Painkiller: Hell & Damnation

Painkiller: Hell & Damnation
Developer(s)	The Farm 51
Publisher(s)	Nordic Games
Engine	Unreal Engine 3
Platform(s)	Microsoft Windows, Linux, OS X, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
Release date(s)	Microsoft Windows October 31, 2012[1] PlayStation 3 NA: November 26, 2013 (Digital)[2] EU: June 28, 2013 [3][4][5][6] NA: December 13, 2013 (Retail)[7][8] Xbox 360 NA: October 1, 2013 (Digital)[9][10] EU: June 28, 2013
Genre(s)	First-person shooter[11]
Mode(s)	Single-player, multiplayer

Painkiller: Hell & Damnation is a first-person shooter video game, both a remake of and a sequel to Painkiller, developed by The Farm 51 and published by Nordic Games. Painkiller: Hell & Damnation was released on October 31, 2012 for Windows and was released for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on June 28, 2013 in Europe after suffering multiple delays.^[12] The game was released in North America for Xbox 360 through Xbox Live on October 1, 2013 and for PlayStation 3 through the PlayStation Store on November 26, 2013.

Gameplay

The player has to get through each level, from start to finish, by slaughtering multitudinous demons. The game is divided into several chapters, each with several levels. Each level presents a new location with various themes and includes castles, monasteries, graveyards, and more. Several classic weapons return, including the Painkiller, the stakethrower, the shotgun, and the electrodriver. New guns will also be available such as the Soulcatcher, which shoots saw blades in primary firing mode and sucks the souls out of the enemies with its secondary firing.^[13]

Painkiller: Hell & Damnation also adds several multiplayer modes to the series. The entire single-player campaign can be played by two people and the level of difficulty adjusts in accordance with the 2 players, either through the number of enemies or the amount of hit points.^[13] In survival mode, up to eight players battle for survival in a limited area of one map.^[13] Endless waves of enemy hordes will attack the player or players. Other player vs player based game modes include deathmatch, team deathmatch, capture the flag and duels.^[13]

Plot

After crushing the forces of Hell and Purgatory in the original titles, Daniel Garner was denied seeing his wife, Catherine. Now, with no faith left, he sat in the cemetery, where his quest once began. Suddenly, Death itself appeared, proposing Daniel a new bargain: reunion with his wife in exchange for 7,000 souls. Daniel reluctantly agrees, receiving the Soulcatcher gun. He is sent to familiar places, battling hordes of demon spawn, again defeating the formidable Necrogiant, Alastor, and Swamp Thing. An old ally, Eve, reappears during this quest, warning that Death cannot be trusted, but Daniel didn't forget her own betrayal at the end of Painkiller: Battle out of Hell. Daniel avoids her as she tries to persuade him that everything is not as it seems, and the only reason he's so successful at killing demons and not succumbing to their power is that he is not really dead.

Eventually, Daniel returns to Death, with the Soulcatcher filled. Death, however, is not pleased, as there are only 6,999 souls, and not 7,000, but still advises Daniel to get the final soul: that of Eve. Daniel, disgusted by such a turn of events, spares Eve, infuriating Death. Battle ensues, culminating with Death's defeat and an opening of a strange white portal. By taking the portal, Daniel discovers himself alive, lying in bed, in a hospital. All this time he was alive, but in coma, bound by Death to an endless battle in Purgatory. Suddenly, Eve appears, claiming that the souls collected enabled Death to reunite with his brothers, the other Horsemen of Apocalypse: Pestilence, Famine, and War, which are now plotting to invade Earth. Daniel feels he will be unable to battle the hordes of Hell without the power he wielded in Purgatory, but Eve comforts him, saying they're not alone. A door opens, revealing the demonic visage of Belial (from Painkiller: Overdose).

Marketing

Retail editions

The "regular edition" also known as "totally uncut" was released for PC on October 31, 2012.^[14] Windows users could also obtain the Regular version through download services such as Steam.^[14] Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions of the game were released on June 28, 2013 after suffering multiple release delays.

The "Toned Down" version was released on the same day as the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 version.^[14] This "toned down" version came to pass due to the German censors refusing to give it an age rating because it was "deemed too evil", according to Nordic Games.^[14]

The "Collectors Edition" was released on 31 October 2012, initially for the PC version and eventually for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 on June 28, 2013^[15] The collectors edition includes stickers, "postcards from Hell," an art book, posters, a ten-track soundtrack CD, a making-of DVD, a special in-game tarot card and an exclusive multiplayer skin.^[16]

All versions of the game include the original Painkiller plus the Battle Out of Hell expansion.

On October 17, 2013, A beta Linux version of the game was made available to Steam customers who had already acquired the Windows version.

Pre-orders

For those who planned to buy the game on PC through Steam, they had the option to pre-purchase Painkiller: Hell & Damnation and receive special rewards.^[17] Painkiller's pre-purchase reward structure is different from other games. The first reward, immediate access to the beta on Steam, was available to anyone who pre-purchased the game. The second and third rewards were accessed with the help of others who also pre-purchased it.^[17] After a so many units had been pre-purchased, the second reward, a multiplayer body skin pack was unlocked. The third reward, a free copy of Painkiller: Black Edition, was unlocked when the number of pre-purchased units exceeded a certain number, following a similar reward structure to the second reward.^[17]

Reception

Reception
Aggregate scores Aggregator Score GameRankings 67.48% (PC)[18] 42% (PS3)[19] 59.86% (X360)[20] Metacritic 64/100 (PC)[21] 40/100 (PS3)[22] 53/100 (X360)[23] Review scores Publication Score Destructoid 8/10[24] Eurogamer 5/10[25] GameSpot 7/10[26] GameSpy [27] GameZone 7.5/10[28] IGN 5/10[11] Cheat Code Central 3.7/5[29] Inside Gaming 8.5/10[30] PC Gamer 58/100[31]

Painkiller: Hell & Damnation has had a mixed reception among gaming publications . The Windows version of the game holds a score of 64/100 on Metacritic while the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions hold a score of 40/100 and 53/100 respectively.^[21][22][23] The average review score of the Windows version of the game on GameRankings is 67.48%^[18] while the average review score of the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions is 42%^[19] and 59.86%^[20] respectively. Many have praised the graphical quality of the game, with GameSpot's Nathan Meunier saying it has had a "great visual makeover".^[26] Other positives are the great weapon variety and craziness of the weapons, IGN stated the game has a "great selection of totally over-the-top weaponry".^[11] GameZone's David Sanchez gave the PS3 version a 7.5/10, stating "Hell & Damnation is a good FPS that harkens back to an era that was all about shooting sh*t up and not giving a damn. There's little variety, the game sticks closely to a formula that fans of modern shooters won't dig, and at about four hours, it's painfully short."^[28]

According to critics, one of the biggest gripes about Painkiller: Hell & Damnation is the enemy AI. IGN called the AI "dumb and often glitchy".^[11] GameSpy's Mike Nelson expanded on this saying "the poor AI makes them [bosses] susceptible to getting stuck in the environment".^[27] Other reviewers had issues with the short campaign and problems with multiplayer.

References

External links

• Official website