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Screenshots Death to temple crashers | ohsweetmother | Cathedral | Rocked by the shotgun | ... part 2 | Watch your eyes | A nicely lit blood stain | Incoming | Just a little closer | Ah, crap! ..oh, nice sky | Pretty effects | |||
Official Statement Painkiller is a first-person horror shooter, designed to satisfy a gamer's hunger for intense, fast-paced action. It's an adrenaline addict's nightmare, where hellish monsters swarm in seemingly endless mobs. Graphically, Painkiller is unmatched. Played out over more than 20 completely unique and different levels, the proprietary 3D engine puts out 100X the polygons of the latest shooters, while adding increased texture quality and the latest lighting and shadowing techniques.
Even if Daniel
loved to hug trees, he still couldn't ignore a little demon splattering. By killing
the minions of hell, he can absorb their remaining essence to replenish his health
and also take their remaining gold coins to buy weapon upgrades, maps, and other
goodies in-between levels. Since demons are demons, and by their very nature they
love to do demon things, he'll have to defend himself sooner or later. Fortunately,
he'll have access to combo-based weapons - link together primary and secondary
fire for extra fun. Everything from zombies to gimps will be on the wrong end
of whatever weapon he happens to have, and they'll all react by way of the Havok
2.0 physics engine, which will make their deaths all the more entertaining. With
24 objective-based levels, players will have plenty of killing to do come this
April. Hands-On Actually, if I could quote an early press release, it would help explain things much more clearly: "Shoot everything that moves. And if it isn't moving, shoot it just in case!" Following those instructions will do you well as hordes of enemies will need to be dispatched before a new area in the level is unlocked; not to mention that more dangerous foes will appear farther along in the game. Since there was only one weapon featured, I became acquainted with the game's take on bullet time, which works exactly how one would expect. After trying out the weakest weapon, a twirling blade that chops up whatever is in its way, I became quickly overrun and had to cope with the slow-motion effects that are the result of getting hit. A few back-steps later, a little of the slow motion magic, and I had things in check again. One of the key features of Painkiller is the engine developed specifically for it - and what an engine it is. The lighting is incredible, as are weapon effects and character models. The architecture is dark, detailed, and sets a great mood. Especially impressive are the copious amounts of gore, and how it splatters so explosive-like into the air, and the rage the player goes into. The screenshots above show what it's like during one of the fits, and it really is something to experience. While it may not look dissimilar to the various vision options found for the Predator in Aliens vs. Predator, seeing it in motion is something completely different. Everything leaves a trail when it moves, enemies burn in a strange fire that looks fantastic, and just about everything gets mangled with one shot. It really is difficult to describe how satisfying it is to watch zombies explode again and again; one would think it gets old, but there was something undeniably enjoyable about seeing appendages heads roll fly around. Nicely complimenting the graphics were eerie sound effects and low groans that broke through the sound of wind whistling. People Can Fly really did a good job creating a creepy ambience and giving the player plenty of opportunities to charge into the unknown head-on with guns blazing. It should go without saying that those tired of the more tactical shooters should pay close attention to Painkiller. There
was quite a bit that wasn't accessible in the early version, so I don't want to
praise it too highly. At such an early stage, though, I think it's safe to say
that Serious Sam and over-the-top action fans should be pleased with the
final results. I look forward to the various weapon upgrades and combos, as well
as encountering more enemies and learning more of the story. Once everything is
integrated, the balance provided should flesh out the game more, so it will be
more than simply clearing out small section after small section; plus it would
be a shame to waste such an interesting premise. A demo is coming out in February,
and with luck, Painkiller should hit retail in April. Until then, check
out the screenshots above. [ top ] |
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