|
The hectic shooter combat is fun, eschewing cover systems and tactical finesse, replacing them with slide-kicking and environmental hazards used to slaughter enemies.
I enjoyed the game for rewarding me when I threw caution to the wind and charged into battle, rather than hanging back to assess each situation. In fact, a lot of times I found a hard-driving offensive approach far more effective than trying to stop-n-pop behind cover. The action is intense and I had fun in all but a couple of situations that I found frustrating, but those were usually when I was trying to do a Skillshot or use a particular environmental hazard.
The combat sequences are separated by some short bursts of dialog, a cut scene here and there, or some transitional spaces where the player can do a bit of exploring or enjoy the scenery. The graphics are solid UE3 fare, with a believable, yet colorful art style that presents some nice sweeping vistas, big cityscape scenes, and other cool environments. One downside is the reuse of assets. For instance, I think there is only one boat model in the whole game, and you see it over and over and over.
Despite the solid combat and attractive environments, Bulletstorm is uninteresting. You proceed down an entirely linear path, shooting everything that moves. If you've played shooters for any period of time, nothing that happens here will be a surprise. After clearing one room, for instance, I thought to myself, "Hmm, where are the heavy guys that should act as mini-bosses in here?". Then the elevator doors opened, two heavy troopers started thudding their way out into the room and I thought, "Oh, right. There they are". All very predictable.
This is not to say that every game should be Deus Ex, supporting multiple approaches to success, RPG elements, etc... What I am saying is that this game isn't compelling. By contrast, in the original Halo I wanted to keep going to the next mission because the whole concept of the ring was interesting and the story kept me motivated. The existence of other marines who were excited to see me when I entered camp or joined them on the front lines made me feel like part of a larger war effort. None of those things are true in Bulletstorm. In this game, I'm just a guy with a buddy on Planet Nowhere slogging my way through waves of nobodies for no real reason other than to save my own ass and get off the planet. Sure, there are cool environment kills, but when you kick one guy into a bundle of wires to electrocute him, you may as well have kicked them all, because it's always the same.
In the end, this game is an odd combination of fun action and an incredibly boring overall experience. If you enjoy unlocking all the Skillshots and racking up points, you will likely find more to enjoy than I did. In my case, I didn't care about the characters, the story, the planet, or the game world, so once the campaign was over, I simply tossed the disc back in the case and will not likely ever get it back out. I got my 10 hours of fun out of it, but ultimately this game will slip quietly into the night, remembered by no one.
|
