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Flesh420

Postal Redux Open Source

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Uh, I don't think Postal: Redux is open source. You still have to buy it on Steam. The source code for the original was released, much like Doom. It's still a commercial product, you have to pay for it, unless I'm misunderstanding something. The Redux version isn't open source. However, they are only a couple of cents.

Funny enough, I just finally got Postal 2 and played through it. I really have to give props, it was a really good game. Never seen a title with such low critic ratings, and such high user reviews. The original might be a little too dark for me, but I think I'll get the fuck over it. I love the fact that you just play as an insane dude and you just kill people. Postal 3 can eat a dick.

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Sick Bow said:

Funny enough, I just finally got Postal 2 and played through it. I really have to give props, it was a really good game. Never seen a title with such low critic ratings, and such high user reviews. The original might be a little too dark for me, but I think I'll get the fuck over it. I love the fact that you just play as an insane dude and you just kill people. Postal 3 can eat a dick.

Postal 2 is one of the most inappropriately funny games I've ever played. I love the Al-Qaeda training camp hidden in a convenience store and Osama Bin Smith.

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Playing Redux for the first time ever right now. Very fun game although the shotgun is stupid overpowered

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Huh... The indenting of the code looks really strange to me; whoever programmed this added indenting INSIDE every block, which I haven't seen before.

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Doominator2 said:

Never seen a title with such low critic ratings, and such high user reviews.


it's sad that the critics gave the game such a low score because it was insensitive and messed up. but i mean, come on. for one, that shit's funny, and two, the game is actually pretty fun (imo).

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Sick Bow said:

The original might be a little too dark for me, but I think I'll get the fuck over it.


The first one is more mean spirited, but it still retains its dark sense of humor.

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roadworx said:

it's sad that the critics gave the game such a low score because it was insensitive and messed up. but i mean, come on. for one, that shit's funny, and two, the game is actually pretty fun (imo).


Just goes to show that you shouldn't trust "professional" reviews. I mean, when stuff like this happens, and on the other hand you have absolutely abysmal games getting 9/10 ratings from IGN, it's clear these fuckers either never play games at all, or are paid off.

CARRiON said:

The first one is more mean spirited, but it still retains its dark sense of humor.


Playing through now and I see that. However, I do already miss the option Postal 2 gives of not hurting anyone and still finishing the game.

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I played through the first Postal over a decade ago and, other than the dark atmosphere, playing it is an absolutely miserable experience. It's the kind of game that, just like Hatred, gets free perfect 10s from the "are you offended???" user score crowd. The low professional scores are warranted.

Play Postal 2 if you want something with all right gameplay.

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Sick Bow said:

Playing through now and I see that. However, I do already miss the option Postal 2 gives of not hurting anyone and still finishing the game.


There wouldn't be much of a game left however, the first game has some light strategic elements with hostile placement and weapon priority and plays like an arcade game with its super straight-forward goal of kill all hostiles and move on. The only thing that made it controversial was the fact that "innocent" bystanders could get gunned down if they ran in the way.

Considering the fact that POSTAL came out in 1997, along with the first Grand Theft Auto and the first Carmageddon, I suppose people were not used to this sort of raw violence that you, the player, are directly causing from the eye of the "bad guy" as you run over, gun down and blow up bystanders. I would consider POSTAL's violence extremely tame nowadays.

POSTAL 2 adopted a more South Park approach to its humor, violence and world. People die in overblown and wacky ways, and the inclusion of just doing mundane tasks while trying not to kill anyone and weird guest appearances like Gary Coleman further added to the strange and quirky atmosphere it has. Its less of a straight arcade game and more of a wacky and crude sandbox.

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roadworx said:

it's sad that the critics gave the game such a low score because it was insensitive and messed up. but i mean, come on. for one, that shit's funny, and two, the game is actually pretty fun (imo).


These kinds of games, along with Hatred and the Carmageddon series are niche AF. If you're not into these kinds of games then naturally you'll view them in poor taste or their humor simply goe over your head. Meanwhile they build up die-hard fan bases from day one who the devs definitely care about and continue to support. I adore the original Postal for being so raw in tone and taking risks that it makes it a more interesting game world to dissect and build off of via fan fiction and what not.

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MrSkeltal said:

I played through the first Postal over a decade ago and, other than the dark atmosphere, playing it is an absolutely miserable experience. It's the kind of game that, just like Hatred, gets free perfect 10s from the "are you offended???" user score crowd. The low professional scores are warranted.

Play Postal 2 if you want something with all right gameplay.


Coop=10/10.

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When it comes to dark video-games, I think Carmageddon (the first one) is probably my best example of a game that blends gritty violence with dark humour well. I think it also has something to do with the use of sprites. Sprites tend to look a lot more gritty in general, compared to using 3D models.

I have never played Postal 1 before. I did play the sequel, which was okay, but riddled with game-crashing bugs. For example: the vanilla version of Postal 2 had some sort of issue with the physics-engine, and whenever I got to the part where you're taking down army guys (towards the end of the game), the game would crash because there were too many gibs with physics on the screen whenever I killed a group of them.

When I looked up some footage of the first Postal on YouTube, I noticed that the Redux version is using models for the characters I think. Does the vanilla version use models as well?

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Agentbromsnor said:

When I looked up some footage of the first Postal on YouTube, I noticed that the Redux version is using models for the characters I think. Does the vanilla version use models as well?


Yes. I believe they are voxel models.

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Honestly, Postal 1 is much more like a horror game than the "dark humor" type of deal. There's all sorts of disturbing imagery and a soundtrack that goes right alongside that, the loading screens seem like the notes of someone completely deranged, and the entire point is to go on a killing spree. It's a murder simulator straight-up.

The only reason I can think of that people could interpret it as tongue in cheek is the fact that the in-game graphics reeeaaally did not age well at all. Heck, they were probably kinda mood-killing back when it was released.

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Arctangent said:

Honestly, Postal 1 is much more like a horror game than the "dark humor" type of deal. There's all sorts of disturbing imagery and a soundtrack that goes right alongside that, the loading screens seem like the notes of someone completely deranged, and the entire point is to go on a killing spree. It's a murder simulator straight-up.

The only reason I can think of that people could interpret it as tongue in cheek is the fact that the in-game graphics reeeaaally did not age well at all. Heck, they were probably kinda mood-killing back when it was released.


Because the voice over work is cheesy, you have cowboys with rocket launchers and bald miners chucking TNT at you, you blow away nudists at a resort, and you go crazy at a convince store because they don't sell POSTAL. The Christmas patch lets you blow away Santa, the Redux throws in killer clowns with balloon machineguns and even a Blood reference. It's dark and disturbing but it doesn't take itself seriously at all.

Not to mention the whole shooting spree starts because his home gets repossessed due to an error in escrow filing and believes it to be a grand conspiracy involving the government and mind control and demons and all sorts of crazy shit. He starts shooting people all because someone made a dumb mistake and he's a bit of a paranoid delusional. That's pretty darkly humorous if you ask me.

http://web.archive.org/web/19980127185004/http://www.gopostal.com/press4.htm

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Agentbromsnor said:

When it comes to dark video-games, I think Carmageddon (the first one) is probably my best example of a game that blends gritty violence with dark humour well. I think it also has something to do with the use of sprites. Sprites tend to look a lot more gritty in general, compared to using 3D models.


Yep, the digitized characters' deaths are very graphic and look more realistic than the sequels which rely on overly bright red blood flying everywhere. Probably to lighten the tone a little, and because the British like their violence to be funny, as opposed to the US where we get off to the grotesque.

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Arctangent said:

the entire point is to go on a killing spree. It's a murder simulator straight-up.

The original POSTAL was heavily inspired by Robotron, so a fully pacifist style wouldn't fit the arcade approach of the gameplay. However, POSTAL only requires you to eliminate the armed enemies who are inherently hostile to you. Unarmed bystanders are never a target. You don't have to attack anyone who isn't already trying to immediately attack you unprovoked.

CARRiON said:

Yes. I believe they are voxel models.

The game uses low poly models with very basic flat shading. I captured a few sequences for animation references which show this off well:

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MrSkeltal said:

I played through the first Postal over a decade ago and, other than the dark atmosphere, playing it is an absolutely miserable experience. It's the kind of game that, just like Hatred, gets free perfect 10s from the "are you offended???" user score crowd. The low professional scores are warranted.

Play Postal 2 if you want something with all right gameplay.

Odd, my experience was the opposite for these games.

Whilst Postal 2 was full of content and just fun nonesense it controlled and felt like arse to me and was really bad in terms of movement and aiming.

Postal 1 controlled much more pleasantly and felt more akin to something like Crusader: No Remorse in terms of style and gameplay (and I love that game so I'm probably a little biased).

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