You shoot things. And then shoot things. And it works well.
The cut scenes are the only things that explain the game’s story. They seemed thrown in after the game was made because the levels and actual gameplay don’t really reflect on the story except for maybe the last two boss battles. This isn’t a problem and in fact it’ll be good for the people the game should attract. If your playing Painkiller, all you going to want to do, is blast things.
And blasting works great. Weapons have a nice feel to them, which is important since they’re one of the main aspects of the game. Their’s a secondary for each weapon, some are completely different from the primary fire (most actually). The monsters are vast and different along with the environments. They work well and there’s a compass that leads you to where to go. The weapons, enemies and levels work great together and it’s the main reason why this game’s good. Occasionally, I had trouble finding what to do next which was really frustrating especially in this type of game where you want the action to keep up. The compass would just stop pointing to where to go and you would have to wander aimlessly, waiting for something to happen or find a ladder.
The graphics are nice, although at first they seemed a bit washed out with the colors. Still the weapon and character models look good and the levels are well done. I guess the music is basic but I liked it, mixed in with the action. It pumped me up, hearing metal roar through the background and then the enemies just blazing in from all sides.
It’s just there isn’t really anything more than that. I mean once the campaign was almost over, I didn’t really feel like playing it as much anymore. It’s like the game needs something more, not to complicate things but to add something to keep you from replaying the game. It is straightforward and people who are a fan of doom or quake should enjoy it, as the action works well. Very fast paced, no reloading, just shooting. Some people might not like that and well there isn’t anything else to keep those people from playing but if your not one of those people or willing to give this a shot, you might like it.