Receiving preview code in the mail is really cool because it allows me to sample lots of upcoming games, and as for the 2005 holiday season, one of those titles that was on the top of my must play list was Dreamcatcher's Painkiller: Hell Wars. The PC that I own isn't quite powerful enough to host this intense FPS so I missed out on its 2004 release, but when an Xbox demo arrived at my doorstep I tore into it like a fiendish demon from hell, yet my blood lust was put on ice after breezing through the three very brief missions included on the disc. "That's Painkiller?" I blurted out as my brother watched with feigned enthusiasm.

The game's definitely enjoyable to a certain extent, and I'm not going to bash it after playing those levels, but based on what I experienced it's nothing more than a standard issue first person shooter where you run around killing everything that creeps. Always on the run from hordes of demonic beings, there's certainly never a dull moment, and the titanic bosses (Shadow of the Colossus sized beasts) are a real treat to battle, but this is basically Serious Sam meets Hellraiser, and what sort of bogs down the gameplay is the standard issue old school game design that forces the player to slaughter a certain amount of enemies before another portion of the level is unlocked. Regardless of how cool this game looks, the been there/done that objectives had me yearning for a bit more sophistication.

Thankfully, Painkiller is far from being a horrible game, not in even close, actually. On the contrary, it's a fast-paced macabre blood bath that takes place between heaven and hell. Caught in the middle of an unholy war, you basically have to use a myriad of different weapons to murder your way through, and the game shoves numerous types of foes in your path, all of which can be blown into gooey chunks. There's zombie-like creatures, these bizarre fools on broomsticks, giant fat guys in leather, and many more terrors. It's not impossible to get one's ass kicked, yet I had some serious trouble succumbing to their attacks.

The demo consists of three levels: a town, a prison, and a fairly large arena that hosts the boss fight. The first two missions take place in different locales but the objectives are exactly the same, so I just ran about messing around with the game's Havok 2.0 physics and slaughtering wave after hellish wave of disgusting beasts. Only four weapons are available: a melee device that forces me to get a bit too close to my prey, a rather unimpressive shotgun, a wicked yet standard issue chain gun that doubles as a rocket launcher, and a stake gun, the latter being the only weapon I had much fun using. One of the game's highlights, the stakes can pierce an enemy anywhere on its body and the force of being struck propels them backwards where they'll sometimes get stuck to walls. It's just really cool nailing some poor sap in the face with a stake and watching as his limp body is yanked backwards into a door. There's also these fake humans hanging from gallows in the town level and these too can be pierced and will realistically react from the blows. Unfortunately, you can't fire an innumerable amount of stakes into things because the body will eventually disappear. That's pretty lame, though there's always fresh, new meat to go after.

What's also neat is the character's ability to transform into a possessed monster after he collects a set amount of his victims' souls (by the way, you collect souls). The screen becomes grey, the demons are highlighted, and the action is slowed down, allowing him to get a jump on his opponents and cause some nasty damage to their bloated carcasses. I recognize that altering time isn't the most original of features, but it's better to have than not. However, this metamorphosis seems to automatically occur each and every time that soul quota is met without the player's approval. Not a huge deal, but I would like to have the option to change forms rather than be forced into it.

The last level that I played, titled Ruins, thrust me into a huge battle arena full of crumbled rock and an absolutely humongous creature that wasn't exactly thrilled that I had entered its domicile (or perhaps it was). Wielding a gigantic hammer capable of squishing me, it lumbered about the screen, pausing to slam its weapon into the Earth. Not only did I have to worry about being stepped on, but also the consequences of not paying attention to the sky. Every time that hammer came crashing down a bunch of stone blocks were propelled hundreds of feet into the air, and since what comes up most definitely comes down hard, I had to side step a whole bunch of falling debris. So it's a bit challenging having to deal with the big oaf and the raining stones, yet at the same time, and much like those other missions, after I got the gist of what was happening I whipped his ass pretty easily. The sucky part is he has the ability to heal himself, so five minutes of blasting can be erased in five seconds, but his primary problem is he lacks variety. As you may have experienced in other games, some bosses will alter their attack patterns as their health is being whittled away, but this guy continuously goes through the same predictable routine. He healed himself several times but that didn't really matter.

For the most part, the Xbox version of Painkiller looks like its PC counterpart but some the detail has been scaled back and the frame rate isn't as lightning quick. It's still quite attractive, yet it doesn't even begin to compare to Doom 3, Far Cry: Instincts, and the upcoming Half-Life 2. Aside from the insanely huge bosses, there's very little about it that impressed me visually, though the rag doll physics and the ability to splinter wooden carts and coffins (and collect the coins left behind) is a sweet touch. After all, when it comes to games like this, the more carnage I can cause, the happier I will be.

I'd love to tell you about the game's Xbox Live component but the demo doesn't include support for Microsoft's online service, so you and I will just have to wait until Painkiller: Hell Wars ships November 8, that is, if this is your type of game. I'm still debating whether or not I want to pick it up, only because I'm not entirely down with its cookie cutter design. However, I do enjoy killing virtual monsters, and the demo was just enough to whet my appetite for destruction, so I'm sure that a purchase or rental is in my future. Expect a review shortly after the game's release.