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The Punisher is a 1993 beat ’em up arcade game. The Punisher gained significant popularity in arcades and is widely regarded as one of the best titles in the beat ’em up genre as well as one of the best video game adaptations of comic books. Gameplay: The Punisher follows the same side-scrolling beat’em up formula Capcom established in Final Fight (1989) and Captain Commando (1991) as the protagonists engage ordinary foes and stage bosses. As in most beat’em up games of this kind, progression through the game is achieved by systematically dispatching all varieties of henchmen to proceed onward to either right or left, and defeating the ringleaders whom the player(s) encounter at the boss stage of each level. Much like the limited roster of playable characters in Street Fighter (1987), the size, abilities and tactics of both player characters (the Punisher and Nick Fury) are essentially interchangeable; they both use the same basic moves, such as punches, kicks and throws, which can be chained into combos, as well as similar special attacks. Basic attacks can be combined to cause extra damage to enemies. The game is presented in a comic book-like style, including featuring on-screen onomatopoeias such as “BLAM!” for gunshots.