Postal 2008

As the Postal Dude, an elongated figure sporting a vibrant mane of red hair, a goatee, sunglasses, a sleek black leather trench coat, and a T-shirt featuring a curious grey alien, resides in his run-down caravan trailer situated behind a home in the charming town of Paradise, Arizona. He shares this modest living space with his relentless wife, affectionately dubbed “The Bitch”. The game’s storyline unfolds over the course of seven days, from Monday to Friday, each day presenting a new array of tasks for the Postal Dude to fulfill.

At the start of each day, players find themselves charged with seemingly trivial errands, such as retrieving milk or confessing sins. However, the core of Postal 2 lies in the freedom it grants players to approach these tasks however they see fit - whether opting for a more serene approach or unleashing outright chaos and violence upon the oblivious townsfolk. This sentiment is captured beautifully in the game’s tagline: > “Remember, it’s only as violent as you are!” Each task offers diverse pathways to completion, often presenting multiple solutions for players to explore.

One of the game’s distinctive features is a mission that can be triggered when the Postal Dude takes a brief respite from his daily grind to relieve himself. In this scenario, players embark on the Postal Dude’s quest to address his newly acquired case of gonorrhea.

Throughout his journey, the Postal Dude encounters incessant instigation from the locals, who seem to take pleasure in testing his limits. He experiences a range of humiliations, including vulgar gestures, theft, assaults from various protesting factions, and harassment by an obnoxious convenience store owner/terrorist alongside his line-cutting patrons. Daily life is further complicated by interactions with an unexpected marching band, the lethal toy mascot Krotchy, members of the Paradise Police Department and SWAT team, aggressive ATF agents, the National Guard, an idiosyncratic religious cult, cannibalistic butcher shop employees, fervent al-Qaeda terrorists (including the notorious Osama bin Laden), and even the once-cherished child actor Gary Coleman, to name just a few.

As Friday afternoon approaches, the scene reaches a frenzy; the environment descends into chaos and lawlessness prevails. A gloomy sky darkens overhead, and cats begin their eerie descent, signaling an ominous atmosphere. Meanwhile, the townsfolk arm themselves, turning the streets into a combat zone filled with erratic gunfire that asserts a deadly tempo. In this apocalyptic setting, the Postal Dude returns to his modest trailer, only to find himself in a fiery dispute with his wife over a slight - specifically, her unfulfilled desire for “rocky road” ice cream at the game’s outset. The tension mounts until an unexpected gunshot reverberates through the air, leaving players in suspense as the credits begin to roll.