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PainKiller
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Developer
People Can Fly
Publisher
DreamCatcher
Version
Press Preview (May 2003)
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Author
Kevin L. Kitchens
[Feedback] [Author Bio]
Date
June 6, 2003
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Key Points
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- New PAIN graphics engine.
- Havok 2.0 Physics Engine a marvel.
- 19 Levels, 5 Bosses.
- 5 Multiplayer Modes.
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Horrible game content. Offensive to the max. AVOID THIS GAME. |
At the time of this original preview, the "theme" of the game was not yet finalized. Upon receiving the final version of the game, we can safely say that DreamCatcher's PAINKILLER is a game that should be highly offensive to anyone of the Christian faith. We cannot recommend this game to anyone and hope it fails miserably in sales. (updated 04-09-2004).
PainKiller is the new fast-action FPS from Canada's DreamCatcher and People Can Fly (developer). I just finished running through three levels from a press pre-alpha demo and here's my thoughts (so far).
Quake meets Gauntlet meets Serious Sam.
Best I can tell, this is not geared to be a shoot-em up with a deep storyline. This is going to be a frenzied blast-fest ala Serious Sam. There will be hordes of monsters to swarm and engulf you as you fight your way out -- to fight again. The press version was very limited in features, there was only one weapon per level, massive amounts of ammo, no health kits (although they did start us with a boatload of health).
The graphics were quite nice. While the monsters need a little more work, they still had a flavor all their own. However, the levels are beautiful with fantastic light effects, curving walls/stairs and nice height and depth. The game uses the PAIN proprietary engine and while this version required a middle-to-high-end processor/graphics system, the release version should be more mainstream.
Bottom line: Take two grenades and call me in the morning. |
The Havok 2.0 Physics Engine (also featured in Half-Life 2.0) gives the levels a real feel in terms of, well, physics and world interaction. Shoot the bottom crate in a stack and the rest tumble quite realistically. One boss level had the beast's stomps knocking down pillars of stone which rocked and fell with their own seeming intelligence. A fountain sprays water drop by drop while glass will spiderweb and then break apart piece by piece.
Serious Sam took the serious out of the FPS genre. From this early look of PainKiller, DreamCatcher aims to put some of it back while retaining the frantic action.
Bottom line: Take two grenades and call me in the morning.
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