The Punisher
The Punisher is a 1993 beat 'em up arcade game. It stars the Marvel Comics' anti-hero the Punisher and co-stars S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Nick Fury as the second player's character as they embark on a mission to kill…
The Punisher is an arcade developed by Capcom, released 1 July 1993 on PlayStation, Sega Mega Drive/Genesis and Arcade. The main story takes about 1.5 hrs to finish.
What The Punisher is
The Punisher is an arcade game developed by Capcom and released in 1993. It is available on PlayStation, Sega Mega Drive/Genesis and Arcade. It runs on Capcom Play System Dash (CPS-Dash).
The premise, in the publisher's words
In the game's intro, U.S. Marine Captain Frank Castle enjoys a picnic with his family in Central Park. However, Frank's wife and children accidentally witness a mob killing and are murdered as a result. To avenge the death of his family, Frank becomes a vigilante known as the Punisher, who wages a one-man war on crime. The game begins in an illegal casino and the streets of the New York City, with the Punisher (optionally partnered with S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Nick Fury) in pursuit of the Mafia enforcer Bruno Costa, who ordered the killing of the Punisher's family. The chase ends with a fight against Chester Scully (a minor villain from the comics), whom the Punisher "interrogates" until he gets…
How it plays
It is played from a side view perspective. Its themes are action. It supports multiplayer and includes co-op. Local play supports 1 players. Available modes: Co-operative, Single player and Split screen.
Where it sits in the The Punisher series
The Punisher is the fifth of 9 entries we hold in the The Punisher series. It arrived 2 years after The Punisher: The Ultimate Payback!. The next entry was The Punisher in 2004. Its critic score of 50 is 11 points below the series average of 61. The highest-rated entry is Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics at 89.
How it was received
The Punisher holds a critic score of 50 out of 100. That places it above 8% of the 2,164 rated arcade games in our database, which average 70. Games released in 1993 averaged 64, so it scored 14 points below the year average.
How long it takes, and what that costs
The main story runs about 1.5 hrs. Completing everything takes closer to 3 hrs, roughly 2 times the length of the critical path.
What it launched against
The Punisher launched on 1 July 1993, within three weeks of Street Fighter II' Turbo, Super Mario All-Stars, Dust: A Tale of the Wired West and Samurai Shodown. It reviewed better than 1 of the 4.
Released around the same time: Street Fighter II' Turbo, Super Mario All-Stars, Dust: A Tale of the Wired West, Samurai Shodown.
Official trailer
Sourced from the publisher’s YouTube channel.
Screenshots
All media
Quick answers
The Punisher — frequently asked questions
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