I was surprised at how much I liked this game.

It runs very smooth and killing enemies is satisfying. The level designs are non-linear enough to encourage exploration but not open-ended enough that you'll get lost very often. The atmosphere is very well done, considering how many different level themes there are. There is a good selection of unique weapons, although it takes a while to collect them all so you'll be going though the first couple of levels with just a buzz-saw and a shotgun. The rest of the weapons are very different from anything you'll see in modern fps's- hardly any automatic weaponry and lots of precision based weapons (such as a stake gun).

There are many different enemy models which all fit the atmosphere and animate well, but the majority of them just walk towards you and attack once you're in melee range. I could see this eventually becoming tiresome for someone who's not a fps fan like me.

The only other downsides are that the cut-scenes are rather dated and the story isn't very deep. Both these issues are easy to overlook since they play a minimal role in the game.

I can happily say this game was worth every penny I spent on it and recommend it to anyone and everyone looking for a fast-paced fps in which you slay hordes of enemies.

First of all, I not really a big fps fan. This game is retro fps with cool and unique weapons. The boss fights are pretty cool and story/cut scenes are ok It does get repetitive after a while but if your are into retro fps you should definitely try this.

An old-school FPS with more modern graphics, Painkiller is a unique game that is fun and takes its run and gun gameplay to an artform. The levels are full of horde based fun. A must muy for FPS fans.

The best of the old-school style FPS games, a must-play for any shooter fan. Also, the GG version has the latest patch, which will save you the effort of finding it yourself.

Painkiller is an excellent shooter with an old school style and excellent art design. The graphics were highly advanced for its time, and hold up fairly well today, and they certainly compliment the mood of the game. The story is limited, but the action is great, and the controls are spot on. Level and monster design is excellent, and I whole heartedly recommend Painkiller!

What a sweet game! The controls are great, the enemies are extremely varied, and the bosses are appropriately enormous. My only criticism is the story, which is pretty much non-existent, but I see no other reason to not buy and play this game. Buy and play this game.

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!