Bulletstorm Review: It's Brash, It's Funny, It's Not Your Traditional Shooter

Bulletstorm strikes me as quite possibly the most supremely epic mannishly manly game for manly men. Released in February 2011, the seemingly non-traditional first-person shooter has enjoyed it fair share of commercial success and highly positive reviews despite having been heavily critiqued and scrutinized for containing 'inappropriate' content.

GRAYSON'S STORY

Bulletstorm is an outrageously goofy and violence riddled science-fiction 'epic' (sort of) set in the 26th century. The game primarily follows the story of black-ops operative turned space pirate, Grayson Hunt, and his rebel crew. Following an alcohol induced and ill-fated attempt at revenge against his former commanding officer, General Sarrano, Grayson ends up stranded on Stygia, a planet formerly colonized as an interstellar resort now overrun by mutants. With half of his standing crew lost to the aftermath of his drunken recklessness, Grayson embarks on a desperate search for a means to leave the forsake planet, all the while enduring the perils that Stygia has to offer.

Story wise, while Bulletstorm isn't exactly simplistic in nature, there isn't a whole lot of substance to be had beyond Grayson's journey and motivations. For the most part, the over-arching plot devices are pretty typical, predictable even at certain (if not most) junctures. On a slightly positive note, the story does occasionally shine with a handful of epic, surprising, deeply engaging and outrageously funny moments, especially so when accentuated by the personalities of Grayson's companions (the remote controlled dinosaur segment made me 'lol).

Given the seemingly light-hearted nature of the game, the shallowness of Bulletstorm's overall plot seems oddly appropriate. The games tells a story that is no-nonsense, no-frills and ultimately straightforward, not to mention violent. For all its one-dimensionality, it very aptly plays on notions of survival, vengeance and redemption, notions that anyone, gamer or not, can easily relate to.

NOT YOUR TRADITIONAL SHOOTER

Unlike most (if not all) leading titles in the genre out on the market today, Bulletstorm isn't exactly what one would strictly consider a traditional first-person shooter.

For starters, Bulletstorm is heavily and creatively stylized, so much so that the trend of realism in modern mainstream shooters doesn't quite apply to the fullest extent. For example, as a combatant, Grayson can soak in an astonishingly inhuman amount of futuristic lead, which, when coupled with the sheer destructive potential of Grayson's armory, renders tactical movement and cover somewhat of an afterthought. Suffice to say, taking into consideration the fact that your companions don't actually 'die', it takes quite a bit to fail at this game.

Grayson's armory definitely takes offensive and violent gameplay to the extreme. As the game progresses, players have the option to outfit Grayson with weapons spanning the likes of quadruple barrelled shotguns, sniper rifles that fire homing explosive rounds, portable launchers that fire cannonballs and explosive chain flails, not to mention his pair of physics defying gravity boots and energy leash. Very excessive, very violent, and all the more fun for players willing to temporarily suspend themselves in the action packed spirit of the game.

With all that in mind, it has to be said that Bulletstorm isn't a game that requires much in the way of deadly accuracy or situational/tactical awareness. Rather, for all its crudeness and violence, Bulletstorm is a shooter that encourages speed, wanton destruction, and more importantly, innovative killing methods, which brings us to the topic of Skillshots.

SKILLSHOTS

The skillshot mechanic is essentially Bulletstorm's primary selling feature and a key gameplay element that sets the game apart from its FPS compatriots. With each passing kill, Grayson chalks up skillpoints (SP). These skillpoints serve as in-game currency and may be used to purchase weapons, upgrades and ammunition from dropkits scattered across Stygia.

The number of skillpoints Grayson receives per kill is predominantly based on the method by which players take out their adversaries. To start with, a simple run-and-gun strategy will likely net players a measly 10 points per assault rifle kill. However, players will sow kills of exponentially higher skillpoint value should they creatively dispatch their enemies while adhering to certain conditions. Killing an enemy while intoxicated or by kicking an enemy into an electric fence for example nets 100 and 500 skillpoints respectively.

Skillshots add a great deal of dynamic and entertainment to Bulletstorm's already aggressive, fast-paced and combative gameplay. For the most part, skillshots are immeasurably fun to experiment and wrought destruction with, especially so at the expense of Grayson's many varied opponents. It is a mechanic that is very player dependent, visual and provides instant feedback. It is, in my opinion, a creatively clever mechanic that was designed to be undeniably necessary in order to succeed and yet extremely fun to work with.

On a slight downside, as players progress towards Bulletstorm's mid to end game, skillshots begin to lose their novelty as the game begins to increase in challenge, leaving little room for creative experimentation in favour of speed and efficiency, leading to repeated use of the same set of weapons and skillshots. Additionally, by mid to end game, skillpoint usage is somewhat limited as once players upgrade all aspects of their weapons, there isn't much else invest your 'hard-earned' currency in besides ammo-refills. In a sense, it may leave players thinking, 'Alright, it looks cool, but what's the point?'

GRAYSON AND COMPANY

Stygia's plethora of mutants notwithstanding, Bulletstorm features a handful of key plot characters that, at different storyline junctures, accompanies Grayson on his trek across the forsaken planetary resort.

Between the game's leading NPCs (Ishi, Trishka and Sarrano), I can't quite profess to distinctly liking one character over another (Trishka is pretty hot though). As a whole, the game's characters (GraysonMoreoever, not only do they provide a good measure of character contrast next to Grayson's gruff beer-chugging alpha male persona, they contribute a great deal to enhance Bulletstorm's storyline, which is in itself rather uninspiring.

On a related note, I personally found that given Bulletstorm's setting and overall, the NPCs' sarcastic comments and heated cussive exchanges, while not welcomed by some players, greatly add to the crude and gritty nature of the game and aptly depict the frustration and desperation of Grayson's immediate conundrum of surviving and escaping Stygia.

GRAPHICS

Where Bulletstorm strays from or lacks in photo-realism, it makes up for with stunningly beautiful landscapes and dystopian and futuristic architecture of epic scale and design. The game's art direction may be heavily stylized but generally well executed, boasting and distinctly contrasting color scheme (almost pseudo-cartoonish) and great attention to minute details, ambient lighting and 'special effects'.

If anything, for an over-the-top goofy, crude and excessively violent space adventure that doesn't take itself all too seriously, Bulletstorm's graphics are as photo-realistic as the game will allow it to be.

CONTROVERSY

As I've mentioned, Bulletstorm has been heavily scrutinized for featuring what some (or many) may deem as 'inappropriate' content, namely it's crude language, excessive depictions of violence and blatant use of sexual innuendo in its game mechanics (skillshot names).

From where I'm standing, I find no issue with Bulletstorm in those respects. I agree that the game pushes some boundaries with content that may seem intense or risqu to some, but taking Bulletstorm as an entire package experience into consideration, the overall vibe exuded by the game and its characters, while over-the-top, feels very aptly put together.

IN EPIC CONCLUSION

Bulletstorm provided me with a gaming experience that I've not had in a good long while. It intrigues me in the sense that while it was largely enjoyable, it is innately a pretty 'stupid' game, what with its never-ending stream of toilet humor and generally brash attitude. And yet, everything (well, most things) in the game's design seems to have been pretty well put together. In a manner of speaking, it's one of those games that encourages you to leave your brain at 'Startup' and further invites you to simply dive in and lose yourself in the sheer violence.

The story isn't too deep. It's straightforward and predictable enough to keep players on track with a clear goal in mind. Still, while I understand that as much as the game wishes to keep itself somewhat ironically light-hearted, the story still felt disappointingly typical. Very frankly, if it weren't for the performances by its supporting characters, Bulletstorm's story would have easily fallen flat.

Overall, gameplay was enjoyable, definitely engaging, but it was far from brilliant. As a whole, the game doesn't offer much in the way of precision of tactical 'challenge'. Instead, it simply offers a long string of action-packed combat encounters riddled with disappointingly low-AI enemies that, coupled with its skillshot system, is extremely good, sadistic fun to destructively stomp through. Towards Bulletstorm's end however, the process of killing does get rather monotonous, even with skillshots in hand, and doesn't quite invoke any sense of achievement by the game's conclusion (largely in part due to the anti-climactic closing to the story). De-sensitivity or bad content and pacing? I'd place fault on a little bit of both.

Before I wrap up, I made mention as well at the start of this review that this game struck me as extremely manly, and honestly, I say that for good reason. I mean, come on, the game is chock full references to alcohol, violence, guns; pretty much anything that is stereotypically 'male'. If anything, it pretty much adds to the goofy excess that is already so prevalent in this game. Go figure.

Now, if I were to sum Bulletstorm up, I'd describe it as a 'small dose of highly concentrated adrenaline'. I wouldn't place it anywhere close to a masterpiece, but it definitely struck me as undeniably epic, was an all-round memorable (and loony) gaming experience despite certain shortcomings and came across as a bit of a gaming paradox. Great stuff.

An article by Michael Lim Han Kwang (mikelhk), an avid gamer, reviewer, critic, enthusiast and aspiring game designer.

Check out the blog at http://mikeramblesaboutstuff.blogspot.com/.

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Bulletstorm Review

Bulletstorm tells the story of a futuristic confederation protected by an elite band of mercenaries: Dead Echo. You play as Grayson Hunt, the foul-mouthed commander of Dead Echo. After finding that your team has been working for the wrong side, you're betrayed by General Serrano and exiled to the far reaches of the galaxy. As fate would have it, you happen upon Serrano's flagship in space and end up crashing it, yourself and killing most of your squad mates in the process. You find yourself surrounded by hordes of mutants, flesh eating gangs, and worse in an abandoned paradise. Your objective: get off the planet alive and exact revenge upon the man who betrayed you.

While the overall plot is pretty straight forward, there are a few twists to keep things interesting. There are also new characters introduced during the campaign that help move it along. Don't expect much in the way of character development, but you can be sure of a VERY entertaining story and some VERY clever scripting. The voice acting is also top-notch. There are also some very well done set pieces that would give any summer blockbuster a run for their money.

Yes, the dialogue is incredibly vulgar at times. Yes, you will probably find yourself laughing out loud during these converstaions. Luckily, Epic Games and People Can Fly included not only filters for gore, but filters for mature language. I actually found myself halfway through the single-player campaign turning the mature language off so that I didn't have to worry about the kids sneaking into the room and attending "Swearing Like A Sailor: 101." The dialogue is actually written so well that I didn't miss it once I turned it off.

Don't plan on having much fun if you're expecting to pick up Bulletstorm and play it as you would a traditional military shooter. Bulletstorm's "Kill with skill" motto isn't just a cute marketing slogan, it's a requirement if you want to do well in the game.

"Skillshots" (how creatively you can dispatch the enemy) earn you varying levels of in-game currency, with which you can unlock in-game weapons, upgrade them and even buy ammo for them. The trickier the skillshot, the more points you earn. Simply kill an enemy, as you would in other shooters, and you earn a meager 10 points. Shoot him in the "private" region and kick his head off while he's doubled over and you not only earn the "Mercy Killing" skillshot, but you also get 150 points to spend on weapons and upgrades. Not only are the actual skillshot requirements creative, but the skillshot names can be downright laughable: "Voodoo Dool" requires you to throw an enemy into a sharp object, "FastFood" is earned by ramming an enemy to death with a hot dog cart, impale two or more enemies with the Penetrator and earn the "Shishkebab" skillshot.

Each weapon has its own set of skillshots that can be unlocked and earned, which will lead you to use various weapons throughout the game. You'll undoubtedly have favorites, but in the end you will end up using each of the weapons during the game for the extra points and to see what gruesome skillshot you can pull off next will be.

To make skillshots just a little more challenging, and much more rewarding, try drinking one (or more) bottles of alcohol that can be found in various locations of the game. Yes, it's almost impossible to aim down the sites or even walk, but you get a very nice bonus for any skillshots you are able to pull off while in your alcohol induced stupor. Prefer not to drink? You can destroy the bottles of alcohol instead. Find and destroy enough of them for a nice little achievement or trophy.

The game is absolutely beautiful. You will find yourself not only stopping to figure out what environmental obstacles you have at your disposal for dispatching enemies, but just to gander at the impressive land and cityscapes that Bulletstorm has to offer.

Bulletstorm ships with a co-operative multiplayer mode similar to Gears of War "Horde" mode, or Halo's "Firefight." The major difference is that Bulletstorm's "Anarchy" mode isn't about survival. It's about scoring enough points using skillshots to clear the level. You are able to team up with up to three of your friends and earn massive amounts of points as you try to earn individual and team skillshot awards. There is also a single player mode called "Echoes," which are various pieces of the campaign. Echoes allow you to replay specific pieces as well as compare your best score(s) to those of your friends. It also includes leaderboards and the bragging rights that go with them. Some will find this game mode highly addictive, but we're betting that most gamers will leave it untouched.

As much as we liked the game, we did find a few drawbacks. Most frustrating is the lack of hit detection when you are being attacked by an enemy. Some type of onscreen indicator as to the direction you are being attacked from would have been wonderful. Unlike most games, there is no way for you to know which direction you are being attacked from. There were several times that we died due to an enemy clubbing us from behind, and we had no idea he was there...

We also had issues with the online multiplayer mode. There are several maps available, but in the end we found ourselves getting bored with only the one mode of play. Due to the skillshot system, it's understandable that a versus-based multiplayer mode would be difficult to pull off, but it's disappointing nonetheless. A co-op campaign mode would have been appreciated as well... The single-player campaign did leave the door open for a sequel, so we're hoping that Epic Games and People Can Fly will include it in an upcoming title.

Overall the game is a complete blast and an entertaining take on the FPS genre which has been saturated with military shooters. If you're looking for an entertaining story, addicting gameplay, and a simply beautiful game, you won't be disappointed with Bulletstorm. We highly recommend it for FPS and Sci-Fi fans.

Overall Score: 4 out of 5

Bulletstorm is available for the XBox 360, PS3 and PC. It is rated "M" for Mature by the ESRB and includes language and gore filters.

Nathan Best
AKA: The HolyFragger
http://www.HolyFragger.com

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Bulletstorm Review

Release Date:February 22, 2011

Publisher: Electronic Arts

ESRB Rating: Mature

Bulletstorm is a futuristic first-person shooter developed by People Can Fly and Epic Games. This video game is one of those things where you'll either dig it or you won't. Unrepentantly over the top, the game shares a common spirit with movies like Kill Bill or Shoot 'Em Up. It revels in gratuitous everything, just for the sake of being excessive in and of itself.

Most of the ridiculousness inherent in Bulletstorm stems from the game's story and much reported on "skillshot" based combat system. The script itself is your typical sci-fi fare, but the manner in which the character dialogue is written really makes it stand out. Mostly because it's immature to the point of being infantile and heavily laced with puerile profanity- but in a good way. Also, it's not the amount of profanity that's staggering, it's the sheer variety of it. It's almost like they rounded up a bunch of high school freshman, locked them into a room all night with the assignment to come up with as many vulgar phrases as possible, without repeating themselves. Stuff like , , and . You get the idea.

As far as the combat goes, it's not that it's excessively gory compared to other first-person shooters, it's more the manner in which the violence is executed. A short way into the game you gain a whip-like weapon called a "leash." This weapon allows you to pull enemies towards Hunt (Bulletstorm's main character), and interact with your surroundings in various ways to activate traps, etc. Additionally, Hunt can also slide into and kick away enemies. Throw in a variety of weapons, and there are several nasty ways in which baddies can be taken down. Some of the more, shall we say, creative combinations, are awarded points and called "skillshots." While it may not sound over the top on the face of it, when you spend half an hour using the leash to pull an enemy toward you just so you can kick him away, fire your sniper rifle and steer the bullet all Wanted style into the guy's genitals, just to unlock a skillshot called "nutcracker," then you may see what I mean.

The points you gain for skillshots varies depending on the level of difficulty. While you'll earn 25 points for a headshot, the aforementioned nutcracker will net you 50. Indirect kills can be awarded points too. Take out one or more enemies with your clichéd explosive barrel, and you'll get the "enviro-mental" skillshot and a cool 50 points. Accumulated points are then used to unlock higher ammo capacities, more charged shots for each weapon, or to purchase ammo. So while it's not absolutely necessary to earn skillshots on every enemy, the game does reward you for being creative with your carnage and the variety helps Bulletstorm keep from feeling like just another FPS.

The weapons help as well. Sure, there's the old pistol and rifle standbys, but each weapon also has a charged shot ability that makes it act in different ways. The leash adds a new dynamic, and there are some appropriately futuristic weapons as well. A favorite of mine is the flail gun: a rifle that fires two spiked grenades connected by a chain. Wrapping up a dude with one of those and then kicking him into a group of his buddies was a common highlight in my time with the game.

All in all, Bulletstorm say there isn't any entertainment to be had here, however. I predict that some gamers.. gamers that are looking for fun gameplay.. gamers that are amused by, or can at least overlook, a completely juvenile sense of humor.. I predict those gamers will find something to like about Bulletstorm. I also predict that most of those gamers will be dudes.

If you want more great reviews, visit www.slackers.com!

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Buy Bulletstorm or Not - Is This What A FPS Should Be?

Bulletstorm is released on PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 on February 22 2011 in the USA and three days later in Europe and UK. The new FPS by Eden Games and edited by Electronic Arts created quite some buzz with various videos released by the producers about the Skillshot system, an innovative way to "Kill with Skill", but also because of the controversial and explicit content.

Bulletstorm is not for kids, it's rated M for Mature by the ESRB and parents will have to do what it takes if they don't want their children playing the game. However the debate with violence or sexual content in video games is not the point of this article, though the game already got critics because of the adult content it includes.

Bulletstorm is fun, very fun. And the sole purpose of a video game like a this crazy FPS is to entertain, or to romp.

The Skillshot system summed up with the "Kill with Skill" slogan is an innvative way to kill, dismember and dispatch aliens and flesh eaters that populate the world the hero crashed in. Indeed the game allows player to use various gun techniques to discover new way to eliminate ennemies and earn credits to unlock some more gears. But the game is also very colorful, and the player progress in an awesome environment perfectly designed and graphically well done.

The story, written by a Marvel comics author is also another plus to the game, though Bulletstorm is still a FPS and the action is the main interest for gamers.

If you think that violence in video games can turn you into a serial killer then don't buy it. If you're mentally unstable then don't buy it. If you blame the video game industry for all bad things that could happen to you then don't buy it.

However if you know what a FPS means and wants some innovative gameplay, buy Bulletstorm. Bulletstorm is a game to have fun with and if you're not offended by explicit content and language then this is for you. You will certainly love the way things are presented and second degree doesn't hurt, though first degree won't either.

Play Bulletstorm for what it is, a pure FPS, action game with an innovative gameplay and enjoy being virtually rude: it's just a video game, don't take it seriously and it should not shape your daily behavior.

Buy Bulletstorm now at the best price.

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