Bulletstorm Video Game Review - Xbox360

SIR Games Rating: 8/10
This is where you kill with skill, and have the tools to do it.

You are Grayson Hunt, leader of the Dead Echo squad, the most ruthless group of hired hitmen working for the Confederation of Planets. Or it was, at least. Not long ago, you discover that your ‘hits’ were not the drug lords and crime lords that you were told they were. No no no, they were innocent people, who have done nothing wrong but held incriminating evidence against the Confederation of Planets. Then, you went AWOL and to this day seek revenge on the bloodsucking, stone-hearted turd who ordered you to do it.

Storyline: 8/10

Bulletstorm takes you to the planet Stygia, where you coincidentally discover General Sarrano’s ship in orbit (Sarrano is the turd I mentioned earlier). You recklessly attack the ship and go down with it. The planet turns out to be overrun by criminals and mutants. the main focus of the campaign is for you to get off the planet. You are partnered with Ishi, a fellow member of Dead Echo as you find your way off the planet. Ishi is shown to be extremely conflicted, as he is waging war within his own mind; his sense of reasoning and right and wrong doing battle against a regimented and focused robotic mind, since Ishi was fused with a robot earlier in the game. Aside from Ishi, most of the other characters are straight cut with simple mindsets. On a whole, Bulletstorm offers a fantastic storyline with many quirks and points of humor within the game (Hunt was singing "He's my favorite robot pal. Ishi was okay but he wasn't fifty feet tall. It's a pretty cool party, come and see! You can get a robot and come killin' with me.” To a large robotic dinosaur, which he named “Waggleton P. Tallylicker” .And no, I’m not kidding.

Gameplay: 8.5/10

This is where Bulletstorm really sets itself apart from the other great guns in the FPS genre (Get it? Great guns, FPS…? Never mind.). Bulletstorm features a unique skill shot system that awards the player points, which the player spends to buy guns and ammo. This system is the defining feature of Bulletstorm, as the creative department at Epic Games and People Can Fly really get creative with the vast array of interesting and at times humorous skill shots that players are capable of making. These are achieved by the few wonderful guns that are made available throughout the game. Furthermore, an electric ‘leash’ is also used by Hunt, which pulls enemies towards you, leaving them falling in slow-motion towards you for you to dish out any punishment you see fit. Another way Bulletstorm allows you to rack up the points is the uber kick that is at your disposable. Hunt’s XOXO boot can slam into his enemies and once more send them falling in slow-motion.

super duper uber massive insane KICK!!!

The environment can also prove to be deadly, as you can leash your enemies into electrical wires, cacti and off cliffs. There are many elements in Bulletstorm that can keep you wide awake while playing, and the designers really want players to stop aiming down their iron sights and start getting creative. There are many different ways to kill your enemy, for example kicking a giant monster mini-boss into helicopter rotors and shooting them in the…well, simply put they’ll be singing soprano while they’re going down. Overall, a solid gameplay experience that will definitely keep gamers hooked for hours on end.

Waggleton P. Tallylicker for the kill!

Graphics: 7.5/10

The graphics in Bulletstorm are childish and cartoonish to say the least. However, this is not necessarily a bad thing. The cartoonish environment seems to compliment the fun gameplay of Bulletstorm. The scenes that are emphasised in this game, like a giant monster bursting out of the ground, are captured magnificently with great painstaking detail. The developers really seemed to create a fantastic ambience between the firefights, showing a ‘trouble in paradise’ atmosphere that is truly unique.

Final Verdict: 8/10

I have been really looking forward to this game, and as a result I had extremely high expectations. I am glad to say that this beautifully crafted yet coarsely themed and foul-mouthed game definitely passes with flying colours. It creates a new idea within the FPS genre and shows that some games, when done right, can break the status quo and grasp the gaming industry by the scruff of its neck. I’ll be honest, this game may not be realistic, but it does the one thing that truly matters. It’s fun, and a real must-have.

*Bulletstorm is also available on the PS3 and PC


Bulletstorm on the PC with Razer Hydra, world's first PC motion sensing gaming controller!

Like what you read? Please subscribe to us!

Follow @sirgames