Painkiller: Battle out of Hell

THE BAD:

SUMMARY:
I know what you will ask: what's PK BOOH? PK BOOH or BOOH or BoH is just for Painkiller Battle out of Hell. And what kind of game is it apart the fact that's a FPS? Well, it's an add-on. That means that you'll need the original game, Painkiller, for playing BOOH. Is BOOH an add-on like we like it? Yep. It's an add-on who can't be separated from Painkiller, making richer the PK universe. You know, it's like an Opposing Force for Half-Life... or like Resurrection of Evil for Doom 3. You can't talk about PK if you don't talk of its add-on ... Well, if you don't know about PK, you can read reviews or FAQs before reading this review but you don't really need to do that (only for the Black Tarot but not for the rest). BOOH was released the same year of Painkiller, in 2004. And yep, there is a story... People, if for you, PK Trauma's ending was the real ending, you'll be disappointed that it's the normal ending which was chosen for making the plot behind BOOH.

So, I'll refresh your memories. Daniel, in the end, chose to hunt Lucifer and rescue Eve, his hostage, from Hell. He killed Lucifer. But he discovered that Alastor didn't die in Purgatory - you're just sent back to Hell... So, Alastor took Lucifer's position. And Daniel, with an inconscious Eve by his side, began fighting demons sent by the new chief of Hell. Daniel (with a new face, a twisted one... - must be the eaten souls) and Eve escaped Hell. How? Eve had a moment of lucidity and pulled a trick of her, a sort of portal (no, it's not with a Portal Gun, you're not in the right universe). Daniel wants to stop Alastor. Letting Eve resting and after her recommendations, he leaves to fight the second attack from Hell. You can guess what will happen but I don't want to tell you the ending, just that it's not tomorrow that Daniel will see his dear wife Catherine again... Poor guy, as you know, his "friend" Asmodeus turning into someone else in PK delayed his departure to heaven...

What brings BOOH in the universe? Well, even if the game isn't structured in chapters, you have 10 new levels, from an Orphanage (shocking level, so, don't let children play with BOOH, it's a M or a + 16 and I strongly agree with the classification) to Colosseum without forgetting a Dead City or a Loony Park... and who says new levels in PK says never-seen-before enemies. Contrary to Overdose, the new opus in the Painkiller Universe, BOOH didn't import PK enemies. Well, perhaps Pirate Zombies will remind you of Bones but it's not Bones - thank god... Male players will be rewarded by the appearance of blonde bimbos called Nurses - well, it's a cliche, not every blonde in the real world is like that. BOOH doesn't change a thing for the difficulty setting, only that there is a level blocked until Nightmare, Pentagon. And for the weapons? Well, you can find again your dear stakegun, painkiller, electroshuriken, rocket gatling and fusil freezer. But you'll have the happiness to play with a chaingun which is also a flamethrower and a boltgun with a zoom - sniping makes its appearance! For the Black Tarot, you can play with the cards from PK and you guessed it, ten new cards are also available through new challenges (with some nearly impossible, like the Underworld one, consisting in killing all enemies... with a sequence on a sort of little train...). Remember, Black Tarot cards are just useful rewards after completing a challenge. And last but not least, the soundtrack is the same kind as PK, so, hardrock and ambient sounds are still marvelous... Loony Park is really original for example.

What? Negative points? Nothing is perfect, right? So, BOOH has some default. First one is the graphics... if you're a purist one. I mean, we're in 2008 and that's normal that graphics from 2004 seemed old ones. But for me, it's not the case, BOOH is still beautiful. But I'm not happy with Daniel's new face, he seems a twisted guy now. And Eve is now clothed... well, her long hair is not anymore her breast cover. What? It was too suggestive? But apart from that, graphics are great. The useless cards are also present. Thank god, it's not like in Overdose! Majority of the cards are really useful. Difficulty in Nightmare and Trauma are also reserved to hardcore gamers (I'm not at my ease when it comes to high difficulty settings).

BOOH concluded Daniel's story. For now. Because I'm waiting for PK 2. And Overdose, released in 2007 and 2008 for some European countries, has its own hero, Belial. PK universe is now richer. Not like a Half-Life or a Doom. But it's still coherent. And you don't need to elaborate theories about a fact or a character. BOOH is just an old-school FPS game, logic for an add-on of an old-school FPS. Lock, load and shoot. That's the way of playing in Painkiller.

GRAPHICS: 8/10 - It's the Havok 2.0 - Pain Engine, it's a game from 2004 but it's still efficient. And you don't need a new graphic card for making work the game.
SOUNDTRACK: 9/10 - It's like in PK, so, you'll be not disappointed by it.
GAMEPLAY: 8/10 - With 10 new cards and 2 new weapons, you'll have more fun.
LIFETIME: 7/10 - Only ten new levels, I know, but you have 4 difficulty settings to beat, so...
STORY: 9/10 - Even if I saw the ending coming, I strongly believed that it wouldn't happen. But the story is good.
FINAL: 18/20 - You need to add BOOH in your collection if you have Painkiller. It's a pleasant add-on, with a good gameplay, with new levels and with new weapons. So, I recommend it.