Hi folks,
I am excited to tell you that we will be bringing you the Sore Spots add-on environment(s) for PAIN on May 14th. The reason I added the “s” at the end of “environment” is that Sore Spots is actually two environments in one! One of the environments is a high school gymnasium, and the other is a top secret alien research facility.
Of course we’ll also be bringing some of your favorite modes back - Fun With Explosives, HORSE, and Trauma will all be in the house. Also, for those of you who picked up the Smack Pack, both Darts and Fortress will be playable in the Sore Spots environments. In addition, we’re adding a new mode called Mad Science. It’s a time-based mode in which you must cause different colored jugs of chemicals to collide and explode. Mad Science will also have its own Leaderboards, so I expect to see some pretty ill competition.
…You want a preview don’t you?
Here.
Probably the biggest addition to the Sore Spots add-on is PAINalympics, a new multiplayer Mode in which two to four players compete in a variety of events in a race for the gold. Allow me to elaborate on the events:
Horseshoes – There are four giant horseshoes floating in front of the launcher, and your task is to snatch them and try for a ringer. You have four launches. Whatcha gon’ do?
Bull Ride – Imagine a large group of mechanical bulls, each atop a large column. All you have to do is launch, grab, and hold on as the bull bucks with increasing vigor. Sounds simple, but if you’re GOOD, you can let go of a bull and grab another for a bonus. Oh, and if you’re REALLY good but you happen to get bucked off, you can launch off of an exploding crate on the floor and stay in the game. Ready to ride, cowboys and cowgirls?
Rope Kick – Launch your character and grab a rope that’s hanging in the middle of a group of other characters. Then the test of your Ooching skills begins. Your objective here is to swing around on the rope and knock down as many of those other characters as possible. It’s not as easy as it sounds. You have 30 seconds. Make. It. Happen.
Balloony Bin – There’s a sea of blue balloons in front of the launcher (and the occasional red balloon here and there) and five trash bins on the opposite side of the balloons. Your mission here is to launch and knock/drag as many balloons into the trash bins as possible. Red balloons are worth more points, but there are less of them. Unlimited launches. 45 seconds.
Stack Whacker – There’s a big stack of boxes in front of the launcher, and all you have to do is knock them all down in as few launches as possible. Amateurs will probably just launch, reset, wash, rinse, and repeat, but a true gold medalist will quickly notice that there are some chemicals and other objects around the scene that might make things easier. This is your big chance to show how Whack you really are.
Anvil Toss – All you have to do here is grab the floating anvil and throw it as far as you can. This is PAIN, though, so we’ll never make it that easy on you. In addition to the fact that an anvil is a huge, heavy chunk of metal, there are cherry bombs scattered around the floor as well as chemicals that will potentially explode if you toss that puppy TOO far. The trick here is to be good, but not THAT good.
Relay Race – Break out the baby powder. It’s time to Pimp Slap. Launch your character onto the elevated track that circles the gymnasium, and your only control is the Pimp Slap. Slap, slap, slap him/her/….it around the track until you hit another character, and then slap THEM around. As in every race, it’s all about the best time. I highly recommend that newbies wear protective hand gear until your Pimp Hand is strong. Personally, I got the ILL calluses….
Punt Ball – There is a goal set up much like hockey or footie (but bigger), and you simply have to knock a red and/or blue ball through the goal. There is, however, a ton of junk scattered around the floor between you and the goal that make this a LOT harder than it sounds. Add the fact that you can’t grab the balls, and it’s quite a challenge. Oh, and those characters who are dancing under the goal? Extra points if you hit them.
Swing N’ Dunk – Ever seen an Olympic athlete on the Rings doing the Cross? Truly an amazing human feat, no? We don’t get down like that, though. The goal here is to launch at a ring, swing on it, release, and get your character through the basketball hoop. Kudos if you can do it without Ooching.
You may have noticed a recurring theme of “seemingly simple” events. Well, that’s the plan for PAINalympics. It’s a crazy fun, party-style multiplayer Mode, and while you don’t need to be an expert to participate in any of the events, competition among well-trained PAINiacs can be fierce.
Sore Spots is headed your way on Thursday, May 14th, and we’ll be releasing Ded Baron, a new launchable character, the following week. At the same time as Sore Spots, though, comes a little bonus – You’ll also be able to get a free download of another beloved PlayStation personality, which you may have read about. He’s a little shy, so I don’t want to just come right out and spill the beans, but
here’s a screen shot that will give you an idea of who we’re talking about.
See you in Sore Spots!
Coke