Bulletstorm (2011 Video Game)
What Duke Nukem Forever should've been and sadly wasn't.
14 August 2011
Bulletstorm is everything DNF wasn't and more. While DNF was a long-delayed, sloppily-put together, incoherent mess that should've been stuck in development hell, Bulletstorm is in a class all by itself. You play as Grayson Hunt, a former soldier-turned space pirate who is out for revenge against his commanding officer by the name of General Sarrano. However, during an epic space battle between Hunt's crew and the General's forces, Hunt and his comrade, Ishi Sato, crash land on a seemingly deserted resort planet. As Hunt and Sato try to make their way off the planet, they get more than what the bargain for.

Not one to spoil plots or anything, but for Bulletstorm it's a must. Despite the title(which is really neat by the way) the story is surprisingly deep and well-written. Grayson Hunt may be a douchebag, but he's a lovable douchebag and that's what separates him from the usual gruff and serious video game heroes.

The biggest star of Bulletstorm is it's gameplay which is based on a new game mechanic known as the skillshot. By dispatching enemies in creative and highly entertaining ways, you rank up points to upgrade your weapons and getting a higher score. Never before has a game been this innovative in it's approach to killing your enemies and Bulletstorm rightfully earns that respect. Unlike most FPS, Bulletstorm has lush and colorful landscapes which is both strange and fascinating despite the fact that Bulletstorm is an extremely violent and bloody game. In that respect alone, that's a good thing. A VERY good thing.

Even though there is a story, Bulletstorm is filled to the brim with crass, black humor, that's actually funny that really caught me off guard as I played the game. Rarely does that ever happen, but I for one was laughing out loud at the darkly humorous lines being spout out of the characters; particularly Hunt and Sarrano. Kudos to People Can Fly and Epic Games for giving these characters heart and charm amidst the bloody carnage.

There are some flaws. For one, the game is too short and there's no multiplayer modes to fiddle with after you complete the game. There are some time-attack modes where you race against the clock to kill enemies, but the lack of multiplayer really hurts the competitive edge of most FPS out there in the market. But that shouldn't stop you from playing this game at all. In fact it's much more fun than DNF.

I know Bulletstorm isn't selling that well which is a shame. The game is highly polished and more sophisticated in gameplay compared to what's out there in the market. If more time was spent on making the single-player campaign longer and with more multiplayer options, than this would've made more sales. I hope in time more and more people buy this game because it actually brings something new to the table. C'mon guys, support originality. We need the diversity.
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