Postal 2

Once considered to be the most violent game in existence.

Postal 2 is one of the most controversial games that has ever been made, mostly due to its explicit violence. People don’t mind if computer games have hundreds of Orks burnt alive, but when you give a flame thrower to a character and allow him to walk the streets, then people kick up a fuss.

The Obvious But Flawed Comparison To GTA

If you have never played or seen Postal 2, then you may think that running around shooting people and burning them is just like one of the later GTA games, but you are very wrong. For example, you could throw a petrol bomb into a crowd and watch them burn and scream. You will then see the scarred and burnt survivors try to crawl away in pain. It is just not the sort of thing you will see in other games.

It’s Raining Fiery Cats

The aim of the game is to get through seven days worth of chores. Every day you have a different set of things to do, and they are all innocent. For example, on the first day you have to pick up milk. You can walk into the shop, wait in the queue, and buy the milk. Or, you can whip out a machine gun, mow down the people in the queue, fight the Korean shop owner with has a shotgun, and take the milk from the shelf. Once you complete the last day of chores, hell breaks loose and it starts raining cats.

The Comedy And Social Commentary Is Clever

If you are a little older, there are quite a few jokes you can appreciate. For example, when you vote, the paper is askew so you cannot really see whom you are voting for. There are terrorists hiding in the caves, and there is a gun that allows you to shoot cats. The local butcher serves human meat, and when you try to get people to sign a petition, they tell you to go away with curse words. One of the bosses has the outline of male genitalia, there is an anti-gaming rally outside the developer of the games office, and one of the movies listed on the movie board for the cinema is “Sperms of Endearment.”

Governments Have Banned This Game

This game doesn’t encourage people to harm others; it is just a way of getting involved with a little mindless violence in a familiar setting. It is a form of fantasy fulfilment, especially when you find people that look like your boss or the guy that bullied you in school. Due to its violent nature, you will not see any kids in this game, but you also see very little sexually explicit content, just a few sexy ladies and guys here and there.

Pros

• Change location and the cops and enemies will leave you alone
• The level of violence is fantastic
• A very varied game that has lots to offer
• The game is littered with clever comedy and cynicism
• It is as easy or as difficult as you make it
• A genuinely innovative open world environment

Cons

• The graphics do not hold up against modern graphics