It's been awhile since we've heard anything in regards to the Xbox port of Painkiller, a first-person shooter that's been making the rounds on the PC circuit for several months now. Well, good news, kids, it still exists, and it's shaping up to be a worthwhile release for the home console this fall. We had a chance to catch up with it at E3 and things are shaping up well.

Let me fill you in on the story of Painkiller real quick before I go any further. At the beginning of the game, you and your wife are killed in a horrific car crash. She finds entry straight into heaven, but somewhere in the mix, you're thrown right into the middle of an unholy war in Purgatory. It's your job to clean up on the invading army, and doing so will earn you entry into heaven where you can spend eternity with your wife. Of course, in order to do this, you'll need to clean house with some powerhouse weapons and face truly monstrous bosses, some even stacking four screens high.

The Xbox edition of Painkiller will be a remix of both the original game and the expansion disc Battle Out of Hell, featuring the best levels from both games. People Can Fly, the development team, will also be adding a few new single-player and multiplayer maps to check out, as well as a brand new weapon that's so dipped in secret, we couldn't even get hints on what it was. But expect levels of bad-assness, that's for sure.

As far as the game in general, it's shaping up pretty well. The graphics look pretty sharp, even for a midway development state, and the enemy animation seems to be right on target. Dreamcatcher has promised that the "rag doll" physics will also be back to give the game even higher detail in the graphics, and that the bosses will be perfectly captured for their massive battles. The controls feel pretty good with the Xbox pad, right down to the switching of weapons and being able to strafe around armadas of dangerous monks and other enemies. (Hey, monks can be mean if you catch them on a bad day.) Sound wasn't fully present in the E3 edition, but the sound effects seem right on.

Dreamcatcher also dropped two more crucial details about the Xbox version of the game. First, it will support Xbox Live, with up to 16 players being able to take part in a match. And second, Dreamcatcher will be shooting for a lower price on the final release this fall. A hellishly cool FPS for $20-$30? Count me in! Painkiller will be surfacing soon enough, so prepare yourself for the biggest battle of your afterlife.