Painkiller (video Game) - Reception

Reception

With the first release of the original Painkiller in 2004, reception was generally positive with an average critic score of 82% at Game Rankings. Painkiller was mostly praised for its simple yet entertaining FPS gameplay and its varied level and artistic design. Gamespot noted the variety in levels and foes by stating "Remarkably, the eclectic variety of settings somehow ends up having a cohesive feel to it, and the variety itself is definitely to the game's credit" while GameSpy praised the graphics engine calling it "an original, muscular engine, capable of vast spectacular levels". However while IGN noted the gameplay positively, they also mentioned repetition in certain stages going on to say "simple aiming exercises seem to lack a little substance when compared to more recent shooters". Another criticism was focused on its multiplayer aspect being similar to that of the older Quake games, being called by Gamespot as a more of a "throwback to the days of the original Quake" with the feel of "deja vu".

Upon its release, Painkiller received "PC Game of the Month" awards from Game Informer and Gamespot, "Editors Choice" from GameSpy, Computer Games Magazine and PC Zone and "Kick Ass Product" from Maximum PC. In May 2008, Painkiller was featured on Escapist Magazine's weekly review series Zero Punctuation. Reviewer Ben Croshaw, known for his acerbic reviews, stated that Painkiller was an example of an excellent FPS game, praising its removal of aspects such as key hunting and fetch side quests in favor of "pure genocidal fun." Seemingly hours after the review, the Painkiller banner found on the Steam Store appeared on the front page, now sporting the tag "All you really need to know is that there is a gun that shoots shurikens and lightning...", a quote from the review. In 2010, UGO included the game on the list of the 42 Best Games Ever.

Battle out of Hell was also met with a positive response but with less only being an expansion pack. While some were enthusiastic over the new content, like Game Informer even saying "If I had to pick a game to be the poster child for the concept of expansion packs, Painkiller: Battle Out Of Hell might well be it", others like Gamespot found some of the levels not as interesting as the original saying "for the most part, much of the rest of the game is kind of bland" but still found "Great Painkiller gameplay mostly intact". They also pointed out longer loading times and "aggravating" puzzles.

Upon the release in 2006 of the Xbox port Hell Wars, many were generally pleased with its translation while others found some issues. IGN were not favourable towards the "Environmental textures" that "don't do much to enhance the experience" and even found the port to have additional bugs like when enemies "get stuck out of sight on a level mean you can't advance until you reload your game".

Three years later in late 2007 when Overdose was released, reception, while also positive was quick to point the game's shortcomings. GameZone praised Overdose for retaining the basic gameplay elements that made the original 2004 title popular, and that it "extends the world with new weapons, enemies, bosses, and levels that will fulfill any adrenaline junkie's craving". Gamespot however were still annoyed by the long load times and unhappy with the quiet multiplayer mode but were still positive over the gameplay concluding" this old-fashioned shooter is a welcome respite from the scripted, story-driven epics littering the FPS landscape these days (and a pleasant reminder of the simple joy of shooting fiendish creeps in the face)". However, Game Informer found the game to be aged and while "there is a group out there who will find this game charming", it concluded that "their numbers might be growing thin."