(Remember my comparison to The Club?) This mode provides a great amount of replayability, inspiring new weapon combinations and strategic killing. The primary goal is to rack up the highest score possible in the shortest amount of time. Echoes mode involves snippets of areas encountered during the story. ![]() In addition to the single-player story, two other modes are included to help extend the enjoyment. These little bits of immersion are a perfect counterpoint to the abundant colorful language and bloodshed. Bulletstorm boldly goes in the opposite direction, favoring player control. So many games cheapen the experience by preventing players from engaging in the juiciest plot twists (Fable II, Army of Two, etc). One of my absolute favorite things about this game is how cutscenes often contain interactive elements. These include pulling the LT to focus on scripted events and properly timing hand-over-hand crossings. Throughout the game, there are plenty of additional non-murder opportunities to earn Skill points. For completionists (and, yes, there is an achievement for nailing every Skillshot), there couldn’t be a better companion. The database clearly marks which you have yet to accomplish and which are currently locked. In this way, Epic has managed to tell the joke without spoiling the punchline. The best part is that, for Skillshots that haven’t been executed, only the conditions for success are listed. Easily accessible by pressing Back/Select, this handy list is a roadmap to mayhem. Purpose matters.Įven further emphasis is added by the inclusion of the Skillshot Database. Where Epic’s splatterfest differs, though, is in the utility of the points. In many ways, points awarded throughout Bulletstorm evoke memories of Bizarre Creations’ The Club. They are the gateway to so many Skillshots such that a greater supply throughout the world would have been welcome.Īs if the currency system weren’t enough proof, Epic’s decision to allow the player to experience the leash without Skillshots drives the point home: without the rewards for creative killing, the leash is a gimmick that becomes boring quickly. I found it an odd choice that this is the only way to replenish your supply of charged shots. Standard and charge ammunition can also be acquired at these checkpoints. The points earned by being creative translate into upgrades and new weapons as dropkits are found throughout the game. Admittedly, strategy was not something I expected when booting up the game for the first time. This gives players the chance to line up the perfect shot for big points. The leash allows you to grab enemies, fling them around the map and, later on, throw groups of them into the air, all in slow motion. Much has been made of the leash, but I assure you that it is only a means to an end: enabling wild Skillshots that give players a reason to think strategically. Unfortunately, the Skillshots (Bulletstorm’s reward system for “killing with skill”) don’t start pouring in until after you find the leash and activate the first dropkit (about 30 minutes in). In fact, the absence of the HUD serves to accelerate player immersion in the beautiful world of Stygia. This, brilliantly, gives the player a chance to get used to the weight of the movement, experiment with the kicking mechanic, and discover ways to use the environment to do some of the dirty work. I won’t give away the plot, but rest assured that Gray has a damn good reason for wanting his former boss staring at six feet of dirt from the wrong side.ĭuring the prologue, you don’t need to worry about ammo or health. Players are introduced to the rest of the four-man team and the primary antagonist: General Sarrano: Dead Echo’s former commander and a first-class jerk. ![]() After a friendly exchange with a bounty hunter dumb enough to get captured by Grayson Hunt and the rest of Dead Echo (the 26th century version of the A-Team), the action ramps up quickly. ![]() I was wrong… mostly (those insults are hilarious).īulletstorm opens smartly. I expected that I would hate every minute of it, even while chuckling at the hilariously creative invectives that pepper the dialog. I predicted that the leash mechanic would get old quickly, leaving only a generic shooter behind. I assumed that the over-the-top language was a thin veneer designed to disguise subpar gameplay. Before the Bulletstorm demo released on Xbox Live and the Playstation Network, I was pretty harsh in my criticisms.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |