Painkiller

The Devil and Daniel Garner.

There's no doubt that first-person shooters have evolved a lot over the past fifteen years, synthesizing elements from other genres into the shooter formula. They've become more complex, more interested in storytelling, more satisfying overall. But there is still room for the kind of shooters that many grew up with: shooters like Doom, Quake, and Castle Wolfenstein. These are games that touch on the base instincts of shooters: fast action, overwhelming odds, brawny heroes, devastating weapons. Painkiller is such a game.

Painkiller takes place in Purgatory, where Daniel Garner is stuck awaiting purification. In order to ascend to Heaven and reunite with his wife, he must take a contract from a heavenly emissary who tasks Daniel with wiping out Lucifer's generals before they mount an assault on Purgatory. Daniel grudgingly accepts and travels throughout the many lands of Purgatory to destroy the demonic armies of Lucifer.

The game is divided into five chapters, each of which has about five levels. Unlike many shooters, the levels do not smoothly flow from one to another, although they are typically united by some theme. Each level is a world unto itself, filled with some spectacular architecture. There are tombs, graveyards, docks, shipyards, castles, towers, battlefields, military bases, and many other surprises. The environments are so elaborately detailed and well-realized that it's hard not to stop and marvel, although doing so will make you vulnerable to attack.

Some of the beautiful architecture in Painkiller.

And players will be attacked. From all angles, and at all times. There are hundreds of enemies in each level, swarming the screen. Like its forebears, Painkiller asks players to shoot first, ask questions later. It is most definitely a "twitch shooter," but in a positive, deeply satisfying way. The game is more straight-forward and repetitive (and far less tactical) than many modern shooters, but it works. The physics engine is a thing of beauty, and the mechanics have been refined to produce a visceral, almost addictive experience.

There are only two low points in Painkiller: audio and storytelling. Ambient noise and other sound effects are fine -- often creepy -- but the soundtrack leaves a lot to be desired. The same heavy metal refrain repeats over and over. Storytelling is similarly weak. The premise of Painkiller is actually pretty interesting (it could easily have been overburdened with metaphysics), but the cut-scenes and voice acting used to tell it aren't spectacular. They pale in comparison to the adrenaline-fueled action that makes up most of the game; they serve mostly as a bridge between chapters.

Daniel fights one of Lucifer's generals.

Despite a few shortcoming in narrative and sound, Painkiller is an excellent throwback first-person shooter. Players looking for deep stories, puzzle-solving, and sophisticated artificial intelligence probably won't find much value in Painkiller. But those who seek a button-mashing "twitch shooter" with armies of enemies and non-stop action will be in Heaven. Or Purgatory at least.

Score: 8.5