Platform: PC, XB

Genre: FPS

Publisher: Dreamcatcher

Developer: People Can Fly

ETA: September 2003

Related Links:

Review: Unreal Tournament 2003 (PC)

Review: Halo (Xbox)

Review: Serious Sam (PC)

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Painkiller

* Updated July 20, 2003

Mark Leung recently took an early build of the PC version for a spin.

While many of the anticipated next generation games have touted extraordinary graphics and physics engines as a selling point, it seems to be becoming more blatantly a technological showcase and competition between engines. With Doom III stating that the story will be a basic rehash of the story in the first Doom, one of my favorite elements about gaming, namely storyline, seems to be becoming less important as prices for licensing a good game engine increases.

Painkiller is no exception but the game does seem to offer an interesting gothic storyline, which is always a plus in my books. As Daniel Garner, you’ll try to stay alive in a place between Heaven and Hell where you’ve wound up after dying in a car accident. Hordes of demons will attack you and the action promises to be run and gun.

Although I do love my storylines, I do like technology as well and graphical engines that push the envelope are always cool. The proprietary Pain engine that drives the graphics of the game is said to push one hundred times the pixels of the latest FPS games. The game will also have the latest in vertex and pixel shader technology. An average level is said to boast 350,000 pixels with almost no reuse of textures between any of the levels.

My first impression of the game was, "Whoa, nice graphics." Playing the game, I found I was right at home, being a fan of the

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fast and furious action of games like Serious Sam. The enemies seemed fairly unique, and along with the environment, really succeeded in creating a good ol’ gothic mood. Included in the demo I played was a boss level, a Venice like cityscape, and a cathedral level.

More than just characters that shoot back, the enemies that I encountered in the demo were not only skinned very originally, but behaved and attacked uniquely. Big monster’s in biker leathers shoot at you with tommy guns, throw Molotov cocktails, and try to knock you over by charging you. A huge boss has an even bigger hammer to try and crush you in between trying to stomp you.

To me, Painkiller really seems like it will be a lot of fun. It’s like a bigger budget, better looking Serious Sam. Let’s just hope that it has a storyline and mood that will truly make it unique and memorable. Who knows, if all the pieces fall into place, it could be mentioned in the same breath as Doom III and Half-Life 2.

Features:

Intense gameplay: The player will be constantly outnumbered, fighting against seemingly insurmountable odds.

Next-generation graphics: The game uses the proprietary 3D “PAIN Engine” capable of pumping out 100X the polygons of some of the latest shooters, while adding increased texture quality and the latest lighting and shadowing techniques.

Lasting replay value: Painkiller features a standard single player campaign, with
additional modes to encourage replay. The game also features full multiplayer support.

Combo weapons: All weapons come in pairs, with a primary and secondary fire.

Morphing: Your unholy pact gives you the power to morph into a powerful possessed creature with every 100 souls collected.

Monster AI: Advanced AI coding will simulate group behaviours. Monsters don't spawn onto the map, they patrol. They are constantly aware of the player, and will coordinate their attacks by retreating, regrouping and counterattacking.

Physics Engine: Painkiller employs the Havok 2.0 physics engine, allowing for inverse kinematics ("rag-doll physics") and deformable, interactive environments

- Mr. Nash

(May 11, 2003)

- Mark Leung

(July 20, 2003)