2011 was supposed to be the year of the glorious return of the King: the year where Duke Nukem got to revive his good name, kick some ass, and chew some bubblegum. However, in his absence, a new smart assed, wise-cracking, loud-mouthed, protagonist has come to the fore.
Meet renowned space pirate, Grayson Hunt, on a quest for revenge with his rag tag bunch of misfits after a mission goes sour. If you were to imagine Captain Jack Sparrow for an adult audience, Grayson Hunt is what you may come up with. The obvious connection is that they are both pirates and have a fondness for alcohol. But they also have a wit, and something resembling charm, about them.
Bulletstorm begins, like most other titles, with a tutorial. Unlike others, this tutorial is fluid and welcomes the player into the game and the story immediately. Fittingly, the first thing that the player learns is how to aim and fire. This sets the tone throughout the game, where questions are secondary.
The action kicks off immediately and is unrelenting throughout. Initially, Bulletstorm plays like other first person shooters, but once you gain access to the leash, a whole new world of opportunity opens up to the player.
It is the leash combination and the implementation of skill shots that set this game apart. Suddenly, the player is prompted to try out new things, to be aware of their surroundings, and to dispatch enemies in a variety of cruel and sadistic ways. There are a total of 135 skillshots to discover, in addition to the challenge that the game itself offers.
There are times when the Unreal engine looks slightly dated. For example, there were close up shots of characters that should not have been used, when we have become so accustomed to life like detail in all models. However, there are moments where the player can just admire the landscape. For much of the game, there is a scenic beauty on display. Some of the areas are jaw dropping. The team has certainly pushed the boundaries of what is possible, and succeeds.
A trend has emerged within games where they often compete with Hollywood in terms of cinematics and action sequences. Bulletstorm is one of those games that will spring to mind when this trend is mentioned. The set pieces are truly amazing, gripping and unlike what has gone before.
Bulletstorm is crude and not for those with sensitive ears. In an interview with TechTV101, Cliff Bleszinski stated that “f-bombs” are infrequent but may redefine how people think about profanity. Essentially, the characters make hybrids of any conceivable insult and swearword.
The multiplayer is different from what has been rehashed time and time again. Anarchy mode takes the basic concept from the hugely successful Horde mode from Gears of War, but puts the Bulletstorm stamp on it. Up to four players combine to hit points targets in a number of waves. Unlike in the Gears series, survival is fairly straightforward. However, players will have to work together and communicate in order to meet point targets and accomplish team challenges. From the first wave, this mode is a blast to play and rewards players, rather than having them go through the motions for ten waves before the game gets interesting.
The other “multiplayer” mode is Echoes, which was showcased in the demo. This is “snack gaming”. It is very possible to sit down and play one level for five minutes, or play through multiple levels trying to set the highest score on each. There is a competitive beast in all of us, and this mode allows us to feed that with global and friend leaderboards. In addition, it removes the need to pay for upgrades, guns or ammo. The player is given the freedom to play as they wish. Nothing takes care of stress better than tearing up enemies in pre-determined and calculated ways.
This is a title to look forward to. It is easy to pick up but difficult to master, and features enough to satisfy most gamers. The first person genre may have found a new loud mouthed King to sit on the throne. Bulletstorm will be released in shops on February 25th.
Meet renowned space pirate, Grayson Hunt, on a quest for revenge with his rag tag bunch of misfits after a mission goes sour. If you were to imagine Captain Jack Sparrow for an adult audience, Grayson Hunt is what you may come up with. The obvious connection is that they are both pirates and have a fondness for alcohol. But they also have a wit, and something resembling charm, about them.
Bulletstorm begins, like most other titles, with a tutorial. Unlike others, this tutorial is fluid and welcomes the player into the game and the story immediately. Fittingly, the first thing that the player learns is how to aim and fire. This sets the tone throughout the game, where questions are secondary.
The action kicks off immediately and is unrelenting throughout. Initially, Bulletstorm plays like other first person shooters, but once you gain access to the leash, a whole new world of opportunity opens up to the player.
It is the leash combination and the implementation of skill shots that set this game apart. Suddenly, the player is prompted to try out new things, to be aware of their surroundings, and to dispatch enemies in a variety of cruel and sadistic ways. There are a total of 135 skillshots to discover, in addition to the challenge that the game itself offers.
There are times when the Unreal engine looks slightly dated. For example, there were close up shots of characters that should not have been used, when we have become so accustomed to life like detail in all models. However, there are moments where the player can just admire the landscape. For much of the game, there is a scenic beauty on display. Some of the areas are jaw dropping. The team has certainly pushed the boundaries of what is possible, and succeeds.
A trend has emerged within games where they often compete with Hollywood in terms of cinematics and action sequences. Bulletstorm is one of those games that will spring to mind when this trend is mentioned. The set pieces are truly amazing, gripping and unlike what has gone before.
Bulletstorm is crude and not for those with sensitive ears. In an interview with TechTV101, Cliff Bleszinski stated that “f-bombs” are infrequent but may redefine how people think about profanity. Essentially, the characters make hybrids of any conceivable insult and swearword.
The multiplayer is different from what has been rehashed time and time again. Anarchy mode takes the basic concept from the hugely successful Horde mode from Gears of War, but puts the Bulletstorm stamp on it. Up to four players combine to hit points targets in a number of waves. Unlike in the Gears series, survival is fairly straightforward. However, players will have to work together and communicate in order to meet point targets and accomplish team challenges. From the first wave, this mode is a blast to play and rewards players, rather than having them go through the motions for ten waves before the game gets interesting.
The other “multiplayer” mode is Echoes, which was showcased in the demo. This is “snack gaming”. It is very possible to sit down and play one level for five minutes, or play through multiple levels trying to set the highest score on each. There is a competitive beast in all of us, and this mode allows us to feed that with global and friend leaderboards. In addition, it removes the need to pay for upgrades, guns or ammo. The player is given the freedom to play as they wish. Nothing takes care of stress better than tearing up enemies in pre-determined and calculated ways.
This is a title to look forward to. It is easy to pick up but difficult to master, and features enough to satisfy most gamers. The first person genre may have found a new loud mouthed King to sit on the throne. Bulletstorm will be released in shops on February 25th.
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