''Pain'' (stylized as ''PAIN'') is an action

video game Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...

developed by Idol Minds and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for

PlayStation 3 The PlayStation 3 (PS3) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. The successor to the PlayStation 2, it is part of the PlayStation brand of consoles. It was first released on Novemb ...

. It was released as a downloadable title available from the PlayStation Store and was released in North America on November 29, 2007 and in the PAL region on March 20, 2008 and became the most popular downloadable game on the PlayStation Store. In June 2009, SCEE announced that the game was to be released on Blu-ray Disc. It was launched in Europe on June 24, 2009, in Australia on June 25, 2009 and in the UK on June 26, 2009. The Blu-ray version includes the original game as well as several other levels and features released as downloadable content for the PSN version. It is available in a collection which is available to download from the PlayStation Store called the 3D Collection. On November 26, 2013, the game's online features were disabled.

Gameplay

In ''Pain'' the player attempts to damage the

ragdoll The Ragdoll is a breed of cat with a distinct colorpoint coat and blue eyes. Its morphology is large and weighty, and it has a semi-long and silky soft coat. American breeder Ann Baker developed Ragdolls in the 1960s. They are best known for the ...

character they play and the environment as much as possible by flinging them from a rubber-band slingshot, using the

Havok physics engine Havok is a middleware software suite developed by the Irish company Havok. Havok provides a physics engine component and related functions to video games. In September 2007, Intel announced it had signed a definitive agreement to acquire Havok ...

. The characters have distinctive poses and phrases, can move by "ooching" and can grab things to throw or hang from. Replay videos can be watched, and can be edited and uploaded to

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or the PlayStation 3's hard disk drive.

Characters

Besides the regular characters available,

Santa Claus Santa Claus, also known as Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Kris Kringle, or simply Santa, is a Legend, legendary figure originating in Western Christianity, Western Christian culture who is said to Christmas gift-bringer, bring ...

, Katsuaki Kato (''

Famitsu formerly ''Famicom Tsūshin'', is a line of Japanese video game magazines published by Kadokawa Game Linkage (previously known as Gzbrain), a subsidiary of Kadokawa. ''Famitsu'' is published in both weekly and monthly formats as well as in the fo ...

'' editor-in-chief, called Kato-san), Elvira,

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, George Takei, Andy Dick and

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were remade in the game. PlayStation characters

Buzz Buzz may refer to: People *Buzz (nickname), a list of people *J. Buzz Von Ornsteiner (born 1967; aka ''Dr. Buzz''), American forensic psychologist and journalist Fictional characters *Buzz, a character in the 1987 American comedy movie '' Reve ...

, Daxter and the titular Fat Princess are also available.

Levels

The game download included only the original environment, Downtown, which was a sandbox level with 3 unlockable environments. Downtown offered the modes Fun With Explosives, Spank The Monkey, Mime Toss, and Bowling. On November 24, 2010, Idol Minds provided long-time fans with a free environment called Hurt Falls, sponsored by AXE deodorant. It included the mode Fun With Explosives.

Downloadable content

*Amusement Park, with one unlockable environment, and modes Fun With Explosives, Clown Toss, Hot N Cold, and Trauma; released on September 11, 2008. *Touchmounds Movie Studio, with one unlockable environment, and modes Fun With Explosives, Cratetastic, and Bowling; released on November 13, 2008. *Sore Spots, broken down into two environments, Morningwood High School and Area 69, each with one unlockable environment, and modes Fun With Explosives, PAINalympics, and Mad Science! Released on May 14, 2009. *Stiffstonian Museum, with one unlockable environment, and modes Fun With Explosives, Spank the Monkey, and Bowling; released on August 13, 2009. *Alpine Ski Area, with the mode Fun With Explosives. Two ''Pain'' pinball machines are available for download, which have elements of Amusement Park and Area 69.

Development

On October 26, 2010 a new patch was released for PlayStation Move capabilities.

Reception

''PAIN''

''PAIN'' received above-average reviews according to the

review aggregation A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews of products and services (such as films, books, video games, software, hardware, and cars). This system stores the reviews and uses them for purposes such as supporting a website where users ...

website

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...

. ''

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'' praised the game for its "great use of Havok physics engine" and "smartly sophomoric sense of humor," but criticized it for having just one level. ''

IGN ''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...

'' said, "One level, two characters, no online multiplayer and no way to share crazy clips sucks. However, there are a ton of trophies to unlock." The game was referenced in the

PlayStation 5 The PlayStation 5 (PS5) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Announced as the successor to the PlayStation 4 in April 2019, it was launched on November 12, 2020, in Australia, Japan, New Zealand, North Ame ...

launch title ''

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'', a celebration of the PlayStation brand.

''Amusement Park''

''PAIN: Amusement Park'' received above-average reviews according to Metacritic.

References

External links

''Pain'' official websiteIdol Minds official website
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Pain (Video Game) 2007 video games Action games Crossover video games Deck Nine games Inactive online games Multiplayer and single-player video games PlayStation 3 games PlayStation 3-only games PlayStation Move-compatible games PlayStation Network games Products and services discontinued in 2013 Sony Interactive Entertainment games Video games developed in the United States Video games scored by Peter McConnell Video games using Havok Video games with custom soundtrack support Video games with stereoscopic 3D graphics