Painkiller: Hell and Damnation (Multi)
By: Nordic Games
PARTY like it's 1999 with this belated console outing for a decidedly old-school blaster. Released in 2004, Painkiller won praise for its no-nonsense gameplay and huge arsenal of weapons as players took on herds of hellspawn in an unapologetic salve for itchy trigger fingers. But the intervening years have seen the genre move on in lofty leaps and bounds, both in gameplay with Bioshock and technically with the onward march of Call of Duty and Battlefield. Based on the 2004 PC original and its expansion pack, Painkiller is, by comparison, a hoary old bargain-basement relic with none of your modern sensibilities. Unfettered by the need to make you question the horror of war or such nonsense, Painkiller simply tasks you with blasting Nazi zombies, angry skellingtons and the like in a frenzy of nonsensical, non-stop action that does exactly what it says on the tin. When Daniel Garner's life is cut short, he is tasked with harvesting souls for Death in exchange for being reunited with his wife in heaven. Cue an assembly line of massive battles as the dead walk (well, awkwardly shuffle) the earth, scrabbling from their demonic slumber to charge at you en masse, ripe for the slaughter. Despite its acronym, the last thing you'll need is a PhD for Painkiller: Hell and Damnation, as administering double-barreled analgesic to Satan's hordes requires only an itchy trigger finger. Of course, this means the gameplay is as barebones as your skeletal foe, but there's an undeniable charm to these relentless, straight-up firefights. Defying logic, crates of ammo pop up to fuel your arsenal and the game certainly throws a varied bunch of weapons your way. The titular Painkiller is your primary tool, a melee saw-like contraption with multiple firing modes. Tire of that and players can re-dead the undead with stakes, shotguns and grenade launchers. Given that it's based on a nine-year-old game, Painkiller holds up surprisingly well in the visual stakes. Everything has been given thick hacks of HD spit and polish, while the whole shebang is set to the kind of thundering metal soundtrack once thought de rigueur for videogame blasting. Intended, for the hardcore gamer weaned on the likes of Doom and Quake, Painkiller is a celebration of how shooters used to be. If you're a fan of the original, though, this is essentially a shorter highlights reel gussied up with shinier visuals. There's a cavalcade of blasting through a variety of gothic settings while each level is topped off with some incredible screen-filling boss battles. And, for once, the action isn't diluted with tackedon sniping sequences, quick-time events or vehicles. Unfortunately, the years quickly begin to show and while a blast to play in short doses, Painkiller's brand of fireworks quickly becomes repetitive as the umpteenth gaggle of enemies is put down. With the single-player campaign clocking in at around five hours, however, it's in no danger of outstaying its welcome while online and split-screen co-op (remember that?) keep the hellish embers fired, despite plummeting framerates. Bereft of modern gaming's chin-stroking odes to war, the simplistic point and shoot gameplay of this painkiller may be more Calpol than Codeine, but it'll still slap a nostalgic smile on the mush of gamers who simply want to blast things back to hell.