Bulletstorm: Full Clip Edition (PlayStation 4) Review

In the not-too-distant future, next Sunday A.D., a space pirate by the name of Grayson Hunt is travelling the cosmos looking for ships to raid and avoiding the numerous bounties that have been placed on them. Before he ended up in such circumstances, Grayson and his men used to be part of a black ops squad known as Dead Echo, led by the ruthless General Sarrano, but during one of their assignments, they learned that the people the general had them assassinating were not terrorists, but innocent civilians, so they abandoned their positions and fled into the deep reaches of space. Luckily for Grayson, his ship stumbles across Sarrano's, and in an act of desperation, he charges his ship into the enemy's, resulting in the two to crash land on a planet filled with murderers, mutants, and other nasties.

What follows is a revenge tale that is both serious and hilarious. While the plot features twists and turns, some of which are quite dark, the tension is alleviated by the number of gags and funny lines that are spouted off by the characters, both good and bad. At times, the writing can be very juvenile, especially with the number of jokes about male anatomy, yet a good chunk of the humour is very entertaining. Add to that some memorable characters, including the rowdy Grayson Hunt, his friend Ishi, and the foul-mouthed Sarrano, and the story is quite enjoyable, except for one noticeable issue, the game's ending, which is both abrupt and desperately hints at a sequel that may or may not happen.

On the surface, Bulletstorm seems like a standard first-person shooter with a unique setting, but it isn't before long that the game introduces its core mechanic: skillshots. This system is what brings the gameplay to life; rather than kill enemies through body and head shots, the game encourages players to get creative with the slaughtering via this system. For example, if a foe is near exposed rebar or a giant cactus, he can be grabbed with the energy leash and kicked into the object for an easy 100 hundred points. Some are basic, while many require a certain degree of thought in regards to properly pulling the skillshot off. Fortunately, the game's arsenal of guns will help make the job fun.

The selection of firearms ranges from standard weapons such as an assault rifle, revolver, and shotgun, to more inventive guns such as one that lobs bouncing, explosive orbs, or a sniper rifle that fires rounds that can be guided into the enemy. The best one, though, is a spear gun that launches drills that pierces foes and sends them flying into walls, the sky, or their comrades. Points earned from skillshots can then be used at drop pods to buy ammo, increase bullet capacity, or unlock a firearm's special shot, which normally involves disintegration. However, Grayson can only hold three weapons at a time, one of which is always the assault rifle, but a special mode allows him to use the entire arsenal. More on that later.

Bulletstorm is an entertaining experience through and through, featuring plenty of exciting set-piece moments in addition to creative shooting. However, there are some aspects of this game that haven't particularly aged well since its original release. The biggest issue is its linearity. Although the combat zones are well-designed, the remainder of each stage consists of nothing but painfully cramped hallways that lead to an elevator or lever that must be activated to proceed. Additionally, Grayson's AI controlled teammates always tend to act like the leading man and run ahead of him towards the next part of the stage.

In addition to the single-player campaign, there are a few extra modes available in the form of Echoes, Anarchy, and the Overkill campaign. Echoes is the game's arcade mode; in it, gamers go through different sections of the campaign, with the overall goal being to beat the stage as quick as possible while amassing a large amount of points through skillshots. It's a fine selection, but doesn't stand out as particularly memorable, though a second option, Ultimate Echoes, puts parameters on each stage that force one to rethink their tactics each time. Meanwhile, Anarchy is a co-operative affair in which up to four players work together to kill waves of enemies. Finally, Overkill is the equivalent of new game plus, as Grayson is equipped with every single gun, which is good for those who didn't perform all 131 skillshots.

Grayson Hunt isn't the only one who gets to kill with style; available to those who pre-ordered the game or downloaded it separately, everyone's favourite symbol of manliness, Duke Nukem, gets to join the fray. Unfortunately, his inclusion in Bulletstorm is somewhat disappointing. Although it's cool seeing Duke in Gray's position and hearing his deep, growly voice, provided courtesy of Jon St. Jon, not much else is done with him. No explanation is provided as to how he ended up where he is, a fact Duke himself brings up early on, and there aren't any weapons exclusively available to him, which is a severely missed opportunity. It's best recommended that he is saved for the Overkill campaign option, so that way, the full arsenal is available from the get-go.