I love thinking a lot about a game i m currently playing or I m gonna buy and play an awful lot.

For instance I can't stop thinking about the GB version of Punisher (I won t buy it till I get it with the original box and manual and nobody is selling it with them right now over the web sadly :( )

[DTysonator]

Yeah, I can be pretty intense and definitely know how to get my game face on! Living in the moment, or for the moment, is the key :).

I hear ya. Game Boy games are tough to find complete in box. Actually, there were a couple of eBay auctions for a brand new copy of the GB Punisher, but they ended in the $60+ range!

I was happy when I spotted a loose copy at a local game shop, but yeah owning the box and manual would definitely be sweet!

[AvEryBadApPLe]

dynamite duke meets the punisher. however, great in it's time. the punisher arcade game was and still is, the coolest.

[DTysonator]

I still have yet to play the arcade game, AvEryBadApPLe, but did try its port, the Sega Genesis version.

They seem to be very similar, but I prefer the NES game overall, despite its repetitive nature. It should have been cut in half with one round per level, followed by the boss battle.

The Game Boy game on the other hand is quite intense, but much too short.

The beat 'em up genre has been overdone, so that is probably why I don't appreciate the Arcade-like Punisher as much.

[AvEryBadApPLe]

i hear ya. some beat 'em ups were lame. i still would've settled on the arcade version being included with one of those capcom collections. capcom always made pretty solid games.

[DTysonator]

Yeah, I don't see why Capcom can't include The Punihser arcade game in their capcom classics series.

It might not have had enough of a following, or Capcom simply did not want to have to pay Marvel for the rights to the game.

The latter reason is more likely, seeing as how none of the Marvel vs Capcom games have been included in the compilation series either.

[AvEryBadApPLe]

before those 3 wolverine and spider-man movies came out, it seemed like marvel was giving the rights away for a nickel. as for capcom, aliens vs. predator and even cadillacs and dinosaurs, didn't get put on any of the compilations either.

[DTysonator]

Hmm, I wonder what Capcom is waiting for in that case...

[LiveForMyMoment]

hey daniel which one do you prefer, the NES version or the Game Boy one ?

[DTysonator]

That's a punishing question, Phil! :)

Hmm, I prefer the boss battles from the NES version, but the gameplay has a much better flow in the Game Boy version.

The NES game holds a special place in my heart, as it's what got me interested in the Punisher in the first place.

I had never heard of the character prior to playing this game for my first time in June of 1995 via rental.

I remember first reading a review of the game in a 1991 issue of Gamepro magazine...

[LiveForMyMoment]

So do we agree you enjoy both version while you prefer the NES over the GB because it's still relatively new to you and definitively too short ?

And since I'm like you overanalyzing every single thing about a game that appeals to me or/and could play in the future , how would you rate both versions out of 10 ?

[DTysonator]

Yep, I definitely enjoy both games. The NES will stay at the top most likely.

I give the NES version a 7/10, losing points for being way too long and repetitive.

The Game Boy version gets a 7/10 as well, since it's too short lol.

Couldn't LJN/Beam Software have found the right balance at 25-30 minutes?

[DTysonator]

...and the game seemed pretty cool! So when I finally spotted it at my local video rental store, I just had to play it.

While I enjoyed the game's action, it would be years until I would play it again and finish it for my first time. That happened in 2001 after I had bought it.

Anyway, the bottom line is, the NES version obviously holds greater sentimental value. I am also still too new to the Game Boy version to put it over just yet, LiveForMyMoment .

[LiveForMyMoment]

Hey man don't take it badly, I was just giving my feel after watching those videos of yours about both, you're the one who can talk the most about them so I won't criticize it, you have real detailed points about both of them.

Do you plan on replaying the GB version at some point in the future ?

That would be pretty cool of you !

I guess I'm more accustomed to seeing only the target icon on this kind of game not the character itself.

We do agree Jigsaw looks more faithful to the

[DTysonator]

Take it badly? lol I wasn't even upset or anything :).

Yes, I will be playing the GB version again, but this time on an actual original Game Boy and not the Super Game Boy.

While I obviously won't be able to record any game footage this way, I just want to prove that I can finish the game as it was originally intended to be played.

I have two challenges in mind:

1-Without dying, 100% accuracy

2-No items

The latter is probably asking for a bit too much, but I'll give it a shot!

[LiveForMyMoment]

comics in the GB One.

I've seen your fight with him on the "boss game genie" thingy and that was the most intense one it seems (and varied).

It was just odd he was taller than the punisher himself and his face is pretty odd looking in this version.

He looks like wearing a wig.

I appreciate the fact you can punch/kick him and he is using a knife and his fists when he is the closest to you.

[stephensamperi]

you dont use a zapper for this right? just the controller?

[DTysonator]

Yep, that is correct, stephensamperi, this game was not designed to be played with a Nintendo Zapper.

However, having to play The Punisher with a controller is not really a form of punishment. The cross hair moves across the screen at a pretty quick pace.

In games like Lethal Enforcers for the Sega Genesis, it's a lot harder to take out enemies using a controller. The player is also unable to dodge enemy fire in that game, making things a lot more complicated, compared to The Punisher.

[stephensamperi]

thanks for the tip.

i just bought this game...for like $3.75!! ouch!! but thats ok it came with some other games that are usually much more expensive.

[DTysonator]

You're welcome, stephensamperi and I'm glad that you picked up this game! I hope that you finish it, if you plan on doing so. :)

$3.75 ain't that bad actually! I paid over $15 for it back in 2001 lol! To be fair, it was a complete copy.

[truboricua]

i hope they make another Punisher game (that new one on PSN looks stupid, another generic FPS deathmatch game). The one from Volition was awesome.

[Silks]

geezus, you have another vid up of an old NES game I loved. I approve *thumbs up*

[vampirehunterx23]

new punisher game for ps3 comeing soon i hear download off psn can't wait!

[dnaslinky369]

dude ur amazing at this game!

[DTysonator]

Thank you for the compliment, dnaslinky369! :)

I played this game quite a bit at one point, so a lot of it came down to memorization. Anyone could do the same if he or she put in the time.

[weedsmoke86]

I used to love this game even though I never beat it. I'll never forget that intro music in this game.

[alisaperiodista]

the punisher never kill jigsaw in the comic

[LiveForMyMoment]

and thankfully so.

If he did that would mean he had kill every single nemesis he ever faced.

Jigsaw is the only recurring villain in his Universe (well Russian is but he was created pretty recently).

[RPZ975XL]

I used to shoot the saxophone player

[rodryjess]

i like the bosses XP

[theexplodedrage]

i remember i could finish this game when i was a kid ,but now i died in 2nd level haha

[MegaSpiderMan]

This was a really good game for it's time.

[Ryannyo]

State of the art.

[chaseman94]

F.Y.I. it was never released for snes. would've been nice if it were.

[shincyriades]

That was the arcade game which was released for SNES, not this version, but I appreciate the help :)

[chrisjunkie708]

U R A MAD MAN SIR

[DTysonator]

lol yeah, I tried to represent Frank Castle the best way that I could, chrisjunkie708, thank you for noticing!

[Maximum549]

Hard to believe the punisher has his own game, but here it is.

[DTysonator]

It's actually a good game, Maximum549, just not very well known.

[DTysonator]

Nintendo did release some rather violent games. NARC also comes to mind and a couple of cinematic scenes from Ninja Gaiden II The Dark Sword of Chaos are quite graphic, and show blood.

I guess that it tried to appeal to all age groups at a time when games had no ratings.

[DTysonator]

lol yeah the supergun is definitely awesome and one of the game's best kept secrets. Those newspapers want you to believe that entering the Bonus Areas is ideal, when it really isn't. It is fun to waste Jigsaw like that and I'm glad that you feel the same way! He can be pretty annoying to fight up close, no?

The Punisher handed me my ass when I first played it, but with practice everything eventually came together. I played this a lot lol :)

[gguirao]

I always used to kill the blues player when I played this.

[DTysonator]

Well, his music does blow, gguirao, and so many people just feel like blowing him away. It's funny how the programmers have his music die off as he dies. I mean, can a saxophonist be so dedicated and out of touch with reality, as to attempt to play the instrument after having been shot!?

The dude must have a serious death wish to pick the most hazardous spots to play his music. Either that or he figures that his music might help to punish baddies for their crimes lol.

[Webins]

Well, techincally not "deathless", since it seems that it's bee edited.

Still, nice to see thegame played out. It was a difficult game for me.

[DTysonator]

Actually I do have the entire deathless play through on video, Webins, I just figured that no one would be interested in watching an hour long play through, as the game is very repetitive and so I decided to put together highlights of that play through instead.

[DTysonator]

The highlight package is much more convenient to watch. The Punisher is way too long of a game. It should have been no more than thirty minutes or so. I still think that it's the best first/third person shoot 'em up on the NES though.

[Webins]

I understand.

It was an unusual game for the time, and I recall finding it hard to master.

The Amiga version is the same control, though better graphics.

But like I said, I found it very difficult.

[DTysonator]

Cool. I have never played or heard of the Amiga version before, Webins, but it sounds interesting, so maybe I'll check it out!

As for the NES version it can really be difficult depending on whether the player chooses to enter the Bonus Rounds or not.

[DTysonator]

You probably noticed in the highlight package that I did not make Frank Castle enter these areas and there is a specific reason for this. When entering a Bonus Round, The Punisher will be unable to finish off the level with a 100% shooting accuracy. This seems to be a penalty for stocking up on bonus ammunition and the like, which is really pathetic if you ask me. Without 100% shooting accuracy, the supergun will not be rewarded and it makes the game so much easier.