The Punisher (Game Boy)
The ad is for the 1991 release ‘The Punisher: The Ultimate Payback’ for the Game Boy. This is a port of an NES game simply titled ‘The Punisher’ that was released in 1990. It is a rail shooter which is a pretty unique genre for the NES and Game Boy. The Game Boy port has some differences from the NES version, including the advertised appearance by Spider-Man.
The Punisher is a violent character and it shows in this game. It is one of the more violent games on the NES and Game Boy. Generally speaking, it got fairly good reviews so I imagine it’s just a matter of whether you like this genre or not. I was never terribly fond of this type of shooter anyway and without some sort of light gun it loses most of its appeal to me.
Oddly, they changed The Punisher’s back story for the game. In the comics he was a former U.S. Marine who served in the Vietnam War. In the game, he is a former detective instead.
From the ad:
“Crime. The stench is everywhere. But now Jigsaw and his band of drug lords will be taught a lesson in justice – Punisher-style!
There’s nowhere for them to hide. Packing his M60 machine gun, nitro-charged grenades and heat-seeking rockets, The Punisher will hunt them down from the urban New York jungle to the voodoo-infested wilds of South America… destroying everything evil in his sight! With Spider-Man at his side, hundreds of enemies will be given the ULTIMATE PAYBACK!”
