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Bulletstorm
PC (Steam)
Shoot, Shoot, Shoot... Then Shoot Some More
3.5/5 stars
Bulletstorm is perfect for people who like their FPS fast, frantic and unrelenting. But on Steam, I wasn't even sure I was going to be able to play as it was one of the many games affected by the mass exodus when Games for Windows Live (nearly) shut down. Luckily, the game still works and I was able to power through the campaign - and since I'm not one to dwell on multiplayer, that it didn't bother me I couldn't try it. The game relies on crude humor and a hundred different ways to kill things in order to differentiate it from other FPS games - it also has a surprisingly wide range of levels - even if it is very linear. It's a fun diversion if you like this genre.
Presentation: While the graphics won't hold up to some of the latest games available, Bulletstorm still had a good design behind it. While you may be constantly shooting things, you may not have time to enjoy the backgrounds. The game takes place on a resort planet overrun by mutants - so the pretty environment is in stark contrast to the industrial decay (crumbling buildings and such) around you. Some areas do feel repetitive, but for a game more focused on how you kill things and what weapons you use, it looks decent enough.
Characters are straight out of the cliche handbook - tough-as-nails, dickish military commander (and main antagonist), the "hero" is a sophomoric man-child following a personal vendetta (no matter who it kills) also, he likes to get drunk, you have the stereotypical take-no-attitude tough chick and a half-man, half-cyborg sidekick who is wrestles with his humanity. So, blah, the characters are nothing to write home about - though I do appreciate the script, terrible bathroom humor and all. The music is also nothing of note though the sound effects - especially the guns and such - are fantastic.
Story: Set in the future, the universe is under the control of the Confederation of Planets (very Star Trekish of them). General Serrano keeps things in order with the help of Dead Echo, a black ops team sent in to do the dirtiest of dirty work. During one such mission when the group thinks they are hunting down a terrorist, they instead find out the man they have just killed is nothing more than a civilian journalist, who was about to expose Dead Echo and Serrano. Realizing that the work they have been doing was to keep Serrano safe, not the universe, they give up forming their own mercenary crew.
Years later, the pirates spot Serrano's flagship, the Ulysses, above planet Stygia. The defacto leader, Grayson Hunt, decides to make a suicidal attack run. They manage to cripple both ships - and wind up on the planet below. Ishi, one of Grayson's crewmen, is badly wounded. Seeking out a power supply to get off world, Grayson comes upon an "energy leash" a weapon developed by Serrano and used by his top operatives. Back on board his ship, Ishi is undergoing an operation when a gang of mutants breaks in and kills everyone save for Grayson and Ishi - who is now half-cyborg. Realizing the only way off planet will be to track down Serrano, they go on a mission of revenge/survival - managing to meet up with one of the few surviving rangers, a Trishka, along the way. They will soon find out she has a connection to their own past - one that leads back to Serrano.
Gameplay:Oh boy - if you like to shoot things, get ready for some fun. Aside from the nice mix of weapons you can acquire - from you basic machine gun to shotgun, sniper rifle, drill gun, explosive bola and more - you also have your handy energy whip. This whip may be used more often than the gun. You use it to hook enemies- who then fly toward you in slow motion allowing you to shoot them, kick them (very satisfying) or simply whip them into obstacles (electricity, spikes, thin air) to get rid of them. You can whip bombs toward you and kick them at enemies and later in the game certain plants can be snagged to cause hallucinations or simply chomp the heads off the many psychos running about.
Enemy types include standard fodder, you also have slightly heavier shotgun guys (with a bit of armor), super-heavy boss-like tank enemies (that need to be whittled down to kill), certain "clans" of enemies move too fast for the whip, so you have to take them down weapon-only and finally you have the fully mutated enemies who will swarm you and can only be killed by shooting specific parts of their bodies. There are a few bosses about - including a Godzilla-like giant dino/lizard thing (it gets pissed when you decide to break all its eggs in an early level).
But the fun comes in the sheer variety of ways you can kill enemies - from using the environment to your advantage to the many different weapons at you disposal, this never gets old. Each weapon also has a secondary function you can unlock (though I really didn't take much advantage of them, I admit) - one that costs more money, but will deal massive damage. Even your leash has a special ability you can unlock. You can slide into targets, kick them repeatedly against the wall or just shoot their balls off - each time you kill an enemy in a specific was it unlocks a "skillshot" these deaths are what provides you with money (or points - whatever) that you can spend on upgrading your weapons, unlocking and equipping their secondary skills or simply getting more ammo - the shops are pretty easy to find, there are plenty per level - but the fun is finding out just how many different ways you can kill something. The initial skillshot gives you a nice bonus with subsequent kills in the same fashion giving you less. It's a gonzo way of doing things, but it does keep things fresh.
Replayability: Not a lot - unless you want to unlock every single skillshot available and or track down all the bugs, drunks and news robots scattered about the levels.
Overall: It's crass, vulgar and a lot of fun. While it doesn't add much to the FPS genre, overall it's a safe bet for people who like to shoot things.
Presentation: 3.5/5
Story: 3.5/5
Gameplay: 4/5
Replayability: 3/5
Overall (not an average): 3.5/5
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