No tactics, no stealth, loads of fun but there is a flaw in the game that spoils it...
In Painkiller there is a fairly daft story (if you can call it that) and no link between levels so it's all rather pointless really. However, that doesn't stop it being an absolute riot! The levels are great, the weapons are awesome and the beasties come in all shapes and sizes. Boss fights with something that fills the screen and goes up into the sky are something else. Only HalfLife (1) gives me more jumps and scares. Also, the graphics, sound (excellent metal fight music - if you want it on) and stability are top notch.
However, I found one big problem with this game:
You can do each mission in sequence but to finish the game properly you have to perform specific tasks on each level in order to collect a magic tarot card for each one. Not only do you only finish the game by collecting the cards, you can select them to give you special powers on subsequent levels. And so you finish the game. But you don't. This is because once you get to the 'end' this allows you to unlock other levels that you haven't played before. But you have to repeat certain levels that you played the first time around (only on a harder setting) to reach them. This happens a second time before you can truly say you have finished the game and played all the levels, which means you play the same old levels up to 3 times (not all, but some).
If you are like me and you play a game to death when you get hold of it, by the time you get to the 'real' end of Painkiller (there are two endings to the story) you are sick of it. This is a real shame as I loved it to start with and while I like to choose to repeat levels if I want to (I don't know how many times I played the disturbing 'Asylum' level), being forced to play the same ones over really killed it for me. The same is true of the expansion pack only they do it a different way by making it impossible to collect all the cards at the first go so you have to play and play to collect enough gold (needed to place the cards for special powers) to go back to play some levels again when you can afford to place the other tarot cards that give you special powers that help you collect the ones you are after.
I got so fed up I never finished the expanison pack. Shame that.