Painkiller is labeled by the critics as old-school, a simple FPS that's well put together and does the job well. I think the critics missed quite a few highly-noticeable facts about this game. Painkiller is almost at its sixth birthday, yet it was actually ahead of its time: and smashed every other FPS available at the time. The developers pulled out all of the stops for this project. Painkiller puts your hardware into high gear before you even get to the opening level. nVidia-specific graphics are coded into the core programming, and the game earned the coveted TWIMTBP rating from nVidia. Just about every conceivable graphics tweak available in 2004 was included in Painkiller. The devs also took great pains with the soundtrack, as well as SoundBlaster sound cards. The music is perfect for the battle areas. Painkiller provides you with a unique animation with the nVidia Logo, and I believe it might very well be the only game to ever utilize the esteemed graphics symbol with game animation. Once the Logo appears on-screen, a skeleton strolls onto the scene - you fire stakes at it - they pierce the Logo - and the skeleton does a very memorable exit (to put it lightly). This FPS is not just a ho-hum "shoot-everything-that-moves" either. You have a few well-engineered cutscenes that provide some background and give this shooter a good storyline. Another interesting fact is that the developers chose the Havok physics engine: the very same engine that would power Oblivion two years later. This engine adds a good bit of realism into the game: ragdoll physics on NPCs are well-executed, inanimate objects explode satifyingly. The available weapons have a good feel to them, and none of them are weak. I wish I had taken notice of Painkiller when it was released, but it's not a dated game even six years later. Well worth the money, and fun to boot. Definitely a win-win, hands-down. **Special Note** Gamers Gate members will be pleased to discover that Painkiller is posted at Version 1.64: So the game comes fully-patched! A nice touch by the Gamers Gate staff - thanks, guys!