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92%
PROS
Amazing graphics, tons of enemies and maps, unique, great multiplayer modes.
LOWS
Can get boring, some areas very plain, no multiplayer.
OVERALL
Painkiller is bursting with action, and has some of the most amazing graphics as of now. This is one FPS you shouldn't pass up.
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As for gameplay… to tell you the truth, it's awesome. Based upon my descriptions of the hordes of enemies you will be facing, you can understand how cool it is to take down Lucifer's army. AI is top notch; enemies will do everything in their power to kill you, or to defend themselves. When I used one particular weapon, the Painkiller, which has a searing rotating blade, I would find that enemies actually ran away from me to avoid getting cut. The action is nonstop, except for the occasional save at a checkpoint. Because each level is so different and the enemies you are fighting are so unique, Painkiller feels new and different each time you try it. The game also has a bunch of beautiful cinematics which have movie-like graphics, and will surely keep you at the edge of your seat.
One special thing about the game I'd like to point out is the demon morph option. After killing an enemy, his “soul” replaces his corpse. Souls only remain available for a few seconds, and then they disappear. By running over a soul, you “collect” it. When you reach 66 souls, (666 would just be way too much) you morph into a demon and the screen goes into some scary black and white mode with each enemy appearing as a red figure. Kill whatever you want, you are unstoppable…
There is a little more to Painkiller than shoot ‘em up gameplay. Each level has a goal you can complete to officially “unlock” the map. Goals can be hard or easy; collect 100 souls, a certain amount of gold, use only one type of weapon for the whole level, etc. When this is completed, you unlock “black tarot cards” which are essentially power ups you can mount to your character depending on how much gold you have. The harder the task, the more useful the black tarot power. This black tarot card idea adds in a whole RPG twist, and even though it's not a major thing, I still thought it was really cool idea to bring to an FPS.
Also to be found in Painkiller is a heart-stopping multiplayer mode, which includes a bunch of unique modes. There are your typical free for all and team Deathmatch… but the other three modes are special. Voosh starts everyone off with the same weapon and then automatically switches everyone to a different weapon. Light Bearer mode allows a 4X damage power up available in the map which never expires. After a player with the power up is killed, it can be picked up again by other players. The winner is the guy who has the power up when the timer ends or the frag limit is reached. My favorite mode is the “People Can Fly” mode. Like the name suggests, this mode involves the air. You can only use the rocket launcher and chain gun, and can only damage enemies while they are in the air. It's tricky, but very rewarding.
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My only real complaint with Painkiller was that there were very few weapons. Even though they are creative, I would have preferred more than the five weapons available in the game. They are so many levels and different enemies to fight, why not give you a larger selection of weapons to kill them with?
Painkiller was a joyride. The action was intense and the graphics were even better. Even if you are not a real FPS junkie, this is one game you shouldn't pass up.
