Painkiller... "series"?

[villain of the story]

So, there is a discount on Nordic games at GamersGate and I saw Painkiller on the list. And then I saw another one. And another one. So there seems to be 7 (!) Painkiller games, which gave me quite a WTF moment.

http://www.gamersgate.com/nordicweek

Excluding the bundles, they are:

game (developer, publisher, year)

Painkiller (People Can Fly, Akella, 2004)
Battle Out of Hell expansion (People Can Fly, Akella, 2004)
Overdose (Mindware Studios, DreamCatcher, 2007)
Resurrection (Homegrown Games, DreamCatcher + JoeWood, 2009)
Redemption (Eggtooth Team, DreamCatcher + JoeWood, 2011)
Recurring Evil (Studio Med-Art, Nordic Games, 2012)
Hell & Damnation (People Can Fly + TheFarm 51, Nordic Games, 2012) Remake of first game + expansion

http://www.mobygames.com/game-group/painkiller-series

WTF, Codex, I thought there were only three. The original, the expansion, and the second. DreamCatcher seems to have given a good milking to the IP. So help me out here. Is any of these worth the buy? Am I right to predict that all the non-PCF titles are shit?

 

[Humanity has risen!]

Only the original and the expansion are worth it, avoid the rest.

Most of the People Can Fly talent is long gone, and the sequels or expansions done by small third parties are rubbish.

 

[Jack]

So help me out here. Is any of these worth the buy?

No.

Am I right to predict that all the non-PCF titles are shit?

Yes.

 

[Ninja Destroyer]

Only the original and the expansion are worth it, avoid the rest.

 

[ohWOW]

Original ones kick ass.

 

[Admiral jimbob]

why the hell is there a DLC about meat

http://www.gamersgate.co.uk/DLC-PKHDCSMN/painkiller-hell-and-damnation-the-clock-strikes-meat-night

 

[Konjad]

Painkiller series is a turd.

 

[Jaesun]

It doesn't have ponies in it.

 

[DalekFlay]

The newest one is actually a remake, and marginally competent from what I hear. Everything between that and the original PCF stuff is worthless though.

 

[Average Manatee]

From what I've heard it's a remake with substantially less content than the original. Entire levels cut out for no reason other than they didn't feel like doing the work. I have no idea who makes these kinds of decisions.

I would chock it up to consolization, but the original was released for consoles just fine. So

 

[ghostdog]

The first game was great. One of the few entertaining run'n'gun FPSs of the decade. The expansion Battle Out of Hell was decent.


The rest is shit. Avoid like plague.


Go for this : http://store.steampowered.com/app/3200/?snr=1_7_7_151_150_1
It has the original+expansion and you save $5.

 

[Humanity has risen!]

The remake really wasn't needed and felt awkward on the UE3 engine, I hated the head bobbing.

 

[Ninja Destroyer]

From what I've heard it's a remake with substantially less content than the original.

Sounds like bad developer to me, Painkiller hadn't got very complex level design but to make it more simple?

I played Overdose and Resurrection, which was too much. If you think that something simple as Painkiller can't be decline than you're wrong. Can't imagine how next ones play. Horrible and shitty cash-ins.

 

[sea]

I got Painkiller Black Edition on GOG years ago for about $5, good game for a good price, but not only did the series not progress past the first, it got substantially worse as well (unlike Serious Sam, which in my opinion is still a much better series).

 

[Clockwork Knight]

If you think that something simple as Painkiller can't be decline than you're wrong.

Simple does not necessarily equal shitty.

 

[CorpseZeb]

Oh, yes... first Painkiller. The very atmospheric and metaphoric last level of first game (time-frozen war-zone) - alone - is worth playing through whole game. Anyway, some of people from PCF had some involvement into "Reset", no? And "Reset" reminded me, how somewhat very water downed version of "Painkiller" was it.

 

[ohWOW]

Hard Reset is fucking good, bro.
Shame it's so short and truly lacking on content.

 

[CorpseZeb]

That was I said... basically. There's is a "painkillery" skeleton, no doubt, but without a proper meat. They want a simple shooter or a "cyberpunkish" something more? Story oriented or action centered? "Shoot or run...?" as one of charterers from L4D1 had famously said. Painkiller was "simple" but its simplicity was polished. Painkiller answer was "both".

Ps. And, y'know, "so short" is not a... complement, right? I hate "too short" games.

 

[MetalCraze]

Bro I could've never enjoyed Painkiller because it has no iron sites
iron sites make a game the best

 

[CorpseZeb]

.. but in meantime... all CoD'ss and BF'ss and MoH'ss have IS'ss... And FC2 has one too. And C2. C3 also has, the really big one IS'ss (almost a half of screen big). So...

 

[MicoSelva]

Bros, is this game (the original Painkiller) worth finishing?

I completed the first act, with the necrogiant garaveyard fight at the end (admittedly, pretty cool), but to be honest the regular levels are a bit boring. They are linear, with no enemy variety at all and there is nothing to break the gameplay monotony of shoot-shoot-shoot the endless waves of enemies. The shooting itself is fun, with all the cool & unusual weapons, but it can only carry the game so far...

 

[Multi-headed Cow]

You get a bit more enemy variety as you move from map to map (And area to area will give you much larger enemy differences). If you're enjoying the basic shooting that early you should probably stick with it a while longer. The game doesn't do anything dramatically different beyond that point, and the maps are almost all "LOCK PLAYER IN THIS ARENA AND START SPAWNING MONSTERS. ALSO THE ARENA IS PROBABLY JUST A BOX", but it will get a bit harder with some of the different enemy types. Plus the bosses are kinda fun.

 

[Lagole Gon]

Give it a chance.

Asylum and plague town are pretty dope.

BroTip: Skip the fucking cinematics. Fucking skip them. The most pointless shit ever.

 

[Ninja Destroyer]

But there are some nice tits Lagole, why don't you mention it ?
Painkiller and the expansion pack are the best in the series. The asylum was great, with killable creepy children all over the map. The funpark reminded me the atmosphere of King's "It". Murder clowns, murder clowns everywhere.

 

[Lorica]

Bros, is this game (the original Painkiller) worth finishing?

I completed the first act, with the necrogiant garaveyard fight at the end (admittedly, pretty cool), but to be honest the regular levels are a bit boring. They are linear, with no enemy variety at all and there is nothing to break the gameplay monotony of shoot-shoot-shoot the endless waves of enemies. The shooting itself is fun, with all the cool & unusual weapons, but it can only carry the game so far...

There are some light exploration/collectible elements on the maps and a mechanical twist (that doesn't quite do it for me, personally) to come. I finished it primarily out of a desire to play more with the weapons--have you got the stake gun yet?

 

[MicoSelva]

BroTip: Skip the fucking cinematics. Fucking skip them. The most pointless shit ever.

But there are some nice tits Lagole, why don't you mention it ?

I agree with lagole. Even tits don't redeem this crap. They really wanted to have a plot in the game, for some reason. Whatever.

have you got the stake gun yet?

Indeed, I do. And I LIKE it.

Thanks for the replies, bros.