TrackZero
03-08-2011, 09:05 AM
Bulletstorm Review
Title: Bulletstorm
Platform: 360/PS3/PC
Developer: People Can Fly (http://www.peoplecanfly.com/)
Publisher: Epic Games (http://www.epicgames.com/)
ESRB Rating: Mature
MSRP: $59.99 (360 (http://www.amazon.com/Bulletstorm-Xbox-360/dp/B003H0CC2O/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1299241709&sr=8-1)/PS3 (http://www.amazon.com/Bulletstorm-Playstation-3/dp/B003H0CBYS/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1299241709&sr=8-2)/PC (http://www.amazon.com/Bulletstorm-Pc/dp/B003H0CBT8/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1299241709&sr=8-3))
Editor: Andrew "TrackZero" Hodder
What's Hot: Killing with skill; Stunningly beautiful vistas; Challenging teamwork based multiplayer; Robot Monsters with Laser Beam Eyes
What's Not: Playing multiplayer with pubbies; Some of the swear-laced one liners don't play
Bulletstorm brings back a breath of fresh air to the first person shooter genre. Gone is the process where you continually run to the next cover point, pop up for a few seconds to line up a headshot and go back under cover to reload. Make no mistake, that's still available if you so choose; however that path will earn you little reward in this game.
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5052/5502968763_d592da8f6b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/colonyofgamers/5502968763/)
In marketing for this title, they've tried to introduce the idea of killing with skill. They're not kidding. This is a requirement to earn the skill point currency which you'll need to buy ammunition (aside from the paltry amount enemies drop), new weapons and upgrades. Each weapon has it's own list of skill shots you can perform, alongside environmental and situational skill kills for each map. To pull off many of the best kills, you'll need to be constantly on the move to use timed environment kills (as the enemies may move out of range of the set piece kills laid about for you) alongside your own response time to adapt to each situation with the proper techniques. Taking cover generally entails that you're passing up opportunities for further success.
Since this is an abrupt change of pace from what many gamers are used to, Bulletstorm introduces these concepts in stages during the single player campaign. If you've played the demo for the game, this may throw you for a loop at first. You don't begin earning skill points until after the prologue chapter, they give you ample time to learn how to kick opponents and use the leash as the introduction progresses. The weapons are also brought in one at a time as the campaign continues (along with their "charge" shot alternate fires).
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5176/5502966521_06a3f59c9f.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/colonyofgamers/5502966521/)
If People Can Fly know one thing, it's how to make awesome guns. Every weapon has an intensely satisfying combination of style, sound, animation and brutal delivery on target. On their own, they're a solid foundation for any shooter; but when you realize that combining them on an opponent while utilizing your leash and any aspect of the environment nets you big money and big prizes, that's where the real symphony of the gameplay comes into effect.
In many ways Bulletstorm is an amalgam of modern storytelling and control alongside very classic gameplay ideals. There are a multitude of ways to make your way through, however you're only truly rewarded by understanding the underlying gameplay systems and using them to full advantage. This is a game at it's core built around your use of fast reflexes, environmental analysis combined with the strange freedom of having a sandbox environment to enact that strategy. The outcome of your own enjoyment is completely hinged upon your willingness to let the game show you a different way to play.
In the first chapters of the game, I felt underwhelmed by the combat mechanics. There seemed to only be a few skill kills I could pull off and failing to do so was mocking me with 10 (instead of 100+) skill point rewards. Somewhere around the middle, I found myself learning from my own mistakes, realizing how many types of kills were available if I only took the time to learn the techniques involved. As more weapons became available, I became more creative and learned to look to the environment for opportunities. All the pieces were present from the beginning, I just didn't know what to look for. By the final chapters, I was racking up juicy 500-1000 point kills and managing to keep my ammunition stocked and all of my gear fully upgraded. Alongside this, much to my surprise the story had completely turned around for me, but that's getting ahead of ourselves.
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5300/5502969849_5a573f2c80.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/colonyofgamers/5502969849/)
The story that Bulletstorm tells seems paper thin on the surface, combined with the highly swear-laden dialogue you'll likely find some of the characters off putting and of little interest. However, as the journey progresses so does the characters depth and tone. You'll see the main protagonist, Grayson Hunt, start out as a wise cracking alcoholic jerk. Through a flashback sequence, you'll learn what led him and his crew to their current state of affairs. Staying light on details, Grayson's decisions catch up to him and you begin to see him slowly pull himself back together, in a oddly touching way. The emotional depth instilled into all the main characters is nearly impossible to see through the first half of the game, but little by little they're revealed and I found myself emotionally drawn into the story more than I'd expected.
There is also another single player game mode, "Echoes" which takes small parts of some of the best set piece sequences in the game and challenges you to meet time and score rankings in each. These are best played upon completion of the main campaign, as you'll find all the techniques you've learned will pay off immensely going back to some of the earlier chapters. It also encourages replay through leaderboard competition.
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5096/5502969609_10cb1fd993.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/colonyofgamers/5502969609/)
Multiplayer is provided via a four player co-op "Anarchy" mode. While this takes many comparisons to "Horde" mode found in other titles, it's really a different beast. The enemy waves don't feel continually forced on you, nor is the real focus pure survival. Progression is based upon the overall team score; meaning that you can't simply play with a bunch of pubbies who don't know what they're doing and expect to get far. You need concentrated players who know the game mechanics and are willing to work as a team to progress to the higher levels of play. A few times in each wave you're prompted for team kills, where at least two players must work together in a mini-challenge to finish off a specific enemy based on a set condition (such as one player knocking the opponent into the air while the other then flings him into a metal spike), this earns you the required skill points to move forward. Failure to meet the levels target only results in replaying the sequence until you can get it together and hit your skill point goal. Anarchy mode is challenging and working with a good team results in some really satisfying kills. Laced on this is the now expected experience point system, leveling you up. This doesn't effect your weapon loadout or abilities in any way, as those are only saved during the current Anarchy match you're playing. It does however unlock new visual styles for your gear to show off your rank, alongside new taunts.
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5059/5503556222_928bbd3920.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/colonyofgamers/5503556222/)
In the end, Bulletstorm isn't without flaws. I did encounter a scripting glitch during one sequence and had to restart the chapter, only losing about 5 minutes of gameplay time. The multiplayer, while satisfying requires you play with people who know what they're doing, unless you want an exercise in frustration. As well the Echoes mode could have used some sequences not already found in the main story. Also of note is that normal difficulty may come off as too easy for some, so if you want more challenge, it may help to start the game at a higher setting.
All said though, this game will likely take you by surprise, both in enjoyment of the gameplay and in the story itself. The main campaign took about 9 hours to complete, the multiplayer looks like it will have legs going forwards (Epic being the publisher has already promised that) and the Echoes alone are fun to work through. Taking into consideration the new price drop (Amazon just took $20 off the price for all platforms), this is a definite buy in my book.
Score: 4.5 out of 5 CoGs
http://www.colonyofgamers.com/images/CoG4_5.png
Drew says, "Bulletstorm delivers a welcome surprise, opening up a new sub-genre of shooter gameplay in great fashion while also introducing surprisingly compelling characters and an interesting universe."
* Review based on Xbox 360 version of the game, which is substantively identical to the Playstation 3 and PC versions of the game.
Title: Bulletstorm
Platform: 360/PS3/PC
Developer: People Can Fly (http://www.peoplecanfly.com/)
Publisher: Epic Games (http://www.epicgames.com/)
ESRB Rating: Mature
MSRP: $59.99 (360 (http://www.amazon.com/Bulletstorm-Xbox-360/dp/B003H0CC2O/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1299241709&sr=8-1)/PS3 (http://www.amazon.com/Bulletstorm-Playstation-3/dp/B003H0CBYS/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1299241709&sr=8-2)/PC (http://www.amazon.com/Bulletstorm-Pc/dp/B003H0CBT8/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1299241709&sr=8-3))
Editor: Andrew "TrackZero" Hodder
What's Hot: Killing with skill; Stunningly beautiful vistas; Challenging teamwork based multiplayer; Robot Monsters with Laser Beam Eyes
What's Not: Playing multiplayer with pubbies; Some of the swear-laced one liners don't play
Bulletstorm brings back a breath of fresh air to the first person shooter genre. Gone is the process where you continually run to the next cover point, pop up for a few seconds to line up a headshot and go back under cover to reload. Make no mistake, that's still available if you so choose; however that path will earn you little reward in this game.
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5052/5502968763_d592da8f6b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/colonyofgamers/5502968763/)
In marketing for this title, they've tried to introduce the idea of killing with skill. They're not kidding. This is a requirement to earn the skill point currency which you'll need to buy ammunition (aside from the paltry amount enemies drop), new weapons and upgrades. Each weapon has it's own list of skill shots you can perform, alongside environmental and situational skill kills for each map. To pull off many of the best kills, you'll need to be constantly on the move to use timed environment kills (as the enemies may move out of range of the set piece kills laid about for you) alongside your own response time to adapt to each situation with the proper techniques. Taking cover generally entails that you're passing up opportunities for further success.
Since this is an abrupt change of pace from what many gamers are used to, Bulletstorm introduces these concepts in stages during the single player campaign. If you've played the demo for the game, this may throw you for a loop at first. You don't begin earning skill points until after the prologue chapter, they give you ample time to learn how to kick opponents and use the leash as the introduction progresses. The weapons are also brought in one at a time as the campaign continues (along with their "charge" shot alternate fires).
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5176/5502966521_06a3f59c9f.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/colonyofgamers/5502966521/)
If People Can Fly know one thing, it's how to make awesome guns. Every weapon has an intensely satisfying combination of style, sound, animation and brutal delivery on target. On their own, they're a solid foundation for any shooter; but when you realize that combining them on an opponent while utilizing your leash and any aspect of the environment nets you big money and big prizes, that's where the real symphony of the gameplay comes into effect.
In many ways Bulletstorm is an amalgam of modern storytelling and control alongside very classic gameplay ideals. There are a multitude of ways to make your way through, however you're only truly rewarded by understanding the underlying gameplay systems and using them to full advantage. This is a game at it's core built around your use of fast reflexes, environmental analysis combined with the strange freedom of having a sandbox environment to enact that strategy. The outcome of your own enjoyment is completely hinged upon your willingness to let the game show you a different way to play.
In the first chapters of the game, I felt underwhelmed by the combat mechanics. There seemed to only be a few skill kills I could pull off and failing to do so was mocking me with 10 (instead of 100+) skill point rewards. Somewhere around the middle, I found myself learning from my own mistakes, realizing how many types of kills were available if I only took the time to learn the techniques involved. As more weapons became available, I became more creative and learned to look to the environment for opportunities. All the pieces were present from the beginning, I just didn't know what to look for. By the final chapters, I was racking up juicy 500-1000 point kills and managing to keep my ammunition stocked and all of my gear fully upgraded. Alongside this, much to my surprise the story had completely turned around for me, but that's getting ahead of ourselves.
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5300/5502969849_5a573f2c80.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/colonyofgamers/5502969849/)
The story that Bulletstorm tells seems paper thin on the surface, combined with the highly swear-laden dialogue you'll likely find some of the characters off putting and of little interest. However, as the journey progresses so does the characters depth and tone. You'll see the main protagonist, Grayson Hunt, start out as a wise cracking alcoholic jerk. Through a flashback sequence, you'll learn what led him and his crew to their current state of affairs. Staying light on details, Grayson's decisions catch up to him and you begin to see him slowly pull himself back together, in a oddly touching way. The emotional depth instilled into all the main characters is nearly impossible to see through the first half of the game, but little by little they're revealed and I found myself emotionally drawn into the story more than I'd expected.
There is also another single player game mode, "Echoes" which takes small parts of some of the best set piece sequences in the game and challenges you to meet time and score rankings in each. These are best played upon completion of the main campaign, as you'll find all the techniques you've learned will pay off immensely going back to some of the earlier chapters. It also encourages replay through leaderboard competition.
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5096/5502969609_10cb1fd993.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/colonyofgamers/5502969609/)
Multiplayer is provided via a four player co-op "Anarchy" mode. While this takes many comparisons to "Horde" mode found in other titles, it's really a different beast. The enemy waves don't feel continually forced on you, nor is the real focus pure survival. Progression is based upon the overall team score; meaning that you can't simply play with a bunch of pubbies who don't know what they're doing and expect to get far. You need concentrated players who know the game mechanics and are willing to work as a team to progress to the higher levels of play. A few times in each wave you're prompted for team kills, where at least two players must work together in a mini-challenge to finish off a specific enemy based on a set condition (such as one player knocking the opponent into the air while the other then flings him into a metal spike), this earns you the required skill points to move forward. Failure to meet the levels target only results in replaying the sequence until you can get it together and hit your skill point goal. Anarchy mode is challenging and working with a good team results in some really satisfying kills. Laced on this is the now expected experience point system, leveling you up. This doesn't effect your weapon loadout or abilities in any way, as those are only saved during the current Anarchy match you're playing. It does however unlock new visual styles for your gear to show off your rank, alongside new taunts.
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5059/5503556222_928bbd3920.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/colonyofgamers/5503556222/)
In the end, Bulletstorm isn't without flaws. I did encounter a scripting glitch during one sequence and had to restart the chapter, only losing about 5 minutes of gameplay time. The multiplayer, while satisfying requires you play with people who know what they're doing, unless you want an exercise in frustration. As well the Echoes mode could have used some sequences not already found in the main story. Also of note is that normal difficulty may come off as too easy for some, so if you want more challenge, it may help to start the game at a higher setting.
All said though, this game will likely take you by surprise, both in enjoyment of the gameplay and in the story itself. The main campaign took about 9 hours to complete, the multiplayer looks like it will have legs going forwards (Epic being the publisher has already promised that) and the Echoes alone are fun to work through. Taking into consideration the new price drop (Amazon just took $20 off the price for all platforms), this is a definite buy in my book.
Score: 4.5 out of 5 CoGs
http://www.colonyofgamers.com/images/CoG4_5.png
Drew says, "Bulletstorm delivers a welcome surprise, opening up a new sub-genre of shooter gameplay in great fashion while also introducing surprisingly compelling characters and an interesting universe."
* Review based on Xbox 360 version of the game, which is substantively identical to the Playstation 3 and PC versions of the game.