Customer Reviews

Painkiller

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(29)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

I almost think of Painkiller like two games. One of them is pure, addictive, incredible-looking, adrenaline-pumping action Nirvana. The other is a dull and sometimes frustrating game when Painkiller deviates from its formula by trying to give you something besides mindless action. Thankfully, the former is what you get to play most of the time, which is why Painkiller is such a great game.

When Painkiller is on, it is really on. This game does "mindless action" as well as any game has ever done. Picture yourself running around the edges of a room, never standing still, shooting at stuff like there's no tomorrow, trying to gun down and blow up dozens of enemies while dodging their punches, axes, swords, and bullets. A wide variety of enemies exists for you to blast into bloody chunks or stick to walls with your stake gun. The generally have simple behaviors. They rush at you, shoot stuff at you, or shoot stuff and then rush at you. There is just enough variety in the enemies though to keep you on your toes and force you to use all of the game's 5 well-balanced weapons. There are enemies that poison you, enemies that slow you down, enemies that take 3 shotgun blasts to kill, enemies that zig-zag when they rush at you, etc. You will quickly learn the hotkeys and alt-fire modes for your weapons and switch back and forth, based upon what situation you are facing at any one second.

The game only has five weapons, but don't be deceived into thinking that this is some kind of shortcoming. They are all really cool and useful, and each has a meaningful and useful alt-fire mode. Thus, the game effectively has ten weapons, all of which you will use frequently throughout the game. The game's namesake weapon, The Painkiller, is like a chainsaw on crack. The shotgun has an alt-fire mode that freezes enemies in their tracks so that you can blast them to bits with one blast. The stake gun is a powerful weapon that showcases the game's rag-doll physics by letting you impale baddies onto walls. The fourth weapon is a powerful chain gun/rocket launcher combo, and the fifth weapon can create a miniature electric storm that fries anyone who comes near it.

A couple of minor upgrades in this game make it slightly different from other run-and-gun shooters. The most notable is the collection of souls, which come from the bodies of your fallen enemies. The souls only stay on the screen for a short time, so you have to run and collect them. When you collect 66 souls, you morph into an indestructible demon for a short time. Thus, the game actually rewards you for not running backwards all day. Another feature of this game is the tarot card system. Tarot cards are basically power-ups that you can use once per level, and that you unlock by accomplishing certain tasks (like finishing a level using only one weapon).

The graphics for this game are gorgeous, and they exist across a wide variety of scenery and environments. Everyone one of the game's 24 locations looks different. All of the scenery is inspired and creative. Painkiller shows an astonishing level of polish and attention to detail that I don't think I have ever seen in a first person shooter. One little example of this is in the game's fantastic Opera House level. All over the Opera House, there are at least a couple dozen paintings on the walls. And all of those paintings are highly detailed and unique. None of them repeat. This is different from most games, where scenery such as this repeats the same five or six items. As I said, this is a minor detail, but it is one of many, many little things that prove that an enormous effort went into this game.

The game's audio is also impressive. Most of it is consistent with the bizarre afterlife setting that the game tries to convey. In most areas you can hear low-pitched moans, whispers, creaks, etc. The exception might be the game's heavy metal action soundtrack, which isn't bad, but seems a bit out of place.

That's the great part. Then there's the "other" game-the one where Painkiller tries to do other stuff, like forcing you to break open a hundred containers on every level looking for gold. Yes, that's right. The game is like Diablo when it comes to breaking open boxes and chests to find treasure. You have to do it, because you need gold to use your Tarot cards. This stuff isn't much fun in RPG's, so it is TOTALLY out of place here. To make matters worse, a lot of the gold and ammo are hidden in secret areas. These areas are insanely hard to find, and just as hard to get to once you do find them. I was able to find over 50% of the secrets in Serious Sam, but I couldn't find 10% of the secrets in Painkiller without help from the message boards. You could spend 2 hours searching a level for the secrets and only find 2 out of 4 of them. Occasionally, the levels are set up in a way that makes it hard to find an exit. Once again, this is when the game is NOT fun. Painkiller would have been better without the material that disrupts the fast-paced action.

The end boss for this game was a huge letdown. I spent a frustrating hour trying to figure out what "magic trick" I needed to beat him. Then I went to the message boards, found out the trick, and beat him in about 2 minutes.

Painkiller takes the old Quake and Serious Sam formula to a new level. While doing so, it also provides an experience that is different from those games, and in some ways, better. If you enjoy defeating swarms of enemies in fast-paced shooters, then you can't go wrong with Painkiller.

I agree 100% that this program is everything it should be. A fierce battle to the end. Lots of levels. Over a dozen hours of gameplay (on medium difficulty) , and some excellent AI. The levels are sprawling and the 'baddies' are very eclectic. A huge assortment of very intense battles with one very powerful weapon named 'The Painkiller'. This thing could slice through solid steel. And, it leaves quite a mess behind. Especially when you pull out the blade. The weapon selection is limited to , i think, 6 weapons. But, they all have a secondary fire, and that comes in quite handy. So, there's really a dozen weapons. Yes, it's a lot like what we are to expect Doom 3 to be. Much more shallow than we expect Half-life 2 to be. And, a definite stepup from Serious Sam. A blast all the way through ,if you're someone who believes that a shooter should be just that. Only a shooter. No side-missions that have you running around doing RPG stuff. Just direct, messy, in-your-face blastin'. I love this game.

I was unsure whether to give this 3 or 4 stars. First, I never played Serious Sam, but I did play Will Rock, and I can say that this game is exactly the same type of game. You move along, hords of baddies pop up, and you run around blowing them away. And of course, at the end of each level, is a boss to a kill. It is as simple as that. For me, although I did enjoy this game, it does get a little boring, I prefer a litle more depth to my games.

As for the good things, the graphics are excellent. This is the by far the best part of the game, so I hope you all have a good system. The baddies are very cool, and there are loads of different kinds. It sounds good, and the background music is a nice touch.

The biggest problem I have with the game, is that it is limited by only itself. This game could have been really awesome if there was more too it. The story behind it is unique, and the game sets a very compelling, and dark mood. The 4 or 5 cutscenes are very well done. This game has all the tools and potential to be great, really great, but lacks any substance to get there.

All and all, this is a good game, worthy of purchase as long as you know there is nothing more then running around shooting things, and from time to time that can be relaxing. I also have had no problems technically with this game, and I know a lot of people are complaining about it. I will not say the game is technically perfect, but for me it works fine.

I bought this game to test out my new system (and graphics card) because of what I had read about the graphics. Well, the graphics are indeed well done; combined with the realistic physics engine they made me realize that I enjoy watching a well-animated mutant ninja corpse flipping through the air, ultimately being riveted to the wall by a spike impaled in its head. Since I never realized this would hold my attention for 10 or more hours, the game was well worth the $20 investment for this bit of self-awareness alone.

This game has "guilty pleasure" written all over it and it's better for you than the half-dozen Big Macs you should deprive yourself to buy it.

I was wary to buy the game after reading several negative reviews, but thankfully I did anyway, and am fully satisfied. It is exactly what was promised, fast paced, mindless killing, That's even part of the damn story! "Kill everything you see!" It says to use CD #3 to start up, what the hell's wrong w/ that? And it runs perfectly, smooth and crisp. Just lower all the detail. A unique idea they added, which I love, is to completely customize your cross hair, minor but fun. The multiplayer is great. What else do you want for the genre? If you don't like mindless killing, go buy SOMETHING THAT ISN'T MINDLESS KILLING. There ya go, problem solved. dumasses

This is pure non-stop action. You will not be left in a big boring empty level trying to figure your way out or figure out some boring time consuming puzzle. There is no "wait here for half an hour and snipe" either. The weapons are mostly short range, so for most part you get up-close and personal with gruesome looking creatures. Most monsters are armed with melee weapons too, so this makes a great close range fighting scene with bodies flying around and gut splattering action.

The graphics are incredible, and extremely detailed. The screenshots don't do justice to this game. The levels look incredibly well polished, and the monsters are just very beautiful and scary looking as they try to impale you. The special effects are very nicely done, for example when you get hit by a monster, it is the best "getting hurt" effect I've seen in a game so far.

The physics are incredible. The monsters dangle around realistically as you part your way through a sea of undead creatures.

The sounds are great, the ambient noises really add to the scary feel of the game, especially since the levels are already very dark and scary looking.

It runs very nicely with all the settings set to the highest on my computer: P4 2.8, 1GB RAM, GeForce4 Ti4600.

The game is very simple. Shoot anything that moves, harvest objects, survive to the next level. Forget about a learning curve, there really isn't one. It's as straightforward as first-person shooters get.

A lot of thought and effort went into the realims of the motion of objects and enemies; what they call "rag doll physics." As a result, the carnage is quite graphic. Many players have touted the creepy atmosphere, I found the cemetery, town, and hell levels particularly eerie. But I found the monster designs to be more impressive. Monsters walk, talk, attack, and die each in a unique fashion.

The game suffers in only a few respects.

Firstly, there isn't a lot of variety beyond the environment and the monsters. Each level is pretty much just like the rest, pure first-person shoot-em-up. There's no real strategy to employ beyond using natural cover to avoid getting shot.

To add variety, there are side objectives to achieve to improve one's odds of surviving (through collection of "Black tarot cards" that grant special powers) and some of these can be very challenging but most are not (see below). The boss levels start very hard but taper off in difficulty. In fact, the game does not seem to progress from easy to hard to harder levels but bounces up and down in difficulty. Moreover, I began the game on Nightmare difficulty and was able to complete all the required levels in less than 25 hours of play. However, there are 2 bonus levels that are not playable unless you collect a minimum number of Tarot cards, so you will likely find yourself replaying easier levels just to get to the levels you missed.

In the end, however, the game delivers what it promises. Outrageous zombie mayhem to a background heavy metal soundtrack and enough gore and blood to satisfy anybody's need for senseless violence.

This games is simply fun. It's not dumb but it veers away from the recent trend in first person shooters by eschewing complex controls, stealth and in game objectives and instead has one simple premise....if it moves, shoot it.

That sounds simplistic but the game handles the premise so very well that instead it basically distills everything down to pure fun.

The storyline is simple but effective: You are Daniel Garner, who died in a car accident while taking his girlfriend out for her birthday. Trapped in a place between Heaven and Hell, you struggle to uncover the reasons why you are denied entry into Heaven, the only place where you will see your loved one again. Sent on a mission to assassinate four of Satan's men, you become Heaven's hitman. I can do that.

What unfolds is rather majestic in its scope and execution. The game just looks fabulous and with the Havok engine, the environment opponents' bodies fly back, twisting and turning as you shoot them, realistically smashing into doors and other objects. There were times when I had finished off the enemies in some areas when I would just walk around shooting things to watch the effects, it's that impressive. And when you're blasting enemies, there'll be times when you just stop to watch your assailant soar through the air before continuing to the next one. The weapon sounds sound great so you can almost feel the impact of your weapons.

What really impressed me was the level design. We've all seen the endless corridors and rather staid levels in many FPS games but Painkiller takes level design to a new level, no pun intended. There's such a bizarre variety of levels, from Insane Asylums to an Opera House to an Abandoned Military Base to an Old Refinery to. you get the idea. It's creative and feels right in this game.

And speaking of levels, the end game level in Hell has to be seen to be believed. The designer put together a level that in my humble opinion would be worthy of a cinematic treatment. It's a great interpretation of what hell could be, based on the way humans have lived much of their lives.

So, get this one and as long as you aren't in need of the realistic tactical shooter type game, you'll have a blast. I know I did.

I have a system that actually falls BELOW minimum system requirements (a 32 meg nVidia card, rather than 64, everything else is above the minimum requirements). This means that the menus don't load right, nor can I view any cut-scenes. Yet, I LOVE THIS GAME!! The in-game play looks gorgeous, even on my machine (if you meet the min specs, buy the game). The architectural textures are at times simple, but stunningly used. Lighting, rag doll physics, weather effects, and character details are simply supurb. I rarely wanted to turn down any details, even if the framerate slowed a bit in large open areas with scores of enemy attackers.

Those looking for a tight plot... well, I can't really tell you what the plot is (like I said, my system won't play the cut scenes). But it doesn't matter. If it moves - mutilate it and harvest its soul. That's all I need to know.

Enemy AI? Who cares? How intelligent do limping zombies ripping off their flesh and throwing it at you have to be? And what about the guys that drag themselves around on the ground by their hands, only to stumble to their feet long enough to begin munching on your neck? You expect them to duck for cover or call in backup? No? Good, then you won't be dissappointed.

So, without knowing the plot, and without smart enemies, why would I recommend this game? The pure rush of being locked in a graveyard (or cathedral, or village square, etc.) with zombies, gouls, witches, ninjas, skeletons, and more (oh my!). Imagine dozens (and I mean DOZENS) of enemies limping, crawling, wailing, moaning, and putrifying all around you at every moment, constantly drawing slowly towards you as you start running low on wooden stakes.

Extra challenges, such as finishing a level with only your stake-gun, or harvesting at least 100 souls, unlocks bonus powerups that you can use in subsequent levels.

The save-game bugs some have mentioned have been fixed with a second patch (download it at dreamcatcher.com). While I usually hate games with save points, this game gives you the additional option of quicksaves (which I rarely have had the need to use). The save points are REALLY well placed, leading to a nice game-flow without the worry of having to re-play a long sequence over and over.

Can't wait until I upgrade my vid card and find out why the H-E-double-hockey-sticks I had to dismember so many freaks of nature.

It's a pity Painkiller didn't fare better in sales. It got widespread critical acclaim and rightly so.

The graphics are superb and the gameplay is fast and furious. The crazy minions of Hell that you have to fend off are wildly imaginative and deadly. My personal favourites are the amputee and the ninja swordmen. There are also some stellar levels... with the asylum map being particularly spooky. As for the level bosses, in a word, huge!

The weapons are pretty much standard fps fare, but the one original weapon, the stakegun, is a hoot. My personal favourite in the arsenal. Combine the stakegun with the superb ragdoll physics and you got some intense action.

Okay there are a few things I didn't like. The puzzles you have to solve in order to beat the level bosses. The load times were a touch long. Some of the later levels (docks and old monastery) were a let down when compared with the earlier ones.

But these are minor criticisms. Seriously, this was the most fun I've had with a shooter in awhile. You can find Painkiller now in the bargain bin so there is absolutely no excuse not to get this gem of a shooter.