The voice of Claptrap becomes the voice of Pisstrap in Postal 2’s surprisingly big 20th Anniversary Update
The major update includes a new game mode, difficulty, weapon, and a big new addition to the voice cast.
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Postal 2 is a notoriously bad videogame. Some people liked it when it launched back in 2003: PC Gamer, according to aMetacriticroundup, scored it 79%, calling it “a nonstop tour de force of insulting insanity.” Computer Gaming World, on the other hand, handily summed up the more common consensus, rating it a flat 0 and declaring that “until someone boxes up syphilis and tries to sell it at retail, Postal 2 is the worst product ever foisted upon consumers.”
The situation is somehow clearer yet more confusing onSteam, where Postal 2 has amassed an “overwhelmingly positive” rating across more than 71,000 user reviews. Irony is obviously a factor in that, with user reviews like “better than Cyberpunk” and “you can piss on people,” which is doable when a game is regularly available for $1 (and sometimes free), as is the case here. Still, that’s a lot of people who own Postal 2, and according toSteam Chartsit’s put up better player numbers over the past 12 months thanMarvel’s Avengers.
That may in part be why, 20 years after Postal 2 first came out, developer Running With Scissors has released a new update creatively entitled the 20th Anniversary Update. And it’s not just a handful of minor fixes and tweaks: This is a significant reworking of the game that incorporates the fan-madexPatch, improves Steam Deck compatibility (for the record, Postal 2 is rated as “playable” on Steam Deck), adds the Paradise Lost expansion as a new game mode, “Ludicrous” difficulty, and something called the Cat Launcher “as a cheat-only weapon.”
Perhaps the most Postal-esque addition to the update is the addition of David Eddings, the original voice of Claptrap in the Borderlands games, as the voice of Pisstrap. Pisstrap, in fine Postal fashion, is very obviously a Claptrap knockoff with a urinal as a body—in fact, Pisstrap robots were originally designed as mobile urinals but eventually rebelled against their creators because collecting piss is not a great job. According to thePostal wiki, Eddings—who also appeared in 2019’s Postal 4: No Regerts—was intended to voice the robots when the Paradise Lost expansion came out in 2015, but wasn’t able to because of “unknown circumstances.” Hisless-than-amicable splitwith Gearbox boss Randy Pitchford in 2019 may have helped clear the way for this new role.
“We’ve also made some significant changes to the game, such as restoring the original number of particles for blood effects, improving Muzzle Flash Effects, and adding new weapon options like Cat Silencers now being usable on more weapons, and dual-wielding Sawn-Off Shotguns,” Running With Scissors said. “During the apocalypse, bystanders will now use more weapons too, making for a more thrilling and chaotic experience!”
For those who prefer the unsullied purity of the original Postal 2 experience, a “classic mode” option will make the game playable “closer to how it was at launch,” minus the “modern updates” but with quality-of-life improvements like widescreen support still in place. For those who like to get really granular with their Postal experiences, it’s also possible to make individual original-or-updated selections.
Postal 2’s 20th Anniversary Update is live now. If you can’t see the patch notes on Steam because you happen to live in a country where the game is still banned (which isapparently a problem), you can check them out in full below:
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Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill.Lotsof Henry Cavill.
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