First person shooters must be the most popular games ever since Wolfenstein 3D (followed by Doom) 'revolutionized' 3D computer gaming in 1992 and 1993. Recently we had our fair share of military related versions, a short-term departure from the traditional theme. With the training of the Super Soldier almost complete, it's time for a detour - back to fantasy and slaying the Undead.
Sure, the genre will get reinforcement with DOOM 3 (August) and Half-Life 2 (November) but until then, Painkiller is a serious offer and not to be discarded. In fact, it may not look too bad against those ultra-hyped mega games. After all, at $29 Painkiller costs only little more than half of any of the other two big games - and it's in stores right now.
Sound: Simply great and on par with the best performer. In fact, in one instance I paused the game in a dungeon and went off to do something else. A little later I sure wondered if there is water dripping in the other room. Fighting noise and background score are crisp and dynamic. Music picks up when monsters are imminent and calms down when all are killed. Voice sampling is clear and realistic, though only the cut scenes to have actual spoken words. In normal gameplay that would be more like alien sounds. ;-)
Animation: Painkiller doesn't give you much time to envy the fine animation of each of your enemies or the environment for that matter. Motion of most monsters is very pleasing to the eye, at least in a 'anatomically correct' kind of way. Taking treasure bearing objects apart (coffins, boxes etc. stuffed with gold coins) is just as fun to watch as it is to actually invoke the damage.
Physics: The game uses the Havok 2.0 physics engine and objects move realistic with only very few exceptions. (Trash cans appear extremely light and are hard to move in small increments.) Overall it's impressive how damage is different depending on your distance to the object and gravity seems all present for most objects that get blown up, moved or simply fall due to impact of other objects. Physics are also applied when practically skating on the icey Snowy Bridge level.
Weapons: What were they thinking, only 5 weapons in total and most of the time you'll have to do with 3? Well, it's not quantity but the balanced quality of those destruction instruments. Each is significantly different and how many different ways of killing do you need anyway? The standard "Painkiller" is the only weapon that does not have to be replenished. Unlike most games' basic weapon, this one can be quite damaging and useful at many situation in any of the 24 levels (exception maybe the level bosses). The remaining 4 must be found to be used and they have limited ammo too. Either one has a distinctive alternate firing mode, and that essentially allows 10 basically different ways of getting rid of monsters. The other weapons are (in the order they're found) shotgut/freezer, stakegun/grenade launcher, electrodriver (2 modes), and the rocket launcher/chaingun. So, not too many weapons, but each is quite different and a somewhat fresh take on the standard arsenal. (Note: there is no 'flame thrower'.)
Progress: Excellent. It's all there, automatic checkpoint saves and the option to save at any time if so desired. Maybe the makers of Halo and XIII in particular should have thought about that. Painkiller's save system is excellent and pretty much on par with shooter primus Call of Duty.
Enemy AI: Well it's ironic to talk about (artificial) intelligence in a 'dumb' shooter. Enemies charge whenever you get close and have no mercy until eliminated or victorious. However, there are many different types of enemies and each has their own strengths and weaknesses. Each on their own is pretty much fierce and has only one goal: to get you before you get them. (Dumb does not mean they're harmless.) Some of them combine their strength and become even more dangerous. Most monsters don't use much strategy other than run-in confrontation but that's probably to expect from the genre. Need more 'intelligent' enemies? Check out Call of Duty, Thief: Deadly Shadows, and Far Cry.
Difficulty: There is basically 4 different levels of difficulty. Unlike most other games, the 2 highest levels must be unlocked via certain milestones in standard difficulty. And the easiest doesn't contribute to that goal either. In essence, there is only one difficulty and its name 'Insomnia' holds already true in some situations like level bosses and some secret areas. The rest of the game is well balanced, and what feels sometimes too easy might turn out too hard the next time around. It's no cake walk but not impossible either. Level bosses, however, are always very tough 'cookies'.
Longevity: Streamlined levels and single solutions per level provide little incentive to go back and try it again. However, each level is significantly long and backtracking your way for more treasures after killing everything that moves prolongs game fun. This is not a short game! Once you're done, give multiplayer a try to extend fun a little bit.
Locations: Amazing variety and excellent level design. A total of 24 different levels in SP leads you thru cemeteries, dungeons, abandoned mansions, factories, the opera and so on and so forth. The variety is quite impressive and a far cry from Halo's repetitive map design.
MultiPlayer: Currently exploring this mode and will update once I have actual test data. However, Painkiller MP can be played via internet and LAN.
Minimum Requirements: Codemasters/'People Can Fly' call out a Intel Pentium III 1.5GHz or AMD Athlon as the minimum and 2.4GHz P4 as the recommended system. The minimum memory requirement for RAM is 384MB and 64MB for video memory to run the game. Nobody said it will be pretty or quick at or below minimum. Installation of the 3 CDs requires 2GByte of HD space despite the listed 1.2GB. A CD-ROM Drive or DVD-ROM Drive is also required (copy protection needs the disc to be present to play). Notice the list of incompatible CDs that can be found in the FAQs.
http://painkillergame.com/content/en/faqs/tech_faqs2.php#19
Based on the need for DirectX9.0b (included), the OS is limited to Windows 98/Me/2000 and XP.
My system (2.4GHz P4, 1GB RAM, Radeon 9700 Pro, ATA133, WinXP) runs the game quite smoothly with video options set to 1280x1048, 32bit, 2xAA, and all of the game's options put to maximum. (Much faster than Thief: Deadly Shadows.)
With that in mind, Painkiller may not be surrounded by as much hype as DOOM 3 and Half-Life2 but it sure is a great game of the genre. If you're looking for brain gymnastics, this is not for you. However, as a shooter it is one of the best recently released games and the release of mentioned ueber-games will not change that.
In fact, Painkiller most likely is kinder to medium level hardware and even at maximum settings quite playable on top technology from 2 years ago (i.e. Radeon 9700). I am not sure how much of that will be applicable to DOOM 3 and Half-Life2. In the end it sure is kinder to your wallet with currently $29.
Either way, don't forget to turn your brain back on after you're done playing. ;-)
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