Hell and Damnation is the much-awaited reboot of the classic Painkiller series, essentially one glorious update of a game that definitely deserved it.
What’s that, I hear you say? A reboot that deserved/needed it? The original Painkiller games are still, well, playable, but so is Duke Nukem Forever.
Exactly.
It’s still flawlessly faithful to the original and they’ve gone over it with a loving HD gloss, bringing it up to speed with most modern shooters. The graphics are hardly breathtaking and the visual design looks like a blast from the past, but it’s massively enjoyable to look at because of that: They haven’t succumbed to a brown and grey shooter aesthetic which would have easily served their purpose for less effort. Visually, we’re stepping back in time with all the benefits of modern graphics. All of the original’s over the top weapon choices have returned as you help Daniel Garner mulch his way through the underworld to see his true love again (Ah, that old chestnut. Jude Law and Cameron Diaz will definitely be hitting the silver screen for this classic love story’s film adaptation romp next summer).
Your standard Painkiller level will consist of an arena-style map with a few collectibles hidden throughout and hundreds upon hundreds of demonic enemies to wade through. It’s massively satisfying with the simple shotgun or the blade throwing, soul sucking implement Death gives Daniel at the very beginning of the game and the different enemy types advancing up from the simple skeleton to the spell-slinging hag keep things mixed up. There’s a good variety of environments too, typical graveyards, monasteries and Venetian dungeons all ripe for the shooting, and though we’ve seen it all before, Painkiller just makes it good again.
What really makes it worth your time is just how much of a game it feels like, compared to the more cinematic offerings of late. Heavy metal blares in the background while power-ups glow bright green and ammo counts dwindle as you hold the fire button down, decimating impossible hordes of monsters with a mad grin on your face. And then some kind of story starts to congeal around the blood-soaked maps, and it’s all so very serious.
My criticisms of the reboot remain the same as my criticisms of the original. For the storyline to take itself so seriously and the gameplay to feel so over the top is a major clash and it’d be much more enjoyable if it could stick to one theme. It’s like combining Heavy Rain with Devil May Cry. The cutscenes set you up to think you should be caring about Daniel and his lost wife but it’s hard to do that when you set about the levels with such murderous glee. It would be so much easier for all of us if they just tossed the story out of the window and set the campaign up as a bunch of challenge maps, maybe with some silly interludes of Death bossing Daniel around. The gameplay would suit that zany, off the wall kind of modular story telling as opposed to something that bears much resemblance to Max Payne’s darkness.
There’s multiplayer, too, if a campaign mode just isn’t enough for you, packed with all the standard modes you’d expect. It’s nothing groundbreaking, rather a pure throwback to good old simple gaming. There’s no fancy gimmicks, no ranking, killstreaks or gadgets, just straightforward gameplay, which some might find an antidote to the intensely overcompensated modern multiplayer market. It’s quickfire devastation at its bloody best, worth a look for fans of the series and newcomers alike.
Key features
- 100 % UNCUT version in all languages
- A modern remake of the Classic shooters, Painkiller and Battle Out Of Hell
- 15 adrenaline filled levels, including 4 Boss levels
- Includes a special Halloween level
- Over 30 of the nastiest, darkest creatures from Hell
- Devastating and unique arsenal of weapons
- Singleplayer and Co-operative Campaigns spread across 4 Chapters
- PvP and PvE Multiplayer modes
- The soundtrack is forged in the same furnace as the weapons: heavy metal
- Powered by Unreal Engine 3®
- Steamworks fully integrated
- Key Anti-Features (you know… the ones that make life EASY):
ANTI-FEATURES:
- NO Kill-streak bonuses or airstrikes
- NO auto-heal
- NO AK-47, NO M16 or that sort of sh*t; just a healthy dose of .666 calibre weapons!
Disclaimer:All scores given within our reviews are based on the artist’s personal opinion; this should in no way impede your decision to purchase the game.
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