The Punisher (Arcade)

The Punisher
Developer: Capcom Publisher: Capcom Platform: Arcade (CP System Dash) Released in JP: May 1993[1] Released in US: July 1993[2] This game has unused areas. This game has unused graphics. This game has unused music. This game has unused text. This game has anti-piracy features.

The Punisher is a beat-em-up starring the titular anti-hero vigilante from the comics by Marvel. This was Capcom's first game with licensed characters from Marvel, and the only one to not be a fighting game, unlike the rest of the Marvel-based arcade titles that would come after this one.

To do: Various other stuff: Jul (unused enemy, final boss' death). Debug tileset?. This page. More debug (remove from unused text sub-page). Regional differences. In addition to the stuff on that page, the Japanese version has a completely different ending for Nick Fury (alone) instead of using the Punisher/2-Player ending with the name switched.

Sub-Page

Unused Text

Anti-Piracy Features

De-interleaved between the pse_24.9e and pse_28.9f ROMs at 0x38C37.

IS THIS A FAKED CPS BOARD ?

Unused Bonus Stage

Use the following MAME cheat to start a cut second bonus stage that takes place inside of a plane, an area that's otherwise entirely unused.

  <cheat desc="Start in Unused Bonus Stage">
    <script state="run">
      <action condition="(maincpu.pb@FF5BB9==00)">maincpu.pb@FF5BB9=0x06</action>
    </script>
  </cheat>

The stage begins with a sequence where the cockpit explodes and the plane's pilots are engulfed in fire, with two gun-wielding enemies getting in and walking past some distressed passengers, several bound-and-gagged stewardesses, and Punisher and/or Nick Fury.

Soon after those enemies walk off-screen and the sequence ends, the stage is already "completed". If the players are quick enough, they can optionally free the tied-up women for food drops (it's not possible to take damage here). As seen in the following Stage Clear screen, the game thinks Stage 7 has been beaten (there are only 6 stages in this game, excluding the used bonus level) and as a result, the game proceeds to play the special one-credit clear variation of the staff roll.

In what part of the game this bonus stage was intended to be and what its actual objective was is unknown.

Unused Graphics

An icon for an odd face-thing is located amongst the HUD portraits for the game's characters, it has an unknown symbol on the top left.

Located in the ROM amongst Nick Fury's characters sprites are "in-game" graphics for the afore-mentioned face that has a character icon seen above, it has rotating frames.

As seen in a screenshot on one of the game's flyers, these kids were originally in the background seats of the hijacked school bus where the boss fight of Stage 1 takes place, but they got removed and only the bus driver stayed.

Stage Clear animations for the unused school bus kids.

Alongside the "Help me!" speech bubble used for the jailed women in Stage 2, there are these "Argh!" and "Oops!" speech bubbles. Their purpose is unknown.

Unused Music

ID	Track	Notes
07		A very repetitive 2 seconds track that loops. Since it's very cheerful compared to the rest of the music, it may have been planned for something like the high score entry.
15		A tragic-sounding track that seems like an alternate ending theme.
17		A suspenseful track. Since this doesn't loop, it might have been for a cutscene.
19		The purpose of this track is unknown. Although it begins sounding like a stage track, it gets very repetitive when it begins looping.
1B		This is used on Stage 1 during the transitionary sequence where Punisher and/or Nick Fury chase Bruno into the school bus, but only a maximum of 13 seconds can be heard, there are other 21 seconds that go unheard in-game and it also doesn't get a chance to loop.
A3		This track's slot comes right after Punisher's "Continue" track. Since it sounds Game Over-ish, perhaps Punisher and Nick Fury were both supposed to have their own Game Over themes just as they do with their Continue tracks in the actual game.