Closed beta for Painkiller: Hell & Damnation has arrived

So long as it stays close to the original game, more Painkiller sounds like a very good thing to me. That’s why Painkiller: Hell & Damnation seems great in theory. If The Farm 51 can deliver fast-paced first-person shooting, monstrous enemy designs, and satisfying weapons — all wrapped together nicely using the Unreal Engine 3 — I’m in.

These latest three screenshots offer tentative hope that this could be the one we have been waiting for. A closed beta for Hell & Damnation will start today, so be on the lookout for keys if you want in. Beyond single-player, the beta includes access to network co-op, deatchmatch, and team deathmatch.

“The feedback from fans that played the original Painkiller is extremely important to us,” says Nordic Games’ Reinhard Pollice. “It will give us a chance to interact with the community, as well as offering them exclusivity of being the first to play the game.”