Cover:
A big, bald bear with his fists stretched towards the skies in agony. Behind him a cinema that currently plays the new Punisher movie. And also the bears eyes bleed.

Page 2: Previously in C&G
New York, home of Frank Castle, better known as the vigilante named "Punisher". He became the Punisher after his family got killed by the mob, after they witness them doing dirty work. Thereafter, he skulks New York for criminals and sometimes even heroes.
Historically, is the Punisher the first anti-hero in the marvel universe, and thus was written mostly as a gritty, brutal and unforgiving character, making him later impossible to exist in the “616”-Universe.
That's why most of his new stories got written for the “MAX” imprint of Marvel, that aims exclusively toward mature readers.
Even though the Punisher was a popular character, his series often got canceled. Another failing were the movies dealing with him. Most people remember the two Punisher movies in the recent five years, but forget the horrible one from the 80's with Dolph Lundgren. So, it isn't surprising to see that there was a Punisher arcade game. The game is a 2D-brawler and was developed by Capcom, who'll go on to make a heap of Marvel games later on.

Page 5: “A Man Named Frank”
It starts in a house were Frank and you beat the shit out of some thugs. As a brawler it's natural to become repetitive, but that is part of the fun. It is mindless and entertaining, and...violent, funny violent. It one scene Frank gets hold of Scully and has him at gun-point. And you'd believe that he lets him go, tch, he shoots him! Witnessing the whole scene is a bus driver, who doesn't seem to find anything wrong with that. And gives the casual and approving thumbs up. Ice cold!

His enemies include: punks, thugs, karate-ka, ninja-women and freakish robot from the 'burbs. Those, of course, carry a variety of weapons, most notably is Arthur's lance from “Ghosts and Ghoul's”. Needless to say, that you can use them once you've picked them up. But all that is seldom needed, since Frank is a powerhouse of its own. He has a limited list of combos, however all of them are nicely animated. So, it's not as bad as in other brawlers. An odd thing is that an animation sequence is only available in the japanese version. When you hit an enemy with up, down and button 1, you make a half-roundhouse kick which sets the enemy ablaze in a blue flame. Why was that cut out?

It's not crucial and I realize how trivial to even write about it, but it interests me. Mostly, because there is a flame animation already in the game, next to sprites dedicated for a nice blood effect.
The story is merely present and acts as a frame, in order to let you fight against villains from The Punisher's rogue gallery. The important and most recognizable is the Kingpin. As the end boss he's a tough motherfucker, and I mean it. He casually slaps, blows and shoots at you while his goons laugh at you. If you want to know why kids want to be criminals you just have to look at the Kingpin. The other bosses aren't that hard or even worth mentioning. Much like the levels, which are all mediocre and nothing mind blowing, but look good with some nice details.
The multiplayer mode lets player two play Nick Fury, who isn't that special. He has a slightly different attack palette and dialogue, but that's about it. Nonetheless, the game is with six stages a very short but somewhat enjoyable and odd gaming experience.

Page 23: Ads

Overall, the game exceeded my expectation, since it depicts the Punisher like you'd now from the comics. A tough and unforgiving character with mean lines. And when you like that version of the Punisher than I advise you to pick up the comic, instead of the game. Why? The only appealing aspect to this is that it is a Punisher game, and I'm responding to it with the comic fan part of my brain. The game doesn't have any notable features or historical significance in game history. It's basically just another 2D-brawler. Then there's the fact, that the only port was for the Sega Mega Drive, which probably most people don't posses.
While his comic version celebrates his comeback into the “616”-universe with a new series called “Punisher: Dark Reign”. The book deals with the repercussion of the “Secret Invasion” event, where Norman Osborn slowly usurps over the american government. The Punisher reacts and starts a guerilla war against Osborn and his goons. The book is very new-reader friendly and accosts on many different levels, while the game is only one of those curiosities that nobody really needs. So, if you're enjoying the character and look for something with him in it, then I can only recommend the comic.


So, that was the first issue...puuh! See ya next week!
(Feedback appreciated!)