![]() This scene caused a great deal of controversy in New Zealand as graphic depictions of urination are deemed "obscene" in New Zealand. At one point my girlfriend walked in while I was playing and it did feel like I’d been caught doing something a bit inappropriate.[[File:Postal2 02.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Urinating on dismembered bodies in a terrorist training camp. As gamers, we’ve all shot up plenty of aliens/gangsters/innocent mammals in countless games before and not given it a second thought, provided we were being given a reason for doing so – Postal doesn’t offer us that justification in any form. One is the annoying scream that punctuates the menu screens and the dated 90’s music, another is that the game doesn’t really try and justify your actions in any way by giving you a reason as to why you are doing what you are doing. I think there are a few reasons for this. This lack of a story really hinders the player’s moral compass, as you’re not given any justification for your actions. Now that it’s 2020 and POSTAL Redux is a digital download, there’s no manual, and we piece the story together from Wikipedia entries and the odd game synopsis. Originally, the backstory involving imaginary poison gas was included in the manual back in 1997. To The Postal Dude, everybody is potentially hostile, and he must fight his way to the Air Force Base in order to save humanity. He is hallucinating that the town is under the effects of poisonous gas released by the United States Air Force. The problem (and, turns out, missing part of the story) is that The Postal Dude was evicted from his house. ![]() In POSTAL Redux, you’re dropped right into the game with an objective to kill all hostiles. But underneath all of the carnage, underneath the impact and the reputation, is it any good? What made Arthur Fleck a relatable character in Joker was the slow descent into his criminal actions. POSTAL Redux is all of the things that keep Jack Thompson up at night, and it wears that badge of honor with twisted pride. It’s the same draw that brings people to horror films or violent video games. It’s what spawned three sequels, a live-action movie, and homages over the past twenty years. GAMEPLAY – DISTASTEFUL DISORDERĮverything twisted about the game is what made it a cult classic for so many years. Like Joaquin Pheonix’s Joker, a case could be made that the protagonist is a reflection of the ways our society has failed those who live with severe mental illness. So does The Postal Dude, the “protagonist” and monster that you control through the sleepy mountain city. POSTAL Redux is a modest technical achievement hiding under buckets of blood. “No Russian” level in Modern Warfare 2 – my point being violence in video games doesn’t grind my gears, and it annoys me when the media portrays violence in video games as a bad thing I believe it has a place when done well, but for me, in Postal it just feels off. Normally, violence in video games doesn’t bother me – I’m of a certain age that I can say I played and enjoyed Manhunt back on the PS2 and that I didn’t skip the torture scene in GTA V or the infamous. Yes, there are more violent and graphic games out there, but often they have something to say or the violence serves a larger purpose – it isn’t just there for the sake of it, yet playing Postal you can’t help but feel that it plays into that trope. The content of Postal has always been a controversial one, and it hasn’t mellowed with age. This was a real sticking point for me, something that I was surprised by. I say adversaries, but the enemies in Postal Redux are mainly police or innocent bystanders, which sapped my enjoyment away from the game. Playing with the DualSense controller the game feels responsive, and I was able to react quickly to any adversaries that may get in my way. Running and gunning is mapped to the sticks, with the left taking care of movement and aiming catered for by the right, and credit where it’s due, Postal does control well. The game gives you 7 weapon slots, with weapons ranging from shotguns with a wide spread, to pistols that offer a narrow but powerful shot. The game still plays well, but there isn’t much to it, you simply run around the map blasting anyone in sight and picking up the various weapons to help fuel your massacre. As someone who never played Postal “back in the day”, I am coming at this fresh, and it doesn’t wow me if I’m being totally honest.
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