This article originally appeared in Pyramid #30

Pyramid Pick
Screenshot

Postal

Published by Ripcord Games
$49.95

Have you ever had one of those days? You know, the days where you just wanted to put everything aside, grab an AK-47 fully automatic assault rifle, and go on an absolutely insane killing spree? C'mon, you know you have. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is what the computer game Postal is all about.

Many people have thought the premise for the game is sick. Well, it is. But, that's what makes it fun. There's no quest for secret, lost treasure. There's no time-clock ticking away as you try desperately to save the world. There's no alien spaceships or fantastical powers. There's just good old fashioned, psychotic violence - something that our mass media entertainment powers have been bringing us on prime time for years.

The game is presented in a 3-D third-person perspective. You have a bird's-eye view of yourself, in addition to anyone nearby who's trying to kill you. The game is controlled by either the keyboard or the mouse. Postal also allows you to network with up to 15 other players over modem, LAN or the Internet.

You begin the game at your house, as you first decide that people are "sick." Carrying your assault rifle and a few Molotov cocktails, and donning your flannel hunting trenchcoat, you strike out into the world. Of course, you've obviously fired a few shots because the police have already surrounded you. So, you have to shoot your way out, which is what you'd planned on doing already. From there, it only gets better, . . .

This article originally appeared in the second volume of Pyramid. See the current Pyramid website for more information.



Article publication date: May 8, 1998

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