Bulletstorm Review

Reviewed by Tim. S

The heroes have balls the size of grapefruit in this ludicrously over-the-top booze-chugging, guts-splattering, guns-blazing, all-out-s**t-hits-the-fan, testosterone-soaked mega blast-fest of a first-person-shooter that is Bulletstorm.

Way back in 2002, a quaint FPS title, Timesplitters 2 on the sixth-generation consoles proclaimed the slogan ‘Outnumbered but never outgunned’. A game that forewent the blooming trend of ‘realistic’ gaming by opting for more run-and-gun gaming as opposed to carefully placed shots and espionage (yes, we’re talking about YOU, Rainbow Six). Nearly a decade on, after countless hit-and-misses of a plethora of wannabe-realistic first person shooters, we see the torch re-ignited and passed on to its rightful successor that is Bulletstorm.

Sure, it’s not the most intelligent game, and players akin to strategy or RPG games may find themselves somewhat unenthused by a first-person shooter so heavily action driven.

Bulletstorm is unashamedly unrealistic; it doesn’t even try for realism in the slightest. While this might sound alienating in an era of ultra-realistic warfare simulators in a duck-and-cover shooter market, it’s actually extremely empowering, a real breath of fresh air which takes us back to what games, at their core, are all about: Escapist fantasy.

Remember that fantasy you had about firing a mini-gun at a giant jet-powered wheel chasing you down?

A surprisingly strong point of Bulletstorm is the story; penned by renowned comic book writer and artist Rick Remender (also writer for the Dead Space series). The story revolves around the player-character (Grayson Hunt)’s quest for retribution and redemption from his own blood-stained hands of past deeds under command of the corrupt General Sarrano. Now leading a life of chronic alcoholism and debauchery, Hunt leads a fearsome gang of space-pirates with heavy bounties on their heads. One day during a routine interrogation of a would-be mercenary, they happen upon the General’s flagship. Hunt engages in a drunken dogfight above a nearby planet that sends both ships crash-landing to its surface, which by happenstance is possibly the most hostile planet in the galaxy- a former tourist resort now occupied by Mad Max-style gangs, cannibals, hideous mutants and worse. 

Playing Bulletstorm lets us live out all our male adolescent, tough-guy, Arnie/Stallone/Van-Damme-fuelled fantasies; picking up a minigun and splitting apart an onslaught of freakish mutants or hyper-aggressive, Mad-Max esque wasteland marauders is a sickeningly gleeful experience, complete with over-the-top snapping and splattering noises as they are reduced to a mess of red salad on the floor.

Another disturbingly indulgent experience is the game’s Sniper Rifle- unlike most games where you merely line up some sucker’s noggin in your scope and pull the trigger, Bulletstorm lets the player takes control of the bullet after it leaves the barrel of the gun- steering it in slow-motion around cover and debris square into Medulla Oblongata of the fleeing assailant.

In Japan this would probably be pornography

However it’s not a complete no-brainer either, as the game has a system for rewarding players who complete various ‘Skill-shot’ goals; while Skill-shots might just look like a fancy sort of mini-achievement setup, they actually have a realtime payoff with the gameplay in the form of currency to purchase weapon upgrades and ammunition from ‘drop shops’ scattered around the world.

Essentially, they’re about meeting requirements in your dispatch of enemies, for example: “Shoot an enemy in the balls then kick his head off” or “Kill an enemy with a shot to the throat”, or “Fire a drill-bit into a boss’s chest then kick it in”. They might sound tasteless, but they’re deviously fun and appropriately challenging to pull off, not to mention rewarding: Pulling off new Skill-shots earns the player a huge points bonus, which in turn the points can be used at various ‘Drop-shops’ scattered around the world to buy ammo and upgrades.

And should you pull off any skill-shot combos, well, you won’t just be living on Easy St, you’ll be able buy it. At any time, the player can view the Skill-shot list to see what’s been done and what hasn’t. The drop shops are fairly evenly scattered, and always give players a chance to stock up before major events, they’re useful and well-implemented.

The only criticisms I really have for the game are regarding the limited weapons holding system, and the environmental navigation; there were times I couldn’t pass small, low-lying objects which felt like Hunt should have been able to step over. Additionally, the hitboxing also felt inconsistent, almost random at times, with obvious headshots not picking up, while shooting the automatic rifle vaguely in the direction of an enemy yields a fair chance of headshot. Coming from a background of Counter-Strike Source where precisely placed shots make all the difference, this game did feel a little jarring.

The hotel owner's just lucky they're not the Occupational Health & Safety crew

However in the greater scheme of the Bulletstorm experience, these are fairly minor complaints when you’ve got a game with impressive artificial intelligence (from both enemies and your sidekicks), wild gunfighting action and more attitude and humour than you can poke a thug’s dismembered forearm at. This game is an unforgettable experience and we’re eagerly waiting for a sequel.