POSTED 2/3/11


BULLETSTORM

EA
PS3 (also on Xbox 360, PC)

Oi! Who you callin’ ‘dicktits’, pussynuts*?!

If Duke Nukem actually gets his shit together soon as promised, he’s gonna have somebody to hang with in redneck boozer Grayson Hunt, former special-ops dude turned space pirate, and the star of this shootymified shindig. Quippage comes thicker and faster than your standard obscenities (which also feature, natch), as does action. Come get some!

Sounds pretty shallow? Well, on the surface, yeah. But Bulletstorm’s actually a clever bastard. It manages something umpteen other first-person shooters haven’t, and that’s adding something new and fun to the cocktail – skillshots.

Early on you’re armed with your standard gun, a boot that’s made for kickin’ and an electric tether thingy. You can bang-bang-shoot-shoot all bog standard-like, but get inventive with combos – aiming at different bits on your enemies, using multiple weapons, going for bulk kills and such - and you’ll score more. There are screeds of these skillshot killshots to master, from standard stuff like headshots to the odd thing involving arses. As bigger, badder weaponry unlocks, and more environmental elements are prepared to play, the range of killingness at your disposal expands expnesh, exponunsch... erm, lots. Imagination’s key, and it’s a pleasant change from entirely on-rails experiences. OK, so this one’s basically on rails too, but the creative freedom allowed separates it from the apes. Or something.

Intensity doesn’t begin to describe what’s on offer, like when a gargantuan mofo gearwheel has you in its sights whilst helicopters buzz, missiles target and killy-types aim to kill. Cutscenes can get in the way, but slam through the main campaign once and you’ll unlock everything in ‘Echoes’ mode, which is essentially creative killing without all that story ballfluff.

Bulletstorm’s aceness broadsided us – it’s like a smart bloke that acts himbo to get what he wants. Clever dicktits!

* Yep, we softcocked out and censored ourselves...

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