You've just crash landed onto the most violent resort planet in the universe-and this is the good news for a Bulletstorm
Contains: Frequent Strong Bloody Violence, Pervasive Strong Language, Gory Images and Sexual Innuendo
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Bulletstorm is an over-the-top Sci-Fi First-Person shooter that incorporates a unique skillshot combat system mechanic that rewards you for clever and brutal kills by harnessing not only various weaponry, but the hazardous environment of the alien planet itself.
-------------------------------------------
STORY - 2/5
-------------------------------------------
Bulletstorm is a goofy sci-fi romp that contains an endless input of crude behaviour and sexual innuendo throughout dialogue and gameplay which brushes off on the plot, and despite the odd grin that can be had from such insults towards other characters jokingly or otherwise, the excessive profanity makes the story hard to become involved with when serious moments of emotion are attempted and subsequently fall flat for a dramatic impact.
The story takes place in the 26th century, where the confederation of planets are protected by a secret black ops army called Dead Echo. It follows space pirate Grayson Hunt and his partner Ishi Sato whose squad went AWOL after discovering that their assassination targets were actually innocent civilians, and they'd been tricked into killing them through deliberately false information by their commanding officer General Sarrano. Ten years later, after a spontaneous and liquor-induced attempt to take revenge on the General and his forces, Hunt's ship crash lands on the planet Stygia, a former resort planet now overrun with cannibalistic, feral mutant tribes, meat-eating plants, criminals and Godzilla-sized monsters, and the realisation of the troublesome objective lying ahead becomes perilously unclear and unlikely to be completed. Overall the setting is far more appealing than the plot, and apart from some exciting developments later on, the story is generally forgettable.
-------------------------------------------
CHARACTERS - 3/5
-------------------------------------------
Grayson Hunt is the main protagonist, voiced by Steve Blum, and is the prime source for the immature phrases that are frequently injected into the script. He's an alright character but isn't anywhere near a memorable one for your heart to go out to. Alongside him is Ishi, who is far more interesting as a whole due to his volatile personality that rapidly changes from good to bad because of an AI component that was installed into is brain early on in the story to keep him alive, but who is now part cyborg and emits highly unpredictable behaviour that concerns Grayson deeply as the story progresses, where he is seemingly straying further away from his true self conflicting against the robotic component trying to fully take command of his body.
The main villain is purposefully unlikeable, which is obviously intentional by the developer's for the desperate revenge you try and take upon him, making catching him a priority, and killing him hopefully slow and painful for all his evil wrongdoings in the past.
-------------------------------------------
GAMEPLAY - 4/5
-------------------------------------------
Bulletstorm is all about outrageously murdering your enemies in the most skilful and violent of ways, and is progressively fun throughout if you are cautious and aware of every unique opportunity presented to you in order to unleash and witness something spectacular involving plenty of blood. A creative kill is named a skillshot, and there is no shortage of these ludicrous actions that cause all sorts of controversy because of the crude names given to them or because of the sadistic intentions that encourage you to continue in such a rampaging fashion frequently throughout this intense First-person shooter. Rioting bouts of unforgiving punishment will be dealt upon your mutant foes, and the many numerous, and often humorous, sexual innuendo references that link with specific skillshots only add further insult to injury upon your bloodied enemy. You get rewarded for shooting enemies in the backside, kicking them into spiked fences and even for humiliating them by shooting them first in the groin and then finishing them off with a gory headshot, and each time you perform a skillshot, a title of that move pops up neatly the first time you unlocked it and continues to show up each time you successfully repeat the skilful kill aswell as detailing how much points you got awarded (exceptionally more as a bonus for the first time of performing the action and revealing the title). Effectively killing with skill is worth the effort, since the points go towards purchasing new upgrades for your weapons, buying ammo and unlocking new vicious and destructive guns that are a treat to shoot first time, and never prove a chore when you've scored a hundred kills with that weapon (if you keep count that is).
The bloody action is further spruced up by the energy leash - a lethal, concentrated energy beam whip that latches onto enemies and pulls them towards you, and when they are reeled in towards touching distance, they helplessly hover in the air for a few seconds, suspended in a brief moment of stasis that only effects them, giving you the perfect chance to further deflate there optimistic combat attitude by brutally finishing them off and propelling them in the completely opposite direction, sending them right back where they originated, though there return won't be anywhere near as healthy as when they spawned. Whether you choose to fill them with bullets, kick them into some kind of environmental hazard like a deadly cactus or an electrical fence, or experiment with some creativity throughout your impressive arsenal of sci-fi weapons, there soon-to-be dismembered, impaled or blown apart corpse is something that makes the over-the-top action so engaging and accessible throughout Bulletstorm. The leash and your thunder kick ability can also be used to manipulate explosive objects to your advantage within the environment, which delightfully explodes enemies in a gush of blood and guts while rewarding you for your performance with a related skillshot.
The skillshot reward system constantly keeps you on the look out for new opportunities within each new area, where environmental hazards are suitably placed to make short work of your aggressive, cannibalistic adversaries. Being aware of how many enemies are nearby, what kind of hazards are present and what weapon you have equipped is all necessary in the brisk thinking pattern you'll undergo in each scenario for figuring out how stylish your kills can be, how quick and efficient kills can be achieved, and how much reward points you can rack up in a single, effective attack combining the energy leash, your boot and the enemies face in a swiftly violent and satisfying confrontation that can plan out different each time you face more mutant enemies with similar expansions of choices. You are often spoilt for choice in many of the appealing environments to how you'll dispatch a certain group of enemies, and harnessing the benefits that are provided by executing diverse skillshots make you feel almighty powerful when ranging your execution style on random opponents in quick succession in the most cruel and creative ways possible and imaginable. Skillshots are extremely well varied with new variations connected to specific weapons, how you go about utilising the gun's different functions, combining with the leash and all sorts of other potential opportunities that make unlocking a new one rewarding and a drive of adrenaline injected when performing many successful ones chained in one go in certain action sequences that are incredibly chaotic. The game does a fine job of slowly unveiling new skillshots through the unlocking of new weapons, new locations and upgrades, making each battle feel potentially fresh if you attempt to perform a unique kill you have yet to try out or successfully complete. You can look at the skillshot database at any time which details recently unlocked moves to do, highlights ones you've already done, ones still yet to do, and plus ones that are hidden until you've progressed further into the story or purchased a new weapon linked specifically to it.
Gunplay is generally solid and enjoyable, but without the advantageous leash and your powerful kick it would be rather generic and would feel inadequate for the duration of the game, hence the reason a rewarding 'kill with skill' system is setup so that there is always something to aim for even if you've already achieved it multiple times, since no matter how much times you kill an enemy in a repeated way, the points will constantly flow into your total count at the side of the screen for later use. Big guns and big explosions define shooter games, and when effectively blended with a huge boss or obstacle in a cinematic set piece event, the subtle tension and pleasure that vibes from deep within enhances the fun factor, and Bulletstorm is no exception. It may derive some battle segments from common shooter clichés but just because an event is overused in the game industry it doesn't mean that a high fun factor can't be reached and sustained, and what Bulletstorm does is successfully implement some spark that compliments that 'over-the-top' subtitle that ties in with the genre. For instance, an on-rails vehicle sequence that features many pursuing enemies in choppers with you gunning them down easily has been seen many times before, but perhaps you haven't been perilously chased by a gigantic wheel of death that purposefully induces caution as it barrels across your view in the background, attempting to close in all the while you must focus your fighting instincts on the more smaller vehicles in the foreground before negotiating how to stop yourself from being crushed. And this kind of set piece event with the slight formidable twist is what makes Bulletstorm stand out above the crowd of more serious shooters.
-------------------------------------------------
GRAPHICS/ATMOSPHERE - 4/5
-------------------------------------------------
You'll be navigating through many indoor areas through the game that all look good, but you'll be traversing the actual surface of Planet Stygia more often, and that is where the quality of the visuals really delights. The outdoor environments are all vividly detailed, have lots of vibrant colours and each have a spectacular backdrop that emphasises the beautiful past that the now-hellish planet was once a splendid resort for tourists, relaxation and pleasure. You'll take in wonderful views of a deserted, yet inviting, beach surrounded by blue water that reflects the sun's shine perfectly, move through a derelict city that looks like the ideal tourist attraction with it's clear, blue sky overhead and shopping mall conveniently placed at the centre, and fight through a harbour that was once, and in some ways still, the inviting-looking area to appreciate a pleasant cruise to fulfil dreams and the holiday paid for. The locations you battle through truly are fantastic to look at, with much credit to the art design above everything else that makes each area remarkably appealing to the eye that has suitable atmosphere with incredible amounts of detail to make the views you see stand out with stunning accuracy and effectiveness. The colours used also contrast nicely with enemy designs, and the frequently placed gory imagery that depicts the sadistic nature of the mutant inhabitants and makes for some unsettling sights gives the entire planet the intentional look of a paradise lost that has the potential to stir the contents of your stomach ever so slightly when you are least expecting it during an awe-inspiring artistic, visual delight in the distance, only to come to the realisation that the beauty you witness actually deceives the true hostility within the sci-fi setting.
-------------------------------------------
SOUND - 4/5
-------------------------------------------
Dialogue is full of crude humour and sexual innuendo with very rare serious moments to try and convey some kind of emotion into the story and characters dilemmas, which when is injected into the flow of dialogue, feels unnatural because it's so unexpected beyond the crude jokes and never-ending profanity. But overall voice acting isn't too bad. Ishi is on the verge of losing all rational stability and human voluntary functions, and the change of tone that reflects his indefinite possession by the robotic component within his brain is a convincing act that enforces the spoken dialogue, and the rest of the cast have a fine voice and personality that effectively makes them believable for the character they're portraying.
Sound effects also have the potential to be categorized as crude, with many shouts, screams and gargling noises that are projected from some rather nasty acts of humiliation upon the mutant enemies trying to prevent your progress off the menacing planet. Whether they plead for mercy after being shot in the balls, or stagger humorously after having a bullet enter them "rear entry" style, the sound effects that accommodate blasts to sensitive areas make it all the worth while to attempt it again and again to bring about that menacing grin of justice and satisfaction. Basically all the kills you do are accompanied with grim but realistic sound effects, like impaling an enemy on a giant cactus with the brute force from your boot, flinging one into a horde of electroflies and even ripping a mini bosses head off with your almighty energy leash. There's no shortage of stylish violence, and the developer's have quite rightly matched the over-the-top kills with gratifying audio to keep you wanting more blood gushing and guts exploding all over the beautiful island of Stygia.
Though much of the time you'll be too engaged with frantic action, a great soundtrack is evident in the background, and the theme track on the main menu is one of the major highlights of the sound department despite it not being present during actual gameplay.
-------------------------------------------
CONTROLS - 4/5
-------------------------------------------
L2 and circle will be a common combination of buttons to string together throughout Bulletstorm, where you'll frequently leash opponents towards you, and then smack them with a strong kick in the other direction, presumably into a spiky environmental hazard, for an instant kill. L1 and R1 will be the most used however for aiming down the sights of your gun and then blasting foes into a delightfully bloody pulp. The configuration for all the button uses is spot on, delivering each move with satisfactory purpose into the layout scheme, and when quick-time events crop up in various gameplay segments and you traverse perilous gaps over a gaping chasm, the right sense of urgency is produced and the controls are good and responsive so that mistiming the usage of the button when prompted to do so will net you few or no points opposed to the full (yet small) amount of points acquired when successfully timing it.
-------------------------------------------
ENEMY AI - 3/5
-------------------------------------------
The cannibalistic mutant enemies that have transformed a beautiful paradise resort into a nightmarish gorefest deserve the sadistic and gratifying deaths coming there way, and the decent variety of enemies make you use your abilities with even more imagination due to some enemy types resistances. Some simply run at you, wielding a machete and craving your flesh which is clearly evident in the their eyes with a heated passion. These enemies won't take long to find a suitable point in the environment to hang their corpse and leave them to drip their blood and entrails across the colourful surroundings and they pose a basic, minor threat. Moderate threats come from snipers, enemies that can dodge your kick, and even enemies too fast to be leashed towards you without being stunned effectively. This encourages you to outwit them and be imaginative with what's placed in the vicinity giving you more points in the process for your clever kill. Aside from a few fun bosses, the game throws plenty of muscular mini bosses into the action-packed set pieces, making the challenge even greater due to their size, power and endurance. But finding a way to brutalise them is always great fun, and the results are inevitably bloody and gruesome. Certain enemies may get on your nerves because of their abilities, but the challenge is an interesting change of pace that forces you to think harder and smarter everytime a new type is introduced.
-------------------------------------------
LENGTH - 3/5
-------------------------------------------
Bulletstorm's 8 hour campaign is split up into 7 acts with a few chapters spaced throughout each, and there is a constantly rewarding mix of visceral combat, sci-fi weaponry, slick presentation, sexual banter and stunning views of the gory imagery and beautiful art design withheld on planet Stygia.
-------------------------------------------
REPLAY VALUE - 4/5
-------------------------------------------
There's a low point to nearly all the categories, whether they are minor or major it doesn't make much of a different impact, but they are noticeable and take some credit briefly away from what within that category makes it stand out. For instance, outdoor environments look stunning, yet cutscene graphics aren't nearly as impressive; gameplay is really interesting and fun because of the skillshot reward system, but it can't always be sustained when you do happen to have a generally poor segment where you feel you could have been more creative with the opportunities (which is inevitable); and then you have dialogue which is mostly fine and well spoken, yet occasionally forces too much childish and repetitive sexual innuendo and crude humour into cutscenes, making you cringe slightly rather than grin like the developer's are intending you to. Nevertheless, there are plenty of reasons that make Bulletstorm a great sci-fi shooter to return to.
The skillshot system keeps combat fresh, always giving you variation and something to aim for even if you've successfully performed many stylish kills beforehand, and the cool presentation of notifications that appears directly after inflicting a gory death rewards you equally for the way it's presented and how you got it. Potentially, every action sequence (except scripted set piece events and boss battles) can play out completely different, and that by itself is the prime reason to return to Stygia for more mutant slaying. Stunning outdoor environments, unsettling gory imagery and a gratifying arsenal of unique sci-fi weapons and moves are other highlights that are consistent and good enough to be unforgettable throughout the ludicrously fun experience, and while Bulletstorm has some drawbacks, this First-person shooter is exciting and over-the-top in every sense of the word derived from the title. It's time to kill with skill for some barbaric entertainment!
==========================
OVERALL SUMMARY - 8/10
==========================
Good Points: Outdoor environments are fantastic to look at, Skillshot reward system encourages you to assess each area for the most creative and barbaric kills possible, Skillshot notifications are slickly presented, Gratifying shooting mechanics, Great soundtrack, Some intense action set pieces filled with big explosions and big guns.
Bad Points: Forgettable story, Some excessive profanity feels unnecessarily forced into dialogue, Cutscene graphics could have been better.