BULLETSTORM

[Alpha Six]

THE LACK OF PEOPLE THAT OWN THIS GAME IS DISTURBING

I just finished the campaign.

Pros:
- The story is surprisingly well-done
- The dialogue is incredibly entertaining
- The game itself is beautiful
- There are over 100 different skillshots to perform
- It seems like it's a lot easier to do specific skillshots in the full game than in the Echoes demo (stuff like Rear Entry and Mercy seem to be occuring more often)
- All of the weapons are incredibly fun to use and have their own uses-- you'll probably find yourself cycling through the weapons often
- The campaign is at least 6 or 7 hours-- longer than most shooters
- The gameplay rarely feels dry and repetitive in comparison to many other FPSs on the market
- There is plenty of replay value in not only completing the campaign multiple times, but in the leaderboards, which record both your campaign performance and how well you do for each separate Echo (score attack missions based on campaign scenarios).

Cons:
- There are still a few funky glitches to iron out-- sometimes your weapon holding will glitch out and you'll hold your weapon improperly (such as: holding the revolver like an assault rifle, holding the shotgun like the Bouncer, etc)-- this doesn't actually negatively affect gameplay at all, it just looks really silly.
- You may encounter a fairly rare bug where you get stuck in "passive pose" and will be unable to use weaponry or move at normal speed. Reloading the checkpoint fixes this.
- Dialogue may feel forced during certain story situations, but these almost always involve the dickhead general, so it makes sense in a way.
- The only available "multiplayer" for this game is a 4-person "horde-style" mode. There is no PVP involved, so if you were hoping to kick human players across the map while they have a rocket-propelled drill in their chest-- you'll be sorely disappointed.
- There are a couple of awkward moments in the graphics-- namely, low-res textures placed in odd areas that can cause a "clashy" feel with the lush, detailed landscapes.


If I had to rate this game personally, it'd get about a 9 to a 9.5 from me. The over-the-top action and the creative weapons feel like a throwback to older FPS games that never took themselves seriously, while retaining the overall next-gen style of FPS games (zooming in/iron sights, regenerating health, etc). Bulletstorm is a game that really can't be compared to other games, however. If someone were to walk up to you and ask "what does Bulletstorm play like? Is it like Halo, or more like Call of Duty, or maybe even Half-Life?", your natural response would be "it plays like Bulletstorm." It doesn't "feel" like it's trying to fit in with the current "big dogs" of FPS games, and that alone puts it leagues above the aforementioned FPS games.

And yes, it's totally worth the $60 price tag.



If you're still unsure-- you can always download the demo and give the game a whirl. Run through the demo Echo a few times until you feel adjusted to the controls.