PAIN Review
- Posted January 14th, 2008 at 17:41 EDT by
- 16 Comments
Review Score
- PSU Review Score
- 6.5
- Avg. user review score:
- 7.2
Summary
PAIN had a lot of potential but chose to not take advantage of it. Demo it first, because it may not be your type of game.
We like
- Great physics
- Zany comments
- Good downloadable content
We dislike
- Sluggish feel
- Repetitive qualities
- Awkward delay
See PSU's review on Metacritic & GameRankings
Welcome to a crash course review of the entertainingly funny PlayStation Network release, PAIN. We’re not sure if any PSN title has been given as much content for download after release, as quickly as PAIN has. From wallpapers to extra characters, this game isn’t anything but updated. It’s too bad that the potential this title had, never was reached.
Right off the bat you’re going to notice that the game offers a sluggish feel. It’s almost as though the game itself can’t keep up with some of the actions taking place. This doesn’t take away from what little the game is offering; however, it does annoyingly present itself every time you pick up the controller to play.
The game revolves around you taking aim with your character who just so happens to be strapped into a man-sized slingshot, and your purpose is to sling him across the environment to cause as much damage as possible. You’ll multiply your score for hitting multiple collisions and creating more pain for your character.
The game modes in single-player are Mime Toss, Spank the Monkey, and Paindemonium. Each game mode offers a unique experience that quickly loses its appeal. With the repetitiveness of them, you’ll probably lose interest pretty fast.
Mime Toss has you launching yourself towards an awaiting mime that you’re then supposed to grab and throw through several panes of glass. Don’t miss the mime and send yourself hurling through the glass or you’ll have a 20 second penalty placed on your time. Each benchmark is designed for you to complete the task before a certain time. Though the idea sounds good, the game itself is a challenging yet frustrating experience.
Spank the Monkey is probably the most repetitive game mode offered. A monkey will sprout up somewhere in the environment and you must launch yourself at him to knock him over. That’s pretty much all there is to it. After the 30th monkey, the game gets a little excessive and boring.
Paindemonium revolves around creating as much havoc, pain, and damage that you can. You’re placed inside the downtown environment and just let loose. This mode is also benchmarked with scores.
As for multiplayer, it too leaves a lot to be desired. Multiplayer revolves around three game modes as well: Bowling, Horse, and Fun with Explosions.
Bowling has you trying to destroy the environment while your opponent tries to score points by knocking pins over. Horse is your typical horse-style game; you perform a manic slingshot of destruction and your opponent must best you. Fun with Explosions has you trying to set off all of the explosions in the downtown environment. Only Horse has any sort of lasting appeal.
The controls are pretty basic and easy to get a hang of. The tutorial that happens before you can play the actual game will demonstrate how to do everything necessary to become a pro.
Overall, PAIN is just that, a pain. The game lacks any real substance or any staying power whatsoever. With repetitive elements and sluggish gameplay, not even the outstanding physics or regular downloadable content can help save it.
Comments
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D3v1lwqer23
- 5:47pm GMT - January 14th, 2008
- 1
I found it intriguing...for an hour or so. Hopefully the gameplay will get deeper as more updates come.
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yoboyrob9041226 |
BIGROB904- 5:59pm GMT - January 14th, 2008
- 2
the game looks fun i might get this when the ps cards come to america
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DeadOnArrival06 |
DeadOnArrival06- 7:42pm GMT - January 14th, 2008
- 7
It's a good thing I don't listen to reviews to decide what I purchase. I personally enjoy this game.
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ohshutyourmouth |
ohshutyourmouth- 12:12pm GMT - January 15th, 2008
- 11
lol this game came out months ago.......why do they do their reviews so late?
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Intervention
- 4:23am BST - June 18th, 2009
- 16
I made the mistake of buying this game a few days ago, yeah it has been out a few years. I figured why not the premise sounds good, boy was I wrong. It comes with one level and two characters. You have to pay for the other 4 levels that are available, but trust me after 10 minutes of playing this game you will have known that you would have had more fun lighting the $9.99 on fire. The trophies are next to impossible to get. One of the biggest ripoffs ever! I hate this game more than I think any other. There I feel better now.
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