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Just below Doom 3

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 3 / 4
Date: August 23, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I write only a few reviews, but feel that this is one of those "hidden gems" of a game that is getting overlooked or ignored in the glut of first person shooter games that are on the market today.

This is not a team based, tactical shooter like the Battlefield games, Joint Operations, Ravenshield, or Counterstrike. Its just a simple "shoot everything".

This game is a throw back (and I mean that in a good way) to the early days of First Person shooters. The game reminds me more of the original Doom than any other game out there, except with incredible graphics and an amazing ragdoll physics engine. I would have called this game the true successor to the original Doom except that there is a Doom 3 now (another great game).

This game is made for single player, not Deathmatch (although there is a DM option). The storyline is far fetched, but then again so was Doom's, but that didn't stop the game from being addictingly fun, did it?

Worth the money

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: April 11, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I have played both the demo's that can be downloaded from the internet and they are great fun. I will buy this game as soon as it hits the shops. The no-save option mentioned below is a demo glitch as in the city on water demo this is possible at any time in the game. It is a step up from Serious Sam and it'll be interesting to see how DOOM3 can improve on the engine, the imaginitive levels, the scary monsters and the sometimes hilarious animation. If you have the DOOM, Quake and Serious Sam titles on your shelf you will not be disappointed with Painkiller.

Think "Quake Re-Imaged"

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: April 14, 2004
Author: Amazon User

One of the highlights in this game for me is running head-on into a mob of undead with your primary weapon; The Painkiller! This weapon has a set of rotating blades that literally plow their way through any opposition (both as a melee type weapon, and as a "twirling projectile of death"). Aside from the ensuing carnage the weapon produces, you're also treated to creatures flying through the air, smashing into walls, or just dropping straight to the ground, all courtesy of the awesome "rag doll" physics generated from the twirling spiral of death. The alternate fire of the weapon allows you to shoot out a kind of projectile, that if lodged into an enemy, will pull them through the air in an amazing "ballet of death" as the weapon's projectile returns via a laser like beam (which will do additional damage if any creature crosses through the beam while it's activated).

I'll "bottom-line" this review in one sentence: If you liked the original Quake, you'll love Painkiller.

Doom III concept + Half Life 2 engine = PAINKILLER

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: April 15, 2004
Author: Amazon User

This game is awesome... When I was playing this game I felt like playing continuation of QUAKE 1. Weapons are very usefull, you can use them to make frenzy combos. Graphical Painkiller must be similiar to HL2, it use Havoc 2 at least. Do you wait for HALF LIFE 2 and DOOM III ? Check PAINKILLER, you should be satisfied.

If you take it for what it is, it can be a lot of fun.

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: August 17, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Revolutionary gameplay. Brilliant AI. An epic storyline.

Painkiller has none of these things. Instead, it harkens back to the roots of the FPS genre- run-and-gun action, insanely powerful weapons against overwhelming hordes of relentless enemies. Painkiller does this well, and in some of the most wide-open, beautifully-detailed arenas yet to be seen in an FPS.
The tarot card system- cards that can give you enhanced abilities- is a nice plus, and does help the replayability factor. The gore factor is so over-the-top as to be comical; bodies shatter and splatter blood all over the place, and it all disappears in a matter of moments.
The levels truly are magnificent (and a couple are downright creepy). They have a certain bizarre realism to them; even the more fantastical ones have a logic to their construction that can make you believe in them. The texturing looks great even up close.
Oh, and those end-level bosses... best seen to be believed. Enough said.
There are downsides, though. First of all, there's the gameplay. The formula is simple- kill all enemies, scour the area for goodies/secrets, move on. And... that's about it. The world of Painkiller has never heard of key hunts or mission objectives.
There was also a design decision that bothered me to no end- invisible walls. Several times, creative attempts to get to new areas resulted in me running smack into an invisible barrier, obviously placed to keep me from getting at places the developers didn't want me to go. Bad show, in my view.
Sound is a real mixed bag. The ambient music/effects of most levels is beautiful, but entering combat starts up some generic "canned rock" music that doesn't do much to set any sort of mood. Weapon sounds are sharp, and enemies make convincing monster-type noises.
This isn't Half-Life, or Deus Ex, or even Doom3. You'll get frantic, fast-paced action, secret areas that really don't want you to find them, and enemies crawling out of every nook and cranny to get you- and that's pretty much it. If that's what you're looking for, Painkiller delivers the goods like a shot of morphine to the jugular.

painkiller my opinion on this great game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 5
Date: April 21, 2004
Author: Amazon User

i havent bought it yet but am in a couple of days only due to money problems. I have played it at my friends house. I was staying the night over there and sat up all night playing it. It is a blast pinning stuff to the wall, cutting fat people up and dodging mace swinging tommy-gun shooting, malatov (hope thats the right spelling) cocktails. it is nothing but fun. These people who are putting this game down are in my opinion stupid and i really dont care for them at all. i think this game will be a great one to buy. I laugh in the face at the people who dont like this game. especially that one review, who stated that you wont like this game if you arent in the doom 1 and 2 crowd. thats total bull crap. i didnt even like the original doom games just because i didnt even like the doom series that much and i thought that this game was a blast. I really think many of you out there will as well.

Gorgeous But Only Average

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 3 / 5
Date: May 03, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Painkiller has some gorgeous graphics, an initially compelling story, and decent (but in the end tiring) gameplay.

The game's graphics, in my opinion, are its principal strength. The gameplay can be accurately compared to Serious Sam--LOTS of enemies, crazy weapons, and repetitive (but fun). Though personally I think Serious Sam SE is, overall, more fun.

Painkiller, in my opinion, had a lot more potential. I initially got into the story--holy warrior with an attitude--but I do feel it fell short in a number of critical areas--story and gameplay. To some, the gameplay is the best thing about this game, but I found it mind-numbing at times. I suppose the difference in gameplay between Serious Sam SE and Painkiller is Serious Sam is more creative in its level design and weapons.

Painkiller,depending on personal preferences, could be given four stars. For someone like me, however, it's more of a 2.5 or 3.0 star game. Good but not exceptional.

Overall: Would recommend at a lower price (30 USD). If you have a broadband connection, then download the demo and make up your own mind!

Rip off..

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 3 / 5
Date: July 06, 2004
Author: Amazon User

..unfortunately. The game is bug ridden and all patches to day didn't fix even half of it -- patch 1.20 (the latest one) makes matters worse, it breakes the game on W9X machines and PCF failed to fix it w/ the last 3 weeks.. The MP mode only works in theory and there are almost no servers up w/ the version that may run on your setup (1.0, 1.15 or 1.20 -- not that it does matter, MP is unplayable). No map editor is/will be available and the technical support is a joke. Funny thing is that DC snnounced the "Painkiller Extension Pack" that is supposed to fix the MP mode -- great, another $20 for something that was promised to be part of the game.

Besides that it's an ok game if you look for SP Quake like action.

Bottom line -- before buying check the Painkiller forum @ (...)

Only good thing: the graphics and the physics

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 3 / 5
Date: August 10, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Ok, I'm 30 years old so dropping $20 on this game was no big deal, but this game is very very repetitive and requires no use of your brain. While the graphics and the physics are probably the best I have ever seen, the game is extremely boring. All you do is shoot monster after monster, and they are always coming at you, so don't worry, there is nothing to explore. If you like cool graphics and are easily amused, then you will like this game. I hope they use this engine to make a real game in the future. I'm sure it was a lot of work to get the engine as awesome as it is, but gameplay is no fun at all.

A great new FPS.

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 6 / 16
Date: August 04, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Painkiller is a new FPS from Dreamcather Interactive. Painkiller is more strightforward, with a large focus on action instead of puzzles and story.

There story here is pointless. It is based about demons, and is fairly boring. Thankfully, the relentless action more than makes up for it. There are a wide array of guns and weapons. THey include: shotguns, miniguns, and crossbows, as well as the usual assortment of pistols, and heavy assault rifles.

Graphically, Painkiller is great. Blood and gore will stay plastered to the wall. The waepn detail is also very good. There are 19 levels, which are fairly large in size. They are long, but do not offer much exploration. Boss battles are probalby the biggest yet in an FPS. They are huge, and also use strategy.

Painkiller's only real flaw is a lack of innovation. But is you can look past that, there is a lot of fun to be had here. The oline multiplayer levels are well designed, too.

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