Postal 2
Released April 2003
Developer: Running With Scissors
Publisher: Whiptail InteractiveOverallNow, I'm not going to tell you that Postal 2 is a great game. It's not. There are just too many problems with it. If it's not NPCs running into a wall or another NPC (and they keep running), or somebody falling into a wall (both old Unreal-engine bugs), it's something else, like how lame the NPCs are when it comes to combat AI, or how limited the interaction with the environment is. That being said...
Postal 2 is a lot of fun. Period. It's not a revolutionary game, by any means, but if you have tired of the 'same 'ol, same 'ol', this game is a breath of fresh air. It manages to create a gaming environment that is funny as hell (love some of those NPC animations), dangerous (fire is THE enemy), and shocking. There's really nothing quite like it out there. Toss a cat at a dog. Set an elephant on fire. Check out that spurting blood from your most recent decapitation. You'll see.Did I mention that this game is violent? Oh, sure, you can be relatively peaceful, lashing out only when your survival depends on it. RWS has a strong belief that violence belongs in video games, not in real life. Good thing, as taking a shovel to the heads of several dozen mall visitors will leave you in a dull stupor, surely longing for some malt liquor, like 3/4 of the residents of Paradise. In a nutshell, this game is *not* for young children. You have been warned.You should get a good 14 hours or so of quality gameplay out of Postal 2, then some more when you go back and try stuff you were afraid to try during your first time through. For instance, if you make it through the game without getting caught by the police, get yourself caught the next time. Impersonate a police officer. Blow up some displays at the mall (ATFRUs is a particular favorite). Pee on things. Have some fun, for crying out loud. The sky's the limit with Postal 2, and with the promised upcoming online multiplayer mod, it's a good gaming purchase. At the very worst, it'll do for you what it did for me: break up the sheer monotony of the "same 'ol, same 'ol."Update: 6:00 PM, QAPete - the folks at RWS were wondering if we had a numeric rating to go along with the review. We don't normally do that, but this is anything but your normal game, so what the hell. Let's give it a 7.5/10. There. I feel better already!
If you're still not sure about Postal 2, why not go ahead and download the free demo, which will give you the basic idea? 123 mb, four download mirrors, no waiting!As an added feature to this already too-long review (grin), I've compiled a list of the cheat codes for Postal 2 on the next page. So, if you don't want 'em, don't look at 'em, but if you need 'em, here 'ya go!