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The limits placed on games by censors when it comes to language, sexuality, violence, and gore have been pushed a little farther back with the release of Postal 2. Many individuals and groups have gotten upset by the violent and unsuitable content in games these days. Many reviewers have felt pressured by these groups and the media outcry against such games to give “strictly factual” reviews. Reviewers are finding problems within games such as these to shine spotlights on them while downplaying all good aspects of the game. The names of the reviewers and the companies they work for will not be listed here, but I do feel that justice needs to be done by Postal 2. The opinions written in this review are the sole opinions of the reviewer and are not shared by GamersWanted as a whole. If you are easily offended or already have an unwaveringly unfavorable opinion of the content within Postal 2, I would suggest you read my recently released Spirits and Spells review which should be acceptable for all readers.

Now that that is done, let’s get down to the real review.

Postal 2 takes place in the small desert town of Paradise, Arizona. The main character has just moved to Paradise in his trailer with his bossy bitch of a wife in order to work for a video game design company, Running With Scissors. This guy’s life is turning into hell. His air conditioning doesn’t work, he’s got to pick up his paycheck for one day’s work, his car won’t start, and his wife insists that he pick up milk at the local convenience store. To top it all off you find out when you pick up your paycheck that you have been fired from your job and there are protesters desiring to remove you from the game of life. You find a shovel and a health (crack) pipe in your shed to help you out on your first harrowing day.

Immediately I noticed how easy the controls were to pick up. WASD controls the movement while the mouse controls direction of view. Immediately beside your movement controls are the buttons used for kicking, putting away your weapon and zipping/unzipping your pants, all of which are very useful. The action takes place in a semi-non-linear storyline. Each day players are given a list of errands that must be taken care of before the next day can commence. As the week progresses, more areas are open for exploration and the fulfilling of missions. Players are free to navigate all open areas and complete quests for the particular day in any order which makes sense (for example you cannot cash your paycheck before you go get it). Most weapons are accessible from the very beginning of the game, but some require that aggressive action be taken to acquire them. Available weapons include shovel, police baton, stun gun, pistol, shotgun, machine gun, grenades, cans of gas/matches, rocket launcher, and your trusty old boot. Two very unusual weapons available to the player are the festering cow head which releases a cloud of anthrax when used and the player’s natural urine dispenser which is used more for putting out fires and distracting possible aggressors.

Weapons, while being an extremely enjoyable means to various ends, are not necessary at all in order to complete the missions in Postal 2. Violence erupts around the player quite frequently, but there is always the less appealing option of running away from the violence without participating. Unfortunately running away isn’t always easy. Most NPCs involved in violence will turn their attention towards the player as soon as their immediate opponent is taken care of. Even if you never show a weapon in public, there’s always the possibility of getting shot in the back while pleasantly walking down the street.

The AI within Postal 2 is wonderful. While the combat AI seems limited to run away, cower in fear, stand and shoot, or close distance and bash, the social interaction amongst NPCs almost reminds me of the complexity involved in The Sims. Dogs attack pedestrians, NPCs mug strangers, cops react to acts of violence, homeowners react to intruders, and civilians will even participate in conversations on the street. One game designer stated an interesting bit of character interaction that it took me over an hour to duplicate. I befriended a local dog with some jerky. I kicked in the door of a random house and allowed my dog to enter the residence. After a while I heard screaming from inside and a man ran out of the house down the street. After a few seconds the man ran back with a policewoman running behind him back into the house. There I witnessed the policewoman pull out her gun and shoot my dog dead then walk nonchalantly back into the street. In the designer’s story it was a cat which entered the residence uninvited and the designer did not coax the cat into doing so. This is a wonderful example of interactive NPC behavior that should definitely be brought into the design of many future games.

The environment in Postal 2 is segmented into small areas. Upon entering each of these areas, the player will be forced to sit through 30-60 seconds of load time before continuing on his way. Unfortunately the player must often travel from one side Paradise to the other on some errand or another. The load times really do reduce the enjoyment of the game. It’s difficult to remain feeling involved in a game if every few minutes it is necessary to wait through a minute-long load screen. One thing that might fix the loss of involvement would be to have randomized cutscenes whenever a load is necessary. Yes it would mean more space is needed, but the added time of 5-10 seconds of loading would not remove the player from the gaming environment as much.

The graphics in Postal 2 were probably the major component involved in the segmentation of the game environment. Character models are not wonderful, but are definitely adequate for the job. The exterior areas look wonderful and full of life although the interior sections seem sparse and unfinished. The ragdoll physics used definitely add to both the realism and the humor within Postal 2. There’s just something about being able to kick a decapitated head into the path of the marching band that brings a smile to my face. Weapons sound as they should, NPCs chatter on the street, civilians scream in terror when you brandish a weapon, but background noise seems to be lacking. I missed the birds chirping, hum of vehicles on the street, and other sounds of a desert town which should have been present.

The humor within Postal 2 was what kept me interested despite all the long load times. The main character’s dark snide comments, the signs and graffiti on the walls, and the lines spoken by NPCs during regular play come together to make Paradise, AR seem like God‘s own personal April Fool‘s Joke. The developers, Running With Scissors, have placed cracks about protestors, women, minorities, police, terrorists, druggies, white trash, and even the Running With Scissors development team itself.

Completion time for Postal 2 is stated as 10 hours. I believe if someone is able to complete the game in 10 hours they have simply run as quickly as they could through the missions without doing the exploration intended by the design team. Many people including reviewers conclude that since the game is a first person shooter the focus of the game should be kill or be killed. That is simply not the case with Postal 2. The design team, which numbered a total of ten members, designed Postal 2 with much more to do than just participate in firefights with random passersby and urinate in people’s faces.

Postal 2 is about the little annoyances and the enormous dangers which exist in the real world. If you run through your day completing each task on your personal list, nothing else and are happy with it, Postal 2 is NOT the game for you. If you’ve ever wondered what it would look like if someone was vomiting and you chopped off their head with a shovel, Postal 2 allows you to see that without having to actually pay the consequences in real life. Postal 2 isn’t about accomplishing goals and running errands, it’s about living life the way you want to live it whether fate likes it or not.