Classic Comeback - Games of 2011 | Bulletstorm is Still Bombastic Bundle of Fun
Initially, I beat Bulletstorm on Xbox 360 back in 2011, but I guess you could say I’ve been getting a bit sentimental for my youth, so I decided to pick it up again. So ten years later does Bulletstorm still hold up?
After a second playthrough, I can say for certain that I thoroughly enjoyed experiencing the crude dialogue between characters, bombastic action set pieces and the ridiculously creative skillshot mechanic again all these years later.
Revenge and Other Hijinks
There something beautiful about how the light is scattering off the nude statues and exploded body parts here.
To begin with, the story in Bulletstorm is a bit formulaic nowadays, however, there are enough extravagant action set pieces to keep things moving. Although these set pieces are often just turret sections, a strong reminder of the era this game came from. The plot itself is a standard revenge story, so it isn't overly complex or difficult to understand. You play as Grayson Hunt, a man that spews almost as many expletives as he does bullets. When Grayson and his Dead Echo team are manipulated by their leader, General Sarrano, into basically committing war crimes, they decide to defect and take the fight to him. Not to mention, Sarrano ordered Dead Echo to kill targets that the team thought were causing harm, when in fact, they were innocent non-combatants that had vital information that would expose Sarrano for the nefarious crimes he had committed. I thought the story was well-paced overall, even if it is on the short side when compared to other games that released around that time like Bioshock.
Guns + Gore + Gadgets = Great Gameplay
On the contrary to the somewhat standard story, the gameplay in Bulletstorm is still very satisfying and massively subversive. Bulletstorm’s unconventional combat feels fresh by encouraging the player to be more experimental than your average first-person shooter and giving you the tools to do so.
Skills to pay the bills. Or more accurately skills to dismember foes to get XP to pay the bills of acquiring more new skills.
There are a vast number of ways in which adversaries can be dealt with, from a wide array of weapons you can use, to special abilities and upgrades that round out your arsenal. You will find yourself pulling enemies towards you with your leash-whip into murderous cacti, juggling enemies with your bullets as you blow limbs off them and kicking foes into other environmental hazards like conveniently exposed electrical wires, fortunately placed spikes and holes the developer thought would be funny to put behind goons. Or, a personal favourite, squashing enemies with an elevator. The whole game is brilliantly off the wall.
Come to think of it, I might have to name my first child Waggleton P. Tallylicker.
For instance, there is an entertaining section where you use a laser-blasting robot dinosaur creature named The Mechaton to turn your enemies into a fine mist, except you stay in first person and must use what looks like a RC car’s controller. The main protagonist, Grayson Hunt, even grows attached to his new mechanical pet and nicknames, "Waggleton P. Tallylicker".
Dialogue That Has Aged Terribly But in a Really Good Way
The games audio design itself is solid and I didn't encounter any distorted audio from explosions or cut-off conversations between characters, despite the ongoing chaos. While Bulletstorm's soundtrack for action set pieces was admissible and I never noticed any out of place or inappropriate audio cues. In Bulletstorm, the dialogue is voiced with a particular enthusiasm. In spite of this (or maybe because of it), there is some hilarious dialogue sprinkled throughout the game. See the below example:
Trishka Novak: Go f*** yourself! You shit piles give chase, I will kill your dicks!
Grayson Hunt: What? What does that even mean? You're gonna kill my dick? I'll kill your dick! How 'bout that, huh?
I’m pretty sure the writers were taking inspiration from Shakespeare in that case… But that is just one example of the crude humour that Bulletstorm exudes. Grayson's reactionary, ill-thought-out comebacks is a perfect summary of my reaction to most of the conversations between these two numbskulls throughout the game.
See this beautiful world? Yeah, we’re going to blow it all to hell.
Passable, Pleasing Graphics
I was worried going back to Bulletstorm that it would look like a muddy mess all these years later. However, I was surprised to find the graphics were perfectly acceptable, especially for a 10-year old game. I didn't notice any jarring, low-resolution textures. The character models are of course not realistic looking, but they suit the artstyle and didn't pull me out of the experience. The brutality of some of the skillshots are sufficiently gore-filled, but never too realistic to where they might just become disturbing. I never got tired of seeing decapitations, dismemberment and impalement over the hours of gameplay. Overall, I thought Bulletstorm's graphics hold up sufficiently a decade on.
Review Roundup
I really enjoyed revisiting Bulletstorm. The story may be generic, even with the chuckle-worthy one-liners. However, I thoroughly appreciated the splendid combat mechanics all those years ago, and they still feel innovative now. It was a delight to perform each of the rip-roaring and inventive skillshots that the game had to offer. I think a third playthrough might be on the cards sooner rather than another 10 years later.
