Postal 2
Released April 2003
Developer: Running With Scissors
Publisher: Whiptail InteractiveGameplayAs I mentioned before, I'm not going to give away all the goods on exactly what happens during gameplay, as it would ruin the game for you. I do want to give you a few tidbits, just to give you an idea as to what this game is all about.Monday's errands are pretty simple, and it's a good thing. You don't get the higher-end weaponry, but you really don't need it, either. Monday gets you accustomed to the controls, how to deal with the public, the police, etc. Don't worry, you'll make enemies, and you'll meet Vince, head of RWS. It's a hoot, and you'll find that the RWS guys become your allies, albeit not very helpful ones throughout the week.The game starts out, as it does every day, with you at your godforsaken trailer on the outskirts of town. Nothing like your naggy, whiny wife's shreaking voice to start a shitful week! Not only that, but your dog hates you, and there's a bunch of freakazoids out there in town that you can bearly stomach.

You go on your way, running and walking through town, going from errand to errand. Each time you complete an errand, you are returned to your map, where your errand list is updated. Nice, simply way of keeping track of everything.One thing many people will find annoying: the relentless load times between level transitions. When you are walking from one part of the city to another, you inevitably need to go through 'load zones', designated by yellow signs. These are the areas that take you from one level to another, and require a load from disk or memory. Even though I have a gig of ram and a 2.4 mhz Pentium 4 w/533 FSB, the load times were initially annoying to me. After playing a while, though, I got used to them.Another thing about the load zones is that if someone's chasing you, you can instantly escape them simply by going through a load zone. They don't follow. I would have preferred that the hate groups could/would follow you through and keep that continuity in the game.Finally, each time you transition between load zones, or start a day, the game will (if you leave it at the default setting) auto save for you. I encourage first time players to leave this setting alone - you'll need it. You can also 'fast save' at any time by hitting F5 (fast load is F8). There are also slots where you can save into slots. I recommend you do an additional save to the start of each day here, as the game does not just 'let' you back in to replay any day on demand once you've completed the week. Remember: when you die, you are taken back to your most recent save point.After some errands are completed (and sometimes just within the game), you are presented with some machinima which is integral to the storyline, and you will find yourself extending your daily work, either trying to escape a disaster, power down some new hate group, or some other curve ball that you need to drive to deep center field. The cinematics are very good, and you'll enjoy the sequences that RWS has in store for you.

As you complete Monday and Tuesday, you find that the difficulty level increases as you go. One thing to keep in mind as you play on: try to think about what you're doing before you do it. This isn't UT, so just trying to go to town with your arsenal of weapons isn't going to get you through the game. You need to be more tactical about things, plot out strategies and try to execute them.You will find yourself in a couple of puzzling situations in the game. Don't give up - you'll find your way through the levels. I didn't find any of the strategic elements of the game to be too difficult, even for the a novice player. It's obvious that RWS gave the strategic element of the game a lot of careful thought.As for combat situations (and you'll have ample opportunity on both a small and a large scale), they too require ample time to consider your options and formulate a plan of action. After all, it's basically you against the baddies, and they are freaks. The opponent AI left me wanting, but they are in such good supply that you'll still likely find yourself surviving some of the challenges with only single digit health. Think before acting, unlike your not-too-bright neighbors.