This new single player demo contains the City on Water level, and is based on final code. Game release set for April 12.


This from publisher DreamCatcher Games:

"April 12th is just around the corner, but that still leaves a week of anxious shooter fans desperate to get their hands on more Painkiller! We’re not mean-spirited people up here at DreamCatcher.

We understand the plight of the FPS fan. That’s why we’ve released a new on-line single player demo of Painkiller. This demo, previously available only through print magazines, features the City on Water Level, updated with retail code, so what you play is what you get!"

DEMO REVIEW
We’ve been granted another chance to bring the pain to the minions of purgatory before People Can Fly and Dreamcatcher bring their highly anticipated FPS to the masses next week.

In this single level ‘City on Water’ demo, based on final retail code, Painkiller showcases its raw and gritty gameplay – primed with adrenaline pumping action and a decidedly old school shooter feel, while simultaneously lavishing the screen with bleeding edge graphical effects.

The first detail you’ll notice if you’ve been keeping track of the latest visual trends is Painkiller’s excellent water shader effects: This Venice-inspired city is surrounded by a body of rippling water, undulating with subtle and effective style.

Overall, the level’s textures are vibrant, and the frame rate is extremely smooth on a recommended spec. rig, while the ubiquitous Havok physics engine is constantly being called upon to launch boxes, barrels, and large chunks of fleshy bits.

Don’t look for incredible realism within the framework of these non-stop physics displays; People Can Fly have taken great measures to imbue their animations with an entertaining artistic license that constantly provides satisfying and gory results.

The bad guys, ranging from club brandishing fatmen to shotgun cracking skeletal mercs, ragdoll down stairs or over balconies, and a well placed rocket might send them flailing and fragmented across the room. Rounding out the powerful visuals, you’ll find quality architecture design (though not as impressive as the first PK demo) and good particle effects and lighting.

This demo includes the Stake Gun, Rocket Launcher, and Painkiller weapons – each with a secondary fire. These alternate shots are often as effective as the primary fire, such as the Rocket Launcher’s high-powered machine chain gun. Also, primary and secondary shots can be used in tandem – such as the Stake Gun and alternate Grenade Launcher.

After lobbing a grenade you can immediately shoot a stake at it, resulting in an all-new missile that isn’t bound by gravity like the stake, and packs the grenade’s punch on impact. When the weapons themselves have sub-gameplay systems like this, you know you’re dealing with a developer who loves a good FPS.

The action in City on Water will having you dashing across arching bridges and among strange abandoned museums beneath great domed buildings, clearing out hell’s army between checkpoints. You’ll witness some truly unique events – like bad guys aggressively using each other as body shields to intercept your shots.

Perhaps destined to be the final game’s weak point, the demo is plagued by weak voices and an unremarkable rock soundtrack. And while it is a very short level all told, if you enjoyed the first demo and look forward to Painkiller’s visceral and bloody action, playing this demo should be a vital ingredient in your gaming diet this week.


Demo Review by Mike Griffin.

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