So after a long period of inactivity and another refocusing, hopefully this blog will be back up for good. Being weak of willpower and loose of wallet control, I have built up quite a collection of Steam and Origin (shudder) games that clearly need to be played. So now that I have found myself a spot of time, I intend to go through all of them and review them.
The first game on the pile is Bulletstorm, the game from Epic Games which is for all intents and purposes can be considered a first-person shooter (FPS) spinoff of Gears of War. The ultra-muscular soldiers, evil looking assault rifles and insane action sequences can only further this illusion of the Gears of War label. There is on key difference between this and Gears of War though, which we shall come to shortly.
The story of Bulletstorm is simple enough; a story of revenge and redemption. And as you might expect from a run-and-gun FPS, the story is pretty bare bones. While there is plenty of very colourful chatter from the protagonist Grayson Hunt and his companions, the story progresses mainly by reaching the next checkpoint and a quick cutscene. The story of redemption is pockmarked with an underlying tale of slavery and the inhumane failures of a corporate experiment, however, these issues are never really delved into as you end up pumping hot lead into anything that moves anyway.
The real star of the show is Bulletstorm's game mechanics. It starts off as a stock-standard FPS, running and gunning from point A to point B, but as you progress, the game introduces you to key game mechanics such as kicking, upgrading weapons and the king of all utilities, the leash. The combination of these when used in combat can lead to impressive and satisfying kill sequences and I often found myself trying to kill enemies in the most destructive manner possible. And the game makes no bones about this being a key mechanic; there is a skill point bonus for each action performed during a kill and there is a list of skill shots that can be completed to the player's delight (or disdain). This sole mechanic is the reason I found Bulletstorm more fun than Gears of War; the elation of eliminating enemies in such a gruesome manner is unmatched by many games.
Graphically, Bulletstorm is as you would expect. Running on the steadfast Unreal Engine, Bulletstorm produces some beautiful scenery on the planet's surface and accentuates the dank and damp atmospheres underground, all without skipping a beat. As an Eyefinity user, however, the Unreal Engine produces yet another headache as the game refuses to run in any surround configuration. This came as a great disappointment as the game looks sensational at many points in the game.
Overall though, the problem with Bulletstorm is that it runs out of steam on several fronts: The story wears out its welcome very early in the game and is not saved by the undercurrents of a deeper story about slavery and corporations. Grayson's incessant swearing adds some colour early in the game, but towards the end when the antagonist Sarrano joins in the chatter, the symphony of profanities begins to wear a little thing. The gameplay mechanics are incredibly fun, however once all the weapons are unlocked, all the common skillshots are discovered and all the enemies have been encountered, the game just becomes any other FPS, one which has very little replayability. If you want a true look at what Bulletstorm can be like, play the demo. It's short, sweet, and doesn't wear out it's welcome. Unfortunately, the full game (which lasts around 7 hours) feels like a novelty; brilliant for the first few hours, but after that becomes a drag to continue and finish. Let's hope if Bulletstorm 2 ever comes out, Epic will have addressed these issues.
Bulletstorm (PC) Review - Scuba Score 6/10
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