It may seem strange to put it this way, but Postal 2: Share the Pain is the game that Postal 2 probably should have been in the first place.
By Greg Kasavin on
Last April's Postal 2 seemed to purposely divide gamers into a "love it" or "hate it" camp, the latter of which was considerably larger. The sequel to the controversial 1997 shooter promised to be even more offensive than its predecessor, and it did in fact deliver tons of gross-out humor, racist jokes, and gory violence, all while being perfectly flippant about it. Truthfully, Postal 2's content wasn't far in excess of what you could find on a typical episode of South Park. Yet while the game flaunted its naughtiness, it unfortunately didn't offer enough in the way of entertaining gameplay or longevity to justify all the irreverence. More than half a year later, a rerelease titled Postal 2: Share the Pain addresses the most glaring technical issue of the original--the painfully long loading times between gameplay areas--and adds some goofy multiplayer modes (those who already own Postal 2 can get the multiplayer upgrade at a discount, though it was initially promised as a free download). The result isn't going to convince anyone who took Postal 2 the wrong way to give it a second chance, but it's a better game now than before, and those looking for some seriously lowbrow humor in first-person shooter form would likely get a kick out of it.
The single-player portion of Postal 2: Share the Pain is largely the same as before. Rather than adopt the conventionally linear structure of most first-person shooters, Postal 2 has a more open-ended structure reminiscent of the recent Grand Theft Auto games, only you're stuck running around on foot. The cars lining the streets are apparently just there to mock you. As The Postal Dude (that's actually his name), you're tasked with completing a series of mundane errands over the course of a work week. You may attempt to complete these errands conventionally--for example, on Monday all you need to do is collect your paycheck, cash it, and then buy a carton of milk--but you'll probably end up resorting to violence, and not just because you can. As the week goes on, certain factions will automatically get on Dude's bad side, so going through the game without killing anybody becomes practically impossible after a while. Also, the freedom to explore the town of Paradise is undermined somewhat by the loading times that crop up in between relatively small sections of town. Again, these are shorter and definitely more tolerable than before, which makes the game less frustrating to play, but you'll still find yourself plotting routes through town that require you to go through as few of these transitions as possible.
Mechanically, Postal 2 plays like a straightforward first-person shooter. There's a pretty conventional array of weapons to collect, and you don't even have to worry about reloading these, though you'll instead need to be careful about brandishing them in public (unless you intend to use them). Some of the later weapons are more interesting, such as the napalm launcher and, everyone's favorite, the diseased cow head. But the citizens of Paradise never pose much of a challenge and are usually content to just stand there and get their heads blown off. Some rag-doll physics and even a Max Payne 2-style slow-motion power-up (an effect that Postal 2 did first, for what it's worth) can make the gory action entertainingly over-the-top for a while, but it's probably too simple to hold anyone's interest for long.
Postal 2 is mostly just an excuse to set up a lot of goofy, purposely offensive gags, and some of these can be funny, while many of them fall flat. The Postal Dude himself, for instance, has the voice of a radio disc jockey, and he sounds out of place as he forces cusswords out at every opportunity. On the other hand, when he's out looking for the perfect Christmas tree or trying to get Paradise citizens to sign a political petition or a few other such occasions, you might get a laugh. At any rate, you could easily finish Postal 2's entire single-player portion in a weekend or even in a day, though some cheat codes and multiple difficulty settings are available to implore you to give it another whirl. Share the Pain adds a few new areas and a couple of new, higher difficulty modes to the single-player portion of the game, but these don't really do much to extend its value.
The four different multiplayer modes honestly don't do much to extend the game's value, either, largely because not many people are playing them. Still, a built-in server browser theoretically makes it easy to hop into an online session, and if you host a game session, you can throw in some computer-controlled bots (which the game calls "morons") if you want more targets to shoot at. Your main modes here are conventional deathmatch, team deathmatch, and a capture-the-flag variant called "snatch," in which the "flag" is a scantily clad woman who piggyback rides on whomever picks her up. Snatch and team deathmatch seem to be the most popular modes, relatively speaking, whereas the "grab" mode, in which players battle to collect a series of power-ups, doesn't seem to be much of a draw. There are more than a dozen different multiplayer maps, all seemingly based on areas from the single-player game, and while most of the maps are pretty basic, they're reasonably varied, and a few stand out. Also, a few of Postal 2's more-unusual gameplay features, such as the ability to urinate on anything at any time and the ability to commit suicide by detonating a grenade in one's mouth at the touch of a button, can actually come into play during multiplayer, lending the action a decidedly different tone than what you may be used to.
Postal 2 still looks quite good, at least when you're running around outdoors, and the game's characters have a decent range of expressions and animations. Plus, in classic Duke Nukem 3D style, there are lots of sight gags to be found. Indoors, the game doesn't look as attractive, and here you'll notice that the level architecture is very simple and a lot of texture maps are overused. Not that it really matters. The game's audio is also rather mixed, since not only does The Postal Dude just not sound right, but a lot of the game's weapons sound rather underpowered, which is surprising for a game that features plenty of gratuitous violence. Also, there's almost no music in Postal 2, so you'll often be running around in relative silence.
Moral judgments aside, Postal 2: Share the Pain certainly isn't a bad game. It at least tries to put a slightly original twist on first-person shooters by letting you explore (and open fire) at your leisure, and there's simply a lot of stuff to see in Paradise. The multiplayer portion of Share the Pain is OK, too, though it probably would have had more of an impact had it been included with the original version of Postal 2. In fact, it may seem strange to put it this way, but Postal 2: Share the Pain is the game that Postal 2 probably should have been in the first place.
Editor's note 01/21/04: The review originally stated that the multiplayer content of Postal 2: Share the Pain was available as a free download to owners of the original Postal 2 game, which is incorrect. GameSpot regrets the error.
View Comments (0)
FAQs
Is Postal 2 a satire? ›
Postal 2 is pure satire, a hilarious and over-the-top playground for the player to toy around with as to how they see fit.
How much will postal brain damaged cost? ›Enter Postal: Brain Damaged ($19.99), a spin-off of the Postal series that ditches (most) of the controversial violence, leaning into the classic Doom formula. Much to our surprise, it works pretty well.
Does Postal 2 Multiplayer still work? ›We have decided to cease official support for POSTAL 2 Multiplayer as the player base is less than 50-100 these days, compared to the many thousands spending time in singleplayer. The multiplayer in its current state is flawed with netcode dating back to 1999. It also has various issues on modern PCs and Windows 10.
What is the point of Postal 2? ›The objective of Postal 2 is to finish all of the tasks throughout the week, and the player can accomplish these tasks in any way they wish, be it as peacefully and civilly as possible, or as violently and chaotically as possible.
Can you use a cat as a silencer? ›Postal III
They are a throwable weapon, turning into tornados when they land. In addition, they can again be used as silencers but only on the M16 and can also be used with the Rocket Launcher and as Grenades.
Postal 2 has been banned by the Office of Film and Literature Classification (OFLC) in New Zealand, where it's now illegal to own or sell the game with various fines and even prison time for offenders.
How long is postal brain damage? ›| Single-Player | Polled | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Main Story | 12 | 6h 41m |
| Main + Extras | 7 | 8h 23m |
| Completionist | 4 | 11h 26m |
| All PlayStyles | 23 | 8h 2m |
This game is a boomer shooter, so it will involve a lot of shooting of enemies, they will gib.
Can I play POSTAL: Brain Damaged? ›Can I Run POSTAL: Brain Damaged? An Intel Core i5-4400E CPU is required at a minimum to run POSTAL: Brain Damaged. The minimum memory requirement for POSTAL: Brain Damaged is 4 GB of RAM installed in your computer. Provided that you have at least an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780M graphics card you can play the game.
How do you share the pain on Postal 2? ›When you try to launch the game, you get a popup to choose between Postal 2, Share The Pain/Multiplayer (unsupported) and Paradise Lost if you own it. If you don't get the popup (if you disabled it), go to your game folder > Share The Pain > System and start it from there.
How many days are there in Postal 2? ›
The POSTAL 2 campaign takes place in an open world, over the course of 5 days. During each day, you have a small list of errands to run. The Apocalypse Weekend campaign is more linear, though.
How can I get Postal 2 for free? ›To claim Postal 2 free of charge, visit the main GOG.com page, scroll down to the giveaway section, and press the "Yes, and claim the game" button.
What countries have banned Postal 2? ›Malaysia, Australia, Germany, New Zealand and Sweden, I believe. Malaysia? Yeah....they banned it outright due to "very high impact violence & offensive depictions of cruelty".
Is Postal 2 a fun game? ›it has humor,action, and Gary Coleman. the only thing is that you need to like games, and violent ones to appreciate this game,but once you do you will be in for a great adventure that makes you Go Postal.
How long does it take to beat Postal 2? ›When focusing on the main objectives, Postal 2 is about 7 Hours in length. If you're a gamer that strives to see all aspects of the game, you are likely to spend around 26 Hours to obtain 100% completion.
Is Postal 2 Banned? ›Postal 2 faced the most ire of the public, with ramped up violence and drug and terrorist references, however, it was proven that the game could be finished without killing anyone – smart move Run with Scissors. Unfortunately for the developers, this strategy was seen through and 13 countries moved to ban the game.
How do you skip days in Postal 2? ›According to both the IGN Postal 2 cheat page and the Game FAQ Postal 2 page, you can switch days by using the command SetDate(int DayNumber) , and switch days without changing objectives with the command WarpToDay(int DayNumber) .
Can cats hear your heartbeat? ›He Likes the Sound of Your Heart
When your cat sleeps on your chest, they can hear your beating heart as well, and they are likely comforted by the sound. They return the favor too since your cat's purr is also good for your health.
I own all postal games. I bought stuff from the rws store and got the packages without any trouble. The games might be banned but you won't get punished for owning them. It is not illegal.
Is Postal 2 banned in Australia? ›Postal 2 is refused classification, which means it is illegal to sell or import the game in Australia.
How many copies did Postal 2 Sell? ›
It's not like we've been selling Postal 2 consistently for 18 years but when it came out on steam it has somehow become a crazy hit. We've sold well over 3 million copies in the last 5 or 6 years so it's pretty crazy.
When did Postal brain damage start? › Who voiced Postal 3 dude? ›Corey Cruise is the voice actor for the Postal Dude in Postal III and POSTAL: Brain Damaged.
Is there going to be a new Postal game? ›...
| Postal 4: No Regerts | |
|---|---|
| Platform(s) | Microsoft Windows |
| Release | April 20, 2022 |
| Genre(s) | First-person shooter |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Postal is an isometric top-down shooter video game developed by Running with Scissors and published by Ripcord Games in 1997. A sequel to the game, Postal 2, was released in 2003. Two additional sequels, Postal III and Postal 4: No Regerts, were released in 2011 and 2022, respectively.
Is Postal brain damaged hard? ›Even on Normal difficulty, Postal: Brain Damaged can be a punishing experience. It's entirely possible for new players to find themselves starting over from their last checkpoint on the first level alone, and it only gets much more difficult as the stages progress.
Is Postal brain damaged open world? ›POSTAL: Brain Damaged is a spin-off taking the most outrageous FPS series of all time into a different, skill-based, retro-shooter direction. Say goodbye to open-world sandbox, prepare for old-school, stage-based FPS action, and cheesy one-liners.
Is Postal brain damaged a sequel? ›POSTAL: Brain Damaged is a spin-off title in the POSTAL series developed by HYPERSTRANGE and CreativeForge Games, and published by Running with Scissors and HYPERSTRANGE.
What is a week in paradise Postal 2? ›A Week In Paradise (AWP for short) is a third party modification for POSTAL 2, released on September 25th 2007. The latest version is 1.3. In order for it to be played, a copy of Apocalypse Weekend is also required due to the features imported from that game.
Does postal 1 have multiplayer? ›
POSTAL didn't make it in multiplayer popularity, so no servers available.
How do you play Nick Coop in Postal 2? ›Nick's Co-Op for Postal 2 | Custom Coverage - YouTube
How many GB is Postal 2? ›The game is definitely 10 GB.
Can a Mac run Postal 2? ›Minimum: OS:MacOS X 10.6 or higher.
When did Postal 2 release? › Who voiced Postal 2? ›Rick Hunter is the voice of The Postal Dude in Postal 2.
When did Postal 3 release? › How long does it take to beat Postal 1? ›When focusing on the main objectives, Postal is about 2½ Hours in length. If you're a gamer that strives to see all aspects of the game, you are likely to spend around 10 Hours to obtain 100% completion.
Is Postal 2 banned in Germany? ›Yup, POSTAL 2 has been banned in Germany since the very beginning, though Steam has only recently moved to enforce bans such as that in its German storefront.
Why did Postal get banned? ›In 2004, New Zealand banned Postal 2 due to "gross, abhorrent content" (urination, high impact violence, graphic vomiting, animal cruelty, homophobia, racial/ethnic stereotypes, etc.)
How do you flip people off in Postal 2? ›
The default button is "G". When using a weapon, it will cause Dude to shout a threat. When not, he will flip the bird instead.
Is Manhunt a horror game? ›Manhunt is a stealth-based urban horror-styled game played from a third-person perspective. The game consists of twenty levels, called "scenes", as well as four unlockable bonus scenes. Players survive the scenes by dispatching enemy gang members, occasionally with firearms, but primarily by stealthily executing them.
How do you drop food in Postal 2? ›Throw it before the dog. By default it is "X" button, if you have QWERTY keyboard. Some other items, such as the catnip also have the same properties. Namely, when they are used they serve a different function than when they are dropped.
How long is paradise lost game? ›This roughly 3-hour, story-driven adventure, has you exploring underground locales as you uncover mysteries of the past.
What countries have banned Postal 2? ›Malaysia, Australia, Germany, New Zealand and Sweden, I believe. Malaysia? Yeah....they banned it outright due to "very high impact violence & offensive depictions of cruelty".
Is Postal Dude Catholic? ›On Tuesday, it is revealed that Postal Dude is a Roman Catholic, since one of his errands is to "Confess sins" in the church.
Is Postal 2 a fun game? ›it has humor,action, and Gary Coleman. the only thing is that you need to like games, and violent ones to appreciate this game,but once you do you will be in for a great adventure that makes you Go Postal.
Is Postal 2 legal? ›I own all postal games. I bought stuff from the rws store and got the packages without any trouble. The games might be banned but you won't get punished for owning them. It is not illegal.
How do you get out of jail in Postal 2? ›Once in prison, the Postal Dude will find himself without any weapon or items, with the exception of the matches. The only way to get out of the cell is to light a match at a fire detector, which will activate an alarm and will open all cell doors.
How long does it take to beat Postal 2? ›When focusing on the main objectives, Postal 2 is about 7 Hours in length. If you're a gamer that strives to see all aspects of the game, you are likely to spend around 26 Hours to obtain 100% completion.
What mental illness does the Postal Dude have? ›
"Dissociative identity disorder, previously called multiple personality disorder, is usually a reaction to trauma as a way to help a person avoid bad memories.
What is postal dudes real name? ›Rick Hunter: The Postal Dude.
How do you confess sins in Postal 2? ›Confess sins - Head to the Church and make your way to the confessional to confess your sins. Get signatures - Simply ask around the people in Paradise to sign your petition. Return book - Head to the Library and return the book.
How many copies did Postal 2 Sell? ›It's not like we've been selling Postal 2 consistently for 18 years but when it came out on steam it has somehow become a crazy hit. We've sold well over 3 million copies in the last 5 or 6 years so it's pretty crazy.
How do you use cheats in Postal 2? ›To activate cheats, press the tilde key (~) or the @ key to display the cheat console, then type sissy.
Who voiced Postal 2? ›Rick Hunter is the voice of The Postal Dude in Postal 2.