Here Comes The...
PAIN offers some juvenile kicks, but ultimately feels a bit too thin for the money.
Published: December 6, 2007
The game also tries to tap into that odd rush you get while playing the Burnout games' Crash Mode, where just watching a multiplier climb while destruction mounts is the game mode, but even with the ability to watch a replay and detatch a camera to move around the level to view things from any angle, there just isn't enough of a feeling of chaos. Given the sheer amount of stuff that blows up or falls apart, all the little interactive bits scattered all over the level, there should absolutely be enough to satisfy here, but for whatever reason, I just didn't quite get the same fix, though I will freely admit to giggling after learning to grab one of the explosive boxes that will only explode after you throw it, which can lead to some great replays.
Maybe it's just that I thought PAIN was going to have more to it. When they first announced the game, there was talk of recording replays and sharing/voting on them to encourage the social aspect of the game, and if the games of H-O-R-S-E are any indication, online play would have given the game far better legs. As it stands, the best way to enjoy the game is with a couple of beers and some buds (either definition of that word will work, but actual human company is probably better).
It's not even a bad looking game; the lighting, level of detail, texture work and ragdoll implementation are all quite good. The sheer density of the level means it feels like something that's pushing the hardware at least a little, and the framerate, which rests comfortably around the 30fps mark with only a few minor dips here and there, delivers the game with plenty of smoothness.
The audio, on the other hand, may be make or break for some folks. The skew of the humor is a little younger and a lot more xtreem (plenty of balls references, your default main character spits out catchphrases and screams with every launch), which recalls a Mountain Dew commercial gone even more awry than usual. At least the sound effects are decent, with generous smacks and crunches and booming explosions, though after playing High Velocity Bowling, the lack of a custom soundtrack option really does stand out. Make it a requirement, Sony!
You'll notice too that I've been mentioning characters rather than the default. The game offers two downloadable unlocks, one for Santa and another for a busty, slightly naughty elf girl with a raspy voice and a habit of extending innuendo into just about everything she does. The latter's near-orgasmic sound squeals while being run over by a car are hilariously embarrassing, though I don't doubt they'll hit their target market with a bullseye.
PAIN just needed a little more... something. Another level, more stuff to do, I don't know what, but it's impossible to escape the feeling that what's being offered for $10 is spread a little too thin. Had some of the community parts of the game entered the picture, it might be a different story, but even sharing and commenting on videos can't make up for the lack of variety to the world. Sure, it's good for a laugh, and as a drunken impulse buy, you could do worse than PAIN, but it might be best to wait until it drops in price a few bucks before taking the plunge.
