Marvel characters always seem to be a popular choice for games, and why not thanks to their already huge comic book based following that will more than likely jump at the chance to play as their heroes in a videogame. So now it is the Punishers turn to grace our systems in the PSN exclusive Punisher: No Mercy but for the measly price of £6.29 can we really expect this game to blow us away?

 

Built using the Unreal 3 engine, Punisher: No Mercy is a no thrills First Person Shooter and there is no doubt that it’s the multiplayer mode that the developer would like people to concentrate on, which is evident by the fact that this option appears above the single player mode in the main menu (now that’s a first).

 

 

The single player mode isn’t exactly a long one, not only that but the story is very hard to follow and to be honest I’m still none the wiser after quite a few hours of playing. The story is told in between the levels using comic book style art accompanied by voiceovers, though without an understanding of the comics you will probably be as lost as I was. The action itself is basically you versus bots in various gameplay modes, therefore to proceed all you need to do is meet the specific goal for that chapter, which usually consists of fending off wave after wave of enemy or trying to kill a set number of enemies to win the match. Since in most cases you can respawn when you are killed, this is generally a simple task.

 

It really won’t take you very long to get past the single player mode in fact if it wasn’t for the fact that it allows you to unlock new characters and weapons you would be as well just skipping it and moving straight on to the multiplayer mode.

 

Punisher: No Mercy does include a co-op mode, though to be honest it does seem slightly pointless given the lack of levels to play through and the fact there is no real incentive here. Unless you are desperate for a little gaming with someone by your side, this mode is something that you will no doubt overlook.

 

Online things are at least a little mode exciting, here there are various game types you can partake in such as Punish the Punisher, Vigilante, Team Deathmatch and Elimination, however no matter what mode you play it’s fair to say that online this game is just sheer no thrills action with big guns and a lot of bullets. To be honest I was surprised at how much I enjoyed playing online, after all this is a game that is not very punishing on the pocket so it was never going to be groundbreaking, but there was just something about running around the well designed maps eliminating everyone in sight that appealed to me.

 

The action online is just sheer in your face out and out chaos, everywhere on the map there are people running around like headless chickens trying to find someone to kill and sure there are some flaws like having to press up on the D-Pad to speak, however with four game modes to play, eight maps, online leaderboards and also an option for future tournaments, this game certainly offers plenty of value to those looking to get their multiplayer fix for cheap.

 

 

Graphically it’s hard to complain about the game, the environments are very passable and are complimented by the level of interaction, such as the exploding barrels which when taken out at the right time can kill opponents with a bang. Perhaps the most annoying part of the game online is the sound, with each character saying rather bizarre one liners with regular frequency (such as” it’s time to punish the punisher”), there is no doubt you will be sick of this by the end of the match.

 

Punisher: No Mercy is never going to win game of the year that’s for sure, however for those on a budget looking for a quick online fix, this title is perfect thanks to its no thrills multiplayer action. At just over six British pounds for this game you were never going to get a masterpiece, however as a cheap imitation this really isn’t that bad.