User Blog:
Bulletstorm preview

The first person shooter is a much over subscribed genre. Each year many FPS games appear on our shelves and most of them offer little in variation and creativity. The only differences between most games are where the shooting is taking place and a few different weapons. Now however, there is a game that is both creative and different. That game is Bulletstorm.

Now I would like to say that this preview is based on playing the demo of the game which is out now for download on the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3.

Developed by Epic games, creators of Gears of War, Bulletstorm is a FPS that rewards the user for creativity and skill. The game is set in the future in a paradise setting where a confederation is being protected by an elite of mercenary soldiers known as “Dead Echo.”
The aim of the game is like any FPS you have played before. Get to the end of the level without dying and killing everything in your way. Not very creative so far, but it’s the way you kill your enemies that is the creative and skilful part.

You get awarded points for the way you kill your enemy. So the more creative (or brutal) your kill is, the more points you gain. For example, kicking an enemy into a sharp spike and popping his head off will get you more points than if you just shoot him Call of Duty style.

You get more points if the way the person is killed is new, meaning more creativity equals more points.

Your weapons help you be creative and produce some spectacular kills. From the start you get an assault rifle, a pistol and a grenade launcher. You also get a sort of electric whip which you can use to grab enemies and throw them into the air.

It isn’t all high tech weapons that get you kills either. Part of the creativity is using your surroundings to your advantage. The game lights up things in the background you can use for maximum destruction. These objects can be from a simple structural weakness which when hit with the whip will collapse to sending through a speeding train on a line full of rivals.

The points system also has a big impact after you complete a level. I personally rarely playback a FPS game to get special weapons or to gain achievements. But I was so eager to beat my score I played the level over and over again until I did. It really is that addictive.