Bulletstorm just looks and sounds like more of the same: you play some dude with a gun, and you run around and shoot things. It does have plenty of other things that pushes it above and beyond the regular FPS fare though. If nothing else, the game is a phenomenal blast, largely because the game really tries its best to mix things up and make you do more than just shoot bad guys. To really succeed in the game, you need to "kill with skill," by sliding, kicking, and whipping your opponents and hurling them all across the map. You gain some decent bonus points for environmental kills, or for really inventive kills. The game itself is hardly repetitive: it takes you through a pretty well-rendered environment that contains huge ruined cities, weird mutated ecologies, and battered spaceships. You will be pitted against a few annoying bosses, but one of the coolest highlights is taking control of a mechanical Godzilla-like creature and stomping on a hoard of enemies! The game overall is crazy, over-the-top, and rather juvenile; it all makes for a satisfyingly fast and furious piece of pulp sci-fi shoot-em-up action!
The story is pretty straightforward, but it does have merits. You play a space pirate seeking revenge against a military general (who, in turn, is one of the most stereotypical and ridiculous generals you'll ever see). The game explores enough of the character's past to explain what happened and how things came to where they are now; it is pretty interesting to see how the guy's own problems (especially alcoholism) brought on his own misfortune. The game digs up even more drama when the guy's best friend becomes a cyborg, and is constantly struggling to maintain his humanity. Other than that, however, the game's actual plot is pretty standard, taking you though one level after another with the usual boss battles and some contrived twists. All of the dramatic impact is further beaten down by a certain faux gung-ho attitude, the constant swearing, and all of the characters' bickering. Characters can actually be pretty annoying this way, although I thought a lot of their dialogue was very silly and laughable.
This game uses good, not great, graphics. The visuals are cool in parts, but textures and renderings are average at best. The levels are very linear, and their designs are generally okay. This game has plenty of neat and imaginative-looking sets, props, costumes, and locales. Controls are generally good; it may take a little getting used to, especially with using secondary firing modes. Voice-work is appropriately over-the-top, but the writing is quite silly and simplistic. Music is okay.
Bulletstorm is short, pretty stupidly-written, very juvenile, and very over-the-top, but it is still pretty darn fun. It's worth a rental for anybody who likes sci-fi shooter games.
4/5 (Entertainment: Perfect | Story: Pretty Good | Game: Average)
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