PAIN

"Pain - PS3 Review"

Over the last few months I have seen a huge number of threads across the various PS3 internet forums complaining about Pain. These threads have not been full of people complaining that they don't like the game but rather complaining about the fact that it should hurry up and get released. In fact, with the exception of Home, I would say that Pain has to be the most hotly anticipated PSN title so far. Well, now it is finally here, I can honestly say that I have no idea what all of the fuss was about. This game is not only very basic but it is also disappointingly light on content. I can't pin point where the hype over this game first began but it only goes to prove the dangers of jumping upon the “this game looks cool” forum post band-wagon. I know I have just shot myself in the foot to a degree as this review is itself posted on a forum but what I am trying to say is that I recommend you check out a few reviews before you make that next PSN purchase. This is especially important if, like me, your money to sense ratio is a bit skewed as I now regret a few of my experimental PSN purchases.

Now, like I said, Pain is a very basic game but fortunately it does come with a few different modes of play available to pad things out. Each mode is, however, based on the same basic premise. You are handed he controls of a giant catapult for which you can alter both its aim and its power before you fire. Of course you are not to be satisfied with your standard catapult ammunition and on this occasion will be firing a bloke called Jarvis. While this is not so great for Jarvis it does give you a few more options when it comes to causing havoc. You see, once Jarvis has been launched you still have a degree of control over his flight. You can cause him to drift for starters; which is absolutely essential if you want to reach some of the more tucked away parts of the map. On top of this you can make him pull a variety of poses mid flight which help to increase your score and finally you can make him grab onto things as he flies past them.

There are currently four single player game modes available in Pain. Three come with the game as standard and the fourth is a, thankfully, free download. The mode you will probably find yourself is Paindemonium which is simply a case of launching Jarvis into the most damaging situation possible. This mode is all about high score and the more damage you cause to both your character and the environment the better. The key here is getting a good multiplier and this is where the only tactical element of the game comes in. You get bonus multiplier for each pose you pull in flight, for each serious injury you cause your character and for each object you hit on screen. The problem is that once you hit your first object Jarvis goes all rag doll on you and controlling him becomes a lot more difficult. Fortunately each time he takes damage Jarvis gains a boost to a meter called the Ooch meter. This Ooch allows you to nudge your character slightly in the direction of a new object and hopefully start off a new chain of damage. Once Jarvis finally comes to rest then that is the end of the round and he will return to the catapult for another go, the fool.

The other three single player modes lack the freedom of the first and are nowhere near as fun. Mime Toss see you firing Jarvis at a floating mime artist, grabbing him and then throwing him into panes of glass against the clock. Spank the Monkey, meanwhile, is a case of trying to hit the monkey with your character as it moves to increasingly more difficult to hit spots on the map. Last and also least we have the downloadable add on; Fun with Explosives. This mode basically litters the map with explosive (I know, you'd never have guessed if I hadn't said) crates for you to bounce off of. Multiplayer, which is strictly offline, is essentially more of the same and you can either take it in turns to see who can rack up the highest score or set targets for your opponent to try and hit with the loser being the first to miss five times.

Pain isn't a bad looking game and the physics are also fairly impressive, so it is not all bad news. Randomly there is no soundtrack though so you will have to make do with the sound of explosions and your character groaning in agony to satisfy your ears. The main Paindemonium mode is undoubtedly entertaining but with the rest of the modes feeling slightly tacked on and the fact that there is only one map to explore I cannot imagine that this entertainment will be long lasting. The fact that you have to select your map (even though there is only one to choose from) suggests that there will be future content to download and should you get bored of beating on Jarvis then there is already a selection of other character which you can download and add to your arsenal.

This is without a doubt another try before you buy PSN offering. There isn't a demo available unfortunately and to be honest the full game has the feeling of a demo itself which makes me begrudge having to pay for additional content in the future. I hope that this isn't going to be the shape of things to come; developers releasing half a game in the knowledge that they can sell you the rest at a later date. I can see it happening already and I don't like it, so behave yourselves.

Reviewer's Score: 5/10, Originally Posted: 04/07/08

Game Release: PAIN (US, 11/29/07)