I went into Bulletstorm hyped to get my hands on People Can Fly’s second offering, but I was quickly brought down by the video that preempted our play time. Bulletstorm’s score based mechanics demand immediate explanation to fully enjoy the game, but it was presented in a way that made me feel like I was thirteen years old. A woman’s voice pandering to adolescent male with groan-inducing puns (the gangbang line was a nightmare) and faux sexuality didn’t do the game any favors, nor did the assumption that pure bloodlust somehow equaled an endearing hook.
Regardless, Bulletstorm got much better after the video was shut off and the controller was in my hands. One could conceivably play Bulletstorm like every other first person shooter out there, moving from environment to environment headshotting everything in your way, but that would be like reading Playboy for the articles. That’s not how you’re supposed to do it.
Bulletstorm is about destroying and humiliating your aggressors in; forgive my hyperbole, the most awesomely creative ways possible. Changes brought to the table include a melee kick used not for desperation, but as means to employ creativity in your kill combos. Kicking a guy, for reasons not entirely clear, sets him into slow motion while the world around him continues at normal speed, kind of like bullet-time in reverse. From there you’re free to blast his head off, or use your leash to draw him back toward you. Chain that to your grenade gun and you’ll create a Skill Shot, PCF’s term for a creative kill. Another tool, which allowed me to attach a grenade to an enemy and detonate it at will, was cool too.The possibilities, even in the demo, were endless. Environmental objects, like rolling bombs or slick surfaces (perfect for sliding), exist to augment your creativity, but the possibilities at the time seemed boundless.
While the gameplay was a breath of fresh air, I really hope they do something else with the Bulletstorm’s presentation. The sweltering greenhouse look was fine (and wholly unique) but the juvenile sense of humor rubbed me the wrong way. Tea bagging culture and annoying children yelling at me on Live will bee line to a game that allows you to shoot an enemy in the dick, watch him double over, then head shot him for a mercy kill, and the culture that arrives with that audience has the potential to ruin the game for everyone else.
Looking to go head to head will Killzone 3, Bulletstorm is coming your way in February of 2011. Check back with us then for a full review!
