Written by: PlayDevil.com Staff

 

 

 

"Bulletstorm" looks incredible because of its secondary role as a proving ground for the Epic’s upgrades to the Unreal 3.5 engine. Between the natural caves and canyons the demo takes place in and the neon glow of the various weapons on offer there is nothing that doesn't pop from the screen.

 

Developers People Can Fly have certainly taken a lot of inspiration from Epic’s Gears of War in terms of HUD and cosmetics, but there is little similarity in terms of tone or gameplay. Action takes place in first-person and with no cover the emphasis is completely on speed, fluidity and combos, all framed by exaggerated marine bromance.

 

Running at around six minutes long the Bulletstorm demo takes place in ‘Echo mode’, a kind of time trial setting. This shows little of what the story will hold, but id does offer a playground for the game’s over-the-top combo system and combat.

 

Before even dropping in I was treated to an unskipable tutorial that explained the mechanics of the mayhem. It was a good thing the time was taken to lay out the objective too, because simply ploughing through the enemies with the usual head shoots would result in a very low score, and high scores are real aim of the game (or the demo at least).

 

Points are awarded for inventive and embracing skills and the real fun comes from working out the most outlandish ways to dispatch enemies, each of which is scored and commented on with comic/childish bravado. 

 

The demo offered three guns, each with an alternate fire, but it fast became clear that the main purpose of these weapons was more about the spectacle than killin’ (though killin’ did come a close second). To combine with the standard bullet spraying fair there was also a range of other attack options that could be used in tandem to make ever more extravagant chains.

 

Slides and kicks are the regular melee moves, but these were topped off with an electric tether. At the push of a button this tether allowed opponents to be either yanked forwards into oncoming attacks or launched unceremoniously into the air, where they bacame a bullet piñata. Fun and frantic the controls still managed to give the sense that any successes weren’t down to blind luck, but it will probably take a while to really come to grips with techniques that will garner the big scores.

 

Bulletstorm instantly catches the eye in the short demo. With the draw of leader boards, and the ever increasing insanity promised by People Can Fly, there will be a lot to offer to those who find the allure of such things tempting.

 

Personally I am not sure if the six minutes of fun I had juggling enemies can be drawn out over a full game, but if a enough variety is offered in weapons and enemy types then Bulletstorm could offer an interesting diversion from all the more serious shooters on the market.