A frustrating combination of a flashy, yet professional presentation with flawed, amateur gameplay and level mechanics.

User Rating: 7 | Painkiller: Battle out of Hell PC
I really was looking forward to playing "Battle out Of Hell" after finishing the original title on both Insomnia and Trauma difficulty settings. When I started the first level of Battle out Of Hell I noticed that my money (coins, treasure, doubloons, booty, etc.) from the original game didn't carry over. I know this is a minor complaint, but if a fifteen-year-old game from 1991 called "Wing Commander II" could let you import info and stats from a previous save-game into the expansion/sequel, then how hard would it be now? As a result, I was forced to play the more cash-happy levels over and over and over again to collect enough cash to be able to afford the placement of (essential) cards.

I also agree with the Game spot review regarding the insane jumping puzzles. Obtaining the card from the Stone Pit level is almost impossible; in fact it IS impossible unless certain patch(s) are applied. Considering the difficulty and repetitive nature of said jumping puzzles combined with a "QUICK"-load feature that can seem to actually reverse time with it's slowness (30 sec. +), it's very apparent that the developers of Battle Out Of Hell were sorely lacking on play-testers and competent level designers.

Speaking of level designers; the use of excessive teleporters was just cheap and dirty. While it may have been cool in the 90's (Team Arena, etc.), the use of teleporters is just an amateur way of trying to increase the frame rate or general performance by isolating a portion or the level or area.

But on the good side, it's creative, engaging and the addition of the new weapons is very welcome. My additional praise goes to the "Looney Park" and the difficult yet satisfying "Leningrad” portions. It runs pretty smooth on my Radeon 9700 Pro (my 9900 pro blew up recently) especially considering the hugeness of some of the levels. I did experience a good amount of random crashes, it seems that Battle out Of Hell could have used a month or so longer in development but as frustrating as it can be it's definitely worth your 9 to 14 hours.

P.S. The battle music is also especially bad in this expansion, with few exceptions.