This was originally intended
to be an unnofficial fan-made mod for Painkiller.
And it that respect, it's pretty amazing. That
was until DreamCatcher allowed the developers
to turn it into a full stand-alone game. If
that meant sequel then in that respect, it's
doesn't live up to sequel expectations - considering
the content it's still just an addon - a double-sized
expansion pack.
It's still the same engine
and same gameplay - nothing has really changed
since the first game. Many of the same enemies
make a return, along with some new ones, some
new weapons and 16 new levels.
The only big problem with Overdose
is that the gameplay isn't very balanced. For
instance you get to the third (final) episode,
and the first two levels are probably the easiest
in the entire game. Then the next level is the
hardest in the entire Painkiller franchise (in
my opinion) minus boss levels. The first couple
of episodes you would often be forced to switch
to whatever weapon has enough ammo, then when
that's out switch to whatever you have left!
In other words ammo is in short supply. Of course
I never ran out, but I was also often forced
to use weapons I didn't really like. And the
weapons are another problem in Overdose; they're
all fairly average. The Bonegun (Shotgun) and
Crossbow are great, but the rest are not very
inspiring to use. The weapons are all very similar
in damage, rather than the old-skool style of
shooters where you get more powerful weapons
as you go.
There are lots of new enemies,
in fact almost every level has a new enemy set,
much like the original. And this of course is
fantastic that they can not only create 16 completely
unique settings most with their own set of enemies.
However, the enemies actual attacks are all
fairly similar. Many of them probably have the
same attack, just with a new model. 90% can
be taken down in two or less shots with the
Bonegun. Which makes them fairly repetitive.
The engine might be a few years
old now, but because each level is nicely detailed
and so creative, the game ends up looking good
and (only just) up to 2007 standards. Let's
just say the engine hasn't aged as poorly as,
say, 2004's F.E.A.R.. There's a lot of imagination
put into Overdose and the level design is almost
up to the same high standards as the original
- which is a decent feat considering this was
originally just a mod.
End of the day, however, this
isn't a mod anymore. It's marketed and priced
as a full game. And as a full game it does nothing
different to the original. The gameplay is slightly
more unbalanced, the enemies are repetitive
and the level design isn't quite as good as
the original. I was always a big fan of the
original
It's only worth playing if
you can find it cheap, and don't go in expecting
a true sequel. Two expansions packs down - two
to go - at least DreamCatcher really supports
it's community!
