Dreamcatcher downplays Painkiller leak

Dreamcatcher is urging gamers to avoid and/or disregard a recently leaked version of its first-person shooter, Painkiller. In a statement, the publisher says the version, which first appeared on the Web on Friday, is an early build of the People Can Fly-developed title that was "intended for press evaluation purposes only." "This leaked build contains just a glimpse of the multi-player maps planned and lacks the depth, weapons, levels and AI sophistication that will be present in the official demo," said the company.

The first official Painkiller demo, which will be single-player, is not due until February. However, those looking for a sneak peak at the game can check out GameSpot's preview. The game is due on March 10 for the PC, with an Xbox version coming in Q2 2004.