Release: Mar 20 2008
Developer: Idol Minds
Publisher: Sony
Genre: Action
If you could catapult someone from a launcher into various objects and injure the person beyond belief while not really injuring them, would you? PAIN is one of the best stress-relieving games out there as it allows you to do exactly what was just described. Players rack up points by catapulting one of a cast of characters from a launching pad and guiding them into a variety of objects. It’s good fun and can easily be a guilty pleasure kind of game.
Don’t be fooled by the simplicity of the game’s premise, though. PAIN requires some serious thinking for players to achieve the best scores and results. There’s an intricate combo system involved, surrounding how many different objects your human missile comes into contact with in one launch and whether or not you can cause reactions from other objects. For example, if your character collides with a set of girders and topples it, it’s possible that those girders may fall on oncoming traffic or might set off an explosive crate that can trigger other reactions on the game screen. This means that you can play the game just to see how much damage your character can cause… or you can just launch him or her face-first into the side of a building and watch the rag-doll physics take over as the character flops around. It’s up to you. Trophies and in-game achievements await the best players, so you Trophy hounds out there will eat this up (if you haven’t already).
When purchasing the main game, it contains a downtown level with lots of things going on. There’s a fully-running train, moving girders and construction sites, moving vehicles, billboards, explosive crates, a subway tunnel (for the most accurate of launchers), and more to interact with. Players can choose to either play the stage freestyle and see how many points that they can rack up in one launch, or they can choose from a couple of challenges. These challenges include a mime toss, as player must launch their character, grab onto a mime that’s floating in mid-air and then throw him through panes of glass. It’s tougher than it looks. Other challenges include finding and hitting monkeys with your character and trying to set off as many explosive crates as you can within three launches. If you have friends over, PAIN also has some fun multiplayer modes, such as Bowling and Horse.
Abusement Park:
With the most recent addition of an indoor amusement park level (which is currently for sale separately on PSN), there are now two levels from which you can choose to do damage. The new expansion is considerably more interactive than the downtown level. There are a number of rides represented, each of which can figure into your launch trajectory. Do you want to aim high and hang onto the sky coaster? Maybe you can shoot through the alligator’s mouth and glide down a ramp that shoots you into the Tilt-A-Hurl, where you hang on for dear life as it spins in rapid rotation. There are six rides in all, combined with other obstacles and objects to collide with. To go along with the new stage, there are new challenges (Clown Toss, Hot & Cold) and new multiplayer modes (highlighted by the Call Da Shot mode). All of this new content is just $6 on PSN, and it’s well worth the download once you’ve purchased the original game. It extends the replayability that much further and the two areas have completely different layouts and designs.
The visuals in PAIN are quite good, especially for a downloadable game. Traffic flows on the busy streets downtown, while the rides in the amusement park all look and animate realistically. The Havok Engine is in full effect here, which becomes evident as soon as your character makes his or her first impact. There are some noticeable issues with slowdown, especially in the Amusement Park level, but this isn’t a huge detractor from the overall game. The character and level designs are pretty unique; there is a lot of humor to be had if you look at the signs and billboards, while the characters are plays on familiar stereotypes. Although many of the funnier characters are sold separately for $1 each, it’s nice having them to decide who you want to decimate. Is it the gangsta pirate? The naughty nurse? The gamer girl? The Mami? The London punk? It’s your call.
PAIN‘s sound is highlighted by each character screaming in fear as they’re shot airborne, followed by dull thuds and sounds of objects breaking or vehicles colliding. Phrases that are shouted by each character fit their particular stereotype, and there are some genuinely funny lines in here. Sound effects are clean and sound almost frighteningly real. If you don’t like the in-game soundtrack, PAIN supports custom soundtracks if you’ve uploaded music onto your PlayStation 3′s hard drive. This is a great feature that should be utilized more.
Painfully Absent?
Despite the fun that I’ve had with this game, I do have a few complaints. I’ve found that challenges that require grabbing a character (such as a mime or clown) and throwing them are frustrating. I’ve had difficulty mastering the controls for grabs and throws; they feel inconsistent. It’s also unfortunate that the requirements for unlocking certain features aren’t made apparent. The parameters for unlocking Trophies and in-game achievements are specified, but how do we unlock Aftermath or After Hours? Lastly, the lack of online multiplayer is a detractor. Some of the Trophies require multiplayer action, which makes this omission even more PAINful (if you’ll excuse the pun). Local multiplayer is certainly fun, but if you’re having a late-night solo gaming session and want to do some Trophy-busting… you’re out of luck.
I’ve had a blast with PAIN, and the new expansion just adds to the fun. I’ve had a number of launches where the result makes me either cringe or shout out loud in disbelief. It’s not the deepest game available on PSN– even with the Trophies– but it is fun to play in spurts or to show off to friends. It may look like a Jackass sketch gone wrong, but whether you’ve got that sense of humor or not… PAIN just might be the prescription for you.
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