Postal 2 (Game)

Postal 2

GAME » on April 13, 2003

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A controversial open-world first-person shooter that "is only as violent as you are", Postal 2 puts you in the role of a dude running errands in a small American town.

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Overview

Postal 2 is a game that 'is only as violent as you are.'

Postal 2 is a dark-comedy contemporary-fantasy open-world first-person shooter developed by Running With Scissors (Company) and published by Whiptail Interactive (Company) for the PC (Platform) on April 14, 2003.

A sequel to the 1997 isometric-view game Postal (Game), Postal 2 reworks the concept of having a mass-murderer running rampant in a small town into a more open-ended game, where the protagonist is tasked with running errands while dealing with the insanity that happens (through pacifism, ultra-violence, or anything in-between). Like the original, it is known for its controversial use of extreme violence, adult themes, and dark humor (including racial stereotyping and both political and social commentary).

Set in the small, oft-kilter town of Paradise, Arizona, the main game is set throughout a five-day week in the life of eponymous "Postal Dude", who gives himself several mundane tasks to accomplish (such as cashing his paycheck, shopping for groceries, and getting an autograph from real-life actor Gary Coleman (Character)). Several of these tasks usually devolve into the Postal Dude being involved in a hectic situation, such as a bank robbery, kidnapping, or a terrorist attack, which become more unhinged as the week progresses.

Powered by Unreal Engine 2 (Concept), the game features an open-world environment, with the town making up several small "levels" stitched together in a manner similar to Half-Life. It also features an elaborate AI-controlled NPC system, with many of the townsfolk engaging in their own activities (which can devolve into them becoming hostile themselves). It also features a vast amount of weaponry and unique interactions (including taking narcotics, urinating at people, befriending attack dogs, and using cats as gun silencers).

The game later received an updated re-release on December 2003, known as Postal 2: Share the Pain, which adds online competitive multiplayer and a level editor. This version was later released for the Mac (Platform) in December 2004 and Linux (Platform) (by Linux Game Publishing) on February 2005, and the European PC version was released as an add-on to the original. It later received a single-player expansion pack in May 2005, known as Postal 2: Apocalypse Weekend, that continues the story where it left off. It was also included in multiple compilations of the series throughout the years.

Along with a 2007-2008 film adaptation (known simply as Postal) from infamous filmmaker Uwe Boll (Person), the game received several sequels that build on the game's story. It also received a digital re-release by Running with Scissors themselves on November 2, 2012, with several additional content and quality-of-life updates post-release (including a new campaign known as Postal 2: Paradise Lost, and community mod support with Steam Workshop (Concept)). A remake of the game, known as Postal 2 Redux, is in development, with a separate VR-supported Postal 2 VR version also in development.

Story

Peeing on people can cause them to vomit - An example of the low humor in Postal 2

The basic premise is to get through the game completing a daily list of mundane tasks along the lines of picking up your paycheck from work, where you subsequently get fired and berated by your boss (Running With Scissors founder Vince Desi (Person)), then trying to cash the check at the local bank where masked men storm in with guns preventing you from getting your money.

Each day grants players new tasks, and the day ends when you both complete all tasks and return home.

Monday: Pick up Check, Cash Paycheck, and Get Milk.
Tuesday: Return Book, Get Garry's Autograph, Confess Sins, and Get Signatures.
Wednesday: Piss on Dad, Get Laundry, Get Xmas Tree, and Vote.
Thursday: Get Napalm, Pay Ticket, Get Steaks, and Get Krotchy.
Friday: Go to the Clinic, Get Alternator, Pick up Package, and Uncle Dave's Birthday.

The game features many aspects which were seemingly included simply to be offensive; Very coarse language is used throughout the game, the game features many stereotypes including gay rapist southerners, idiotic police officers and suicide bomber Afghans, constant references to puerile jokes concerning bodily fluids and solids, the ability to urinate on NPCs and everything else, the ability to upgrade urine to special flammable urine, the WMD biological weapon retrieved from the Tora Bora level and frequent reference to narcotics, especially the use of a "crack pipe" as an in-game stimulant.

It is possible to get through the game without killing anyone and the game itself boast that it is "Only as violent as you are". The developers have used this mantra to defend the game from critics. However, it's been pointed out that doing this is incredibly hard and not very rewarding.

Widely panned by critics and gamers alike, as well as being banned in many countries, it has remained a niche game with a fairly hard-core cult following. Whether the game is enjoyable or not comes down primarily to the players appreciation for over the top crude humor.

The game takes place in Paradise, Arizona which is base on the actual town of Bisbee, Arizona.

Technology

One of the earlier games based on Unreal Engine 2 (Concept) and making use of Karma rag-doll physics, the game could support up to 50 on screen AI NPC's who were intended to provoke you and occasionally set off on their own rampages whereupon the local police would have slightly more interest in them than your potentially law breaking activities.

When the game shipped it was crippled by frequent loading times of up to 90 seconds which many reviewers found unacceptably long. This problem was patched soon after the release, although loading times were still a problem thanks to the game’s use of a simulated "sandbox" world. Just as Grand Theft Auto III (Game) loaded each of its three islands individually so too did Postal 2 with its maps; however, the game’s town was made up of many small levels ‘stitched together’ with load times to simulate one constant area. This led to loading areas often being right next to one another and at certain times a player may get out of one loading area just to step into another to get where they are going.

Expansion Packs + DLC

Two expansion packs have been released for Postal 2: Share the Pain, which added a rudimentary online multiplayer mode consisting of deathmatch and variants of the capture the flag and last man standing game rules, and Apocalypse Weekend, a single player addition which gives the player new maps to explore and weapons with which to destroy things.

In 2013, Running With Scissors began releasing free DLC updates and patches for Postal 2, with some of the content sourced from the mod community.

Steam Integration (Cloud saving and achievements).
Integrated the A Week in Paradise mod into the main game.
New characters and voice packs.
New weapons.
Easter bunny boss.

In 2015, Running With Scissors released Postal 2's first DLC: Paradise Lost, a purely single player addition. Paradise Lost continues the story after Apocalypse Weekend while retconning Postal III (Game), and takes place in maps from Postal 2 altered by nuclear fallout.

Five additional days.
New character factions and voice packs.
New weapons.
Dual Wielding.
Vending Machines.
New Achievements

Postal 2 was released on Steam on November 2nd, 2012. On May 2nd, 2014, Running With Scissors integrated the Steam version of Postal 2 with the Steam Workshop, allowing players to easily share custom content for the title.

PC System Requirements

Minimum

OS:Windows XP/Vista/7
Processor:Pentium 3 1133MHz or AMD Athlon 733MHz Processor
Memory:128 MB RAM
Graphics:32MB GeForce 2 or Radeon Video Card
DirectX®:8.0
Hard Drive:1200 MB HD space
Other Requirements:Broadband Internet connection

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