Feel the Pain, killer

Also in the news: a new "Painkiller" game is in development.

The original "Painkiller" was an amazing game. It came out in 2005,
just when the rest of the industry was fully embracing the new
'cinematic FPS' model introduced by games like "Half Life" and "Call
of Duty". Gone, with those games, were the endless hunts for keycards
and gated combat arenas. Combat and movement were slower and more
considered; the settings more realistically put together. The AI was
improved, and fights against smaller groups of enemies were the new
norm. "Painkiller" contrasted this with its blatantly old-school
design; big, ridiculous mazes, fights against dozens (or more) of
enemies at a time, outlandish weapons and a nonsensical plot and
setting. It was the first 'boomer shooter', released even before that
shooter was fully released.

It was also quite the looker. While not, perhaps, up to the standards
of "Doom 3", "Half Life 2" or "Far Cry", "Painkiller" was on the
leading edge and seeing such a cutting-edge game combined with
gameplay normally associated with games from the early 90s made for an
intriguing combination. It was a definite must-play game for anyone
interested in the FPS genre.

That said, I'm not sure the franchise has lasting appeal, and I look
somewhat askance at news that a new game is coming out.
'Boomer-shooters' are a dime-a-dozen now, so that won't be a major
attraction. Gorgeous games, likewise, are quite common. Certainly
neither the setting nor story of the original games had any lasting
draw (admit it, you don't even remember the name of the protagonist!).

So even before it's out the gate, this new Painkiller game fails to
differentiate itself from its competition. That so much of the new
game seems oriented around co-op play, and uses a 'playable hero'
system similar to other co-op games (as opposed to one definitive,
identifiable protagonist) like in games like "Fortnite" further
diminishes its novelty.

While the 2005 game set itself apart from the crowd with its choices,
this 2025 game seems like more of the same; another in a crowd of
hero- and boomer-shooters that offers little we haven't seen before.