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Painkiller: Overdose

EMAIL PRINT pc

6.7 User Score:

Mixed or average reviews

Based on 22 critic reviews
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Based on 20 votes
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Game Info

Publisher: DreamCatcher Interactive / JoWood Productions

Developer: Mindware Studios

Genre(s): First-Person Shooter

Players: 32

ESRB Rating: M (Mature)

Release Date: October 23, 2007

Summary

Packed with tons of fast-paced, adrenaline-fueled single player and multiplayer levels of mayhem, Painkiller: Overdose brings with it 6 innovative new demonic weapons, mind-bending physics, lightning-player maps, over 40 demented and sickly-twisted monsters from Hell and gigantic end bosses. A Prequel to the eventual Sequel bridges the storyline and ties up wandering ends. Overdose introduces a new character and storyline that examines the repercussions of Daniel defeating Lucifer in the original Painkiller. 16 new levels of fast-paced pain-killing action. 6 New demonic weapons grant the powers of a demi-god to souls awaiting damnation everywhere. A reshuffled Tarot deck infuses Belial with new powers and devastating combinations. New End Bosses of colossal statures standing guard over Hell's crumbling domain and the entrances to the other realms. Multiplayer compatibility with original Painkiller multiplayer maps and game modes. [DreamCatcher]

Also On Metacritic

GAMES: Painkiller Painkiller Expansion Pack: Battle out of Hell

Cheat Codes & Hints: Cheat Code Central

Also On The Web: Official Website

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

Cheat Code Central

What the game does it does with style and flair. There are a lot of fine touches and little details which make the experience so much more fulfilling, unless you have a weak stomach.

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PC Gamer

Considering its budget pedigree, Overdose's $39.99 price tag may seem a bit steep. But for fans of mindless fun, it's worth every penny. [Jan 2008, p.88]

2404.org

A fun and challenging game that is good to play for maybe a half an hour at a time. It’s an extremely intense game that provides several hours of entertainment.

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GameZone

Overkill is a high-octane thrill ride from beginning to end... or in other words, fun.

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GameSpot

This stand-alone Painkiller expansion is pure, stupid fun, despite slow loads and an utter lack of innovation.

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1UP

It's been a busy year for shooters, but even as everyone else tries to hybridize the genre, Overdose cleverly and creatively embraces its purity.

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IGN

Ultimately, hardcore shooting fans with a taste for that semi-stupor brought on by incessant gunplay and bloodletting will devour what Painkiller has to offer and come back for seconds.

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Gaming Nexus

For a brainless shooter the price tag is a bit high, but at least you know exactly what you’re getting.

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Game Informer

Everything, and I mean everything, from the ammo pickups littering the ground, to the lack of weapon reloading, to the super speed in which your character moves, to the silly side comments he’s always making, to the general lack of story, and even the random level themes make this feel like a freeware game I would have stayed after school to play in the computer lab.

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GameTrailers

Take a dated game engine and add in some dated, unrefined gameplay and you’ve pretty much got Painkiller: Overdose in a nutshell. The original was mindlessly fun, but Overdose is just mindless.

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Gamers Europe

Painkiller Overdose is definitely for fans of the series. Frantic blasting action might not suit everyone but you can't really knock it until you've tried it.

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GamingExcellence

Painkiller: Overdose’s strengths are as simple as its gameplay - you get to use cool guns to kill cool monsters. However, due to a myriad of shortcomings, the mindless killing of hell spawned demons won’t hold your attention for long.

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GameDaily

Overdose gives the original 2004 game a new paint job along with new settings, but it's essentially the same game, which made extensive use of physics technology. Except, games since then matched and surpassed it, making it monotonous.

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Gamers' Temple

The Painkiller series has indeed overdosed, and should have been stopped after the first two games.

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Gamer's Hell

If Overdose was a free download, it would definitely be worth checking out, but at nearly-full priced $39, it is hard to recommend it, with so many truly awesome shooters on the shelves.

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Game Positive

Overdose suffers most from its overall lack of polish. Had the levels and balancing received a bit more attention, this could have been another solid entry in the Painkiller series. There is still some mindless enjoyment to be had here, but the dated presentation and slow loading times conspire to spoil that too.

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GameFocus

Overdose on the other hand is not worth playing unless you are a die hard fan of the original Painkiller and want to return to the series, it is playable but it felt more like a chore then a fun game.

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Worth Playing

Instead of fleshing out the most gore-filled and evil FPS series yet made, Mindware has instead managed to flog a dead horse. As a final insult, this is the most poorly performing version of Painkiller yet; it loads more slowly now than ever before, even with my updated hardware.

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Eurogamer

Overdose started life as a fan-made mod and it shows. While it's since gained official approval and funding, Counter-Strike this ain't.

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PC Gamer UK

Pointless but not worthless. [Jan 2008, p.74]

Gamer 2.0

In the end, while the packaging blurb does boast six new weapons, forty new monsters, and sixteen new levels, Overdose doesn’t quite sustain the level of excellence that made Painkiller so popular.

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PC Zone UK

A headache. [Feb 2008, p.88]

What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this game is 6.7 (out of 10) based on 20 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

johnc s. gave it a9:
This game surprised me! It's a LOT more fun than many A list games. Sure there's no AI and the graphics are dated, but it makes up for it with TONS of different enemies, many of them very funny (killer chickens, cows, wheelchair bound old coots). Also the weapons have a very satisfying feel. Many games are starting to feel a lot like WORK these days (Fallout 3), and this one's just pure fun.

Mark M. gave it a5:
I used to really enjoy games like this, I really did. But mindless shooting just isnt a style for someone who grew up with them most his/her life, and figured out there are far better games out there. I struggled to even play the game when I got the first PAINKILLER, suffering from frustration headaches, and lacking interest on the storyline. I didn't even bother getting this EXPANSION. I'm tired of mindless shooters with a lacking lame story. If a shooter can succeed these days it has to have a story that is told like Half-Life 2 or even better Max Payne. Id love to see a sci fi game told in the style of a Max Payne game. Cut scenes just dont cut it, on thier own. Its a thing of the past. You see a cool cut scene, barely make sense of it, and then its just to the shooting. But, when the story is much more interactive, like your living the story in the action, thats the only way it can be good. What we need is less on the competetive side of gaming, and more story depth action games.

Wizar S. gave it a2:
I wanted to like this new edition of Painkiller -- really I did, but it is not the same old fun. Twitchy, weak levels to play, too easy, then too hard. It is like a sloppy mod. I have read it is not even the same production team. Save money on this one folks - go buy the original!

Unzar J. gave it a4:
The original game with different levels, only not as fun to play this time around. Save your money for some great games that just came out!

PKS J. gave it a9:
Dispite what others have said, I liked this a lot. Sure it's different in many ways from the original but hey, the differences make for a cool game. The nitpicking is just that. nit nit nit pick pick pick. Go blow away and stop playing it then. I liked the music, I liked the new weapons and cool new creatures and excellently rendered levels. Did I like the original, of course, so did I really want more of the exact same? Load times are longer, true, but a fast SATA drive will help here.

John B. gave it a3:
I beat the original Painkiller on Trauma. It was fast, fun, challenging ... I'm not typically a fan of mindless FPS games, but the gameplay just felt right. And that's the problem with Overdose. None of it feels right. The pacing is totally off. Your character has to throw down stupid remarks, which is just irritating. The original Painkiller featured a hard rock / heavy metal soundtrack, that really fit in with the fast paced feel of the game. The music in Overdose might as well not even be there. The weapons are basically reskinned and renamed without changing much in the way of their base functionality, which wouldn't be an issue if it wasn't touted as being all new. Not to mention the part where it's actually possible to run out of ammo for every single weapon you have. And that's something that shouldn't happen in a game whose sole purpose is to send waves of guys at you to kill. Couple that with the pain kill- sorry, the razor cube being virtually worthless, and you might as well stop playing. The load time is atrocious. The performance is bad. It's not fun. You have time to play OTHER games if you die and have to reload a checkpoint or quicksave. And that's the best advice for Overdose. Play something else.

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Painkiller: Overdose

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