Others say...

"frickin hard!"
I played Painkiller on Nightmare mode and had no problem beating the game. However, playing BooH on Nightmare mode is asking for, well, just that: a nightmare. Just like the dude said, you will be staring at the loading screen A LOT. Leningrad was probably the most annoying level in the world, because the enemies have CRAZY accuracies. And the Coliseum level has some annoying tricks and traps.

Other than that, the environment is stunningly detailed (just like the original), and Daniel's face is improved (he looks more manly now, instead of retarded).

If you're a fan of the original game, you will like this one. And in my opinion, 10 levels is plenty for an expansion pack. Besides, the weapons are pretty cool, and the ending is *unexpected*.

"If you liked Painkiller, you'll like this, just know what to expect."
Just like my title says, you'll like it if you liked Painkiller and want more, just not much more. It's important to point out that this is an expansion, NOT a sequel, so don't expect it to be as big and awesome as the original.

One of my favorite things about the original were the levels and level design, better than any other game in my opinion. If they used a texture on one level, it wasn't used again, this way every level looked totally unique and new. Unfortunately this is not the case in the expansion. Overall I like the levels, and it does give you more if you weren't ready for Painkiller to end. However overall I would say they are not as inspired or skillfully designed, as Painkiller's. Same goes for the new enemies, which most of which are cool, but nothing jaw-dropping.

One of the highlights of this expansion however are the new weapons. One thing that really impressed me with Painkiller was the originality and usefullness of all the weapons, and this has carried over to the new weapons (which I'll let you discover for yourself).

Basically, if you want more Painkiller, this expansion is definately worth it and should help hold you over until the sequel (which I don't know if there ever will be Painkiller 2 but there totally should be).

"Not Bad"
considering the increasing quantity of video games appearing and the reduction in overall quality, this one seems to come accross as an above average graphics, quick gameplay, varied levels with a multitude of creatures. However as emersive as the atmospherice effects and graphic are I have to admit it is at times too graphic. Nevertheless, certainly fun. Nice playability and quite easy to manouver and my oh my those weapons... Wow. In a nut shell I would have liked it as much as doom 3 if it only were for three things: the loading time between levels and the simplicity of gameplay engine and lack of ability to interact with your environment for a more dynamic experience. Also, I always would rather see new versions of the same games rather than those dreaded expansion packs.

"Battle Out of Hell + Sound up + Lights off = STUNNING!!!!!!!"
I cannot begin to describe how awesome the levels are in this expansion. While in the first Painkiller they hashed out cliched environments like: "Docks" OMG SO CREATIVE oh oh and don't forget "Military Base" lol. But in BOOH man oh man. The first level is called "Orphanage" and it does NOT disappoint. The music is tremendous, the graphics are highly original and beautiful and the easter eggs don't stop coming. Is the game worth it at $2 a level? Unless you're so poor your staple diet is cup-noodle, I would definately buy this. It is such a mind trip and stretch like OMG HOW COULD YOU PUT THE TORTURE OF YOUNG CHILDREN INTO A GAME?! But they did, and as it turns out it was both horrifying and entertaining. And unlike the first Painkiller, BOOH is actually scary. Not going to spoil anything but about 3 minutes into the Orphanage, when that... the stairs.. with lights out and sound up it sent chills all the way down my spine. Great game, but why are there no guides out there for this? On the first level theres a demonic message in Portugese found all over. An Easter Egg that noone has bothered to identify? I've translated "To Marry" and "To Fit" Cabarem Casarem but that's it. Anyway, do yourself a favor and buy this game if you want to be dazzled and have fun. The most original levels, enemies and amazing music are in BOOH, and it has never disappointed.

"Worth playing if you loved the original"
"Battle out of Hell" changes up the Painkiller formula a bit and offers 8 new levels and 2 boss battles. Some levels are shorter and smaller than the levels in the original, and they generally have less enemies. The game also seems more frustrating and less satisfying this time around, and it has some terrible technical effects on the original campaign. Most of the changes aren't all that good, but the game still has some great levels, and it's cheap. So, if you liked the original, then "Battle out of Hell" is worth playing. After all, it's still Painkiller.

The original game usually opted to through a large number of enemies at you, but didn't really make one enemy very dangerous. Battle out of Hell throws less at you, but makes them tougher, and also seems to cramp you into a lot tighter spaces. This is especially true of the orphanage level, which only has about 70 enemies in it or so and is over pretty fast. There is also one rail shooter sequence that mostly everyone who has played it hates, and a jumping puzzle here and there that isn't too hard, but just a bit annoying. The tarot cards are a lot harder to get. The loading times are just like the original - bad. This problem sticks out more now because of the increased difficulty level. Battle out of Hell has some cheap trick traps that are aggravating. It also has a few maddeningly difficult waves of enemies who are almost perfectly accurate and can take down all of your health in a few seconds. You will find yourself staring at the loading screen a lot. The game's hard parts become very frustrating when you spend one minute looking at the loading screen for every minute of gameplay.

The level design took a step backwards in some areas. One of the requirements of a run-and-gun shooter is that you need lots of space -- space for running around while you dodge rockets or bullets. Serious Sam and the original Painkiller got this right, but Battle out of Hell fails in numerous areas. The problem gets worse after the halfway point of the game. In some sequences, you are forced to fight a score of grenade-launching enemies in a small room. These parts are nearly impossible and very frustrating, and they kill the pace that made Painkiller so unforgettable.

Painkiller also carries over the inane puzzle boss convention of the first game. The game's first major boss isn't too bad, but the final boss is horrible. The ending of "Battle out of Hell" will leave you with a lukewarm feeling. The game's two pre-rendered cutscenes are so bad that they make cut scenes in the first game look like Oscar material. That's saying a lot, since the story and cut scenes in Painkiller were so silly.

What "Battle out of Hell" does carry over though, is the beautiful graphics, fascinating attention to detail, and creativity that the original had. There is so much creativity poured into every area that it's easy to excuse the fact that there's only 10 of them. The game always leaves you wondering: "What's coming next?", and it hardly ever disappoints. The Loony Fun Park, The Lab, and the City of The Dead (my favorite level) are some unforgettable locations that are every bit as incredible as the Military Base or the Industrial Facility in the first game. The Colisseum is a bit more generic looking, but it is an exciting romp with a fantastic climax at the end. The Leningrad level looks and sounds great, although it doesn't play that well. Ultimately, it would be worth playing "Battle out of Hell" just for three or four great levels, because they are that good. They feature some wacky enemies, like angry clowns and demonic nurses who attack you with syringes that say "HIV" on them.

The worst part about this expansion pack isn't the new content. It's the fact that it practically breaks the old stuff. If you have this expansion pack installed, you literally cannot replay the original game. This expansion introduces tons of annoying crashes and bugs into the old levels, and one major game killer on The Docks that makes the level unfinishable. The new levels run wonderfully, but it seems like the old ones weren't even tested once. If you are planning to buy the original game and this expansion at the same time, then I highly recommend that you pass on the expansion for now.

If you loved the original game like I did, then you're going to find this expansion pack worth playing. It's not great from start to finish, but there are enough fun parts to justify the low price. I'm still pissed that the expansion makes the original game almost unplayable. But, I got to experience some new exquisite locations for blasting a wide variety of enemies into bloody chunks, and that's what I wanted the most.