Bulletstorm - Putting the game back into the first person shooter.

Title: Bulletstorm (Xbox360)

Rating: 18

Release Date: 24th February, 2011

Developers: People Can Fly

Publishers: Epic Games

Genre: First person shooter

Ever since, we put down that first armed zombie with a pump action shotgun on a remote Martian base overrun by the demonic forces of Hell, it was proven that the act of virtual redemptive violence was a wholly gratifying experience as well as a lucrative new genre. Now, nearly fifteen years after the release of Doom, where Halo and Call of Duty have popularized the first person shooter upon the consoles, 2011 is shaping up to be the year of the shooter with no less than 10 major titles being released across the various platforms. Among the list we have a lot of sequels, returning heroes like, Crysis 2, Killzone 3 and Duke Nukem Forever (we’ll believe it when we see it…). We also have the inevitable monoliths to be released in Q4, a rumoured remake of the first Halo and of course Modern Warfare 3 which is probably destined to snatch its billion dollar share of the market with little competition. It is a crowded market to say the least, and although we may stand back and appreciate the history of the FPS genre from its humble beginnings on the PC through to its dominance upon the consoles there has always been the nagging feeling that no matter how many titles we have played, no matter what their setting or style they all essentially boil down to the same concept. Have gun, will travel through the valley of the shadow of death and stuff. Bulletstorm is one of the first new shooters of the year, and whilst the concept is essentially the same, it is implemented with a unique and clever new twist. A literal boot in the ass of the shooter genre, that is as refreshing to play as it is enjoyable.

Bulletstorm takes place in the far flung space faring future, where humanity is in the grips of a civil war, kind of like Firefly. There are the evil confederates, rusty juddering space crafts and a fair few one liners. The game places you within the boots of Grayson Hunt, an exiled space pirate with a penchant for booze and an inventive use of bad language (usually involving the word ‘dick’ and any other common noun you want). After a jump into hyperspace, Grayson’s ship miraculously comes across the Ulysees, a large space ship belonging to the story’s villain General Sarrano, who effectively serves as Grayson’s white whale, somebody he and his squad have a certain bone to pick. In typical drunken pirate fashion, Grayson has at the massive spacecraft, unleashing an insane kamikaze attack which leads to both ships crash landing upon the nearby planet of Stygia. Unfortunately, the planet is inhabited by warring gangs of psychopaths, man eating plants and Godzilla sized monsters and so begins an epic revenge/redemption quest chock full of grand vistas of civilization in ruin and magnificent set pieces, as Grayson and his motley squad of space pirates attempt to get off world ASAP.

The 'epic' trailer... don't worry the game doesn't take itself this seriously...

The story is merely a vessel of course. The main meat of Bulletstorm is its inventive approach to combat. Early on in the game you are given an energy leash that effectively serves as a grading system for your combat, awarding you with points via a vast array of skill shots. Not content with lining up headshots via red dot sights as you ruthlessly and efficiently gun your way through the enemies of the Western world, Bulletstorm wants you to be creative in your murder. Sure you can shoot a guys head off, but you’re so used to shooting people in the head, why not shoot him in the throat for a ‘gag-reflex’ skill shot? Or how about a couple of bullets to the balls? And as he drops to the floor screaming whilst clutching his severed manhood, why not kick him in the head for a ‘mercy’ skill shot, or alternatively, why not discharge an entire clip into his posterior for the ‘rear-entry’ skillshot for a sweet +100 points? When faced with a sizable wave of oncoming enemies, you could utilize that strategically placed gun turret over yonder to grind them all into mincemeat. Or alternatively you could set them on fire with secondary revolver shot, and then utilize your energy whip to launch them all into the air, and then use your flail gun to wrap two grenades upon an unlucky soul and then detonate it, exploding him and his surrounding friends and making it rain crimson mush and glorious pointage.

Yes, Bulletstorm is that kind of game, the kind of game that relishes gleefully in the old ultra violence, but I’m happy to report it’s the good kind of ultra violence, that highly unreal sense of cartoon slaughter rather than the unsettling masochistic treatment of violence as seen in any of the torture sequences in Black Ops. The sheer inventive creativity and sheer speed of the game’s combat maintains the entertainment throughout the entire course of the game. As a result, although the levels will come across as familiar, you rarely feel that sense of grind throughout the campaign. You reach the point in which merely putting your targets down for a measly +10pts just feels inherently wrong. You feel obliged to give each one of these goons a proper send off before they go to virtual Hell. Points will of course allow you to buy ammunition and further upgrades for your weapons and leash, opening up new more complex skill shots to perform. There are over one hundred skill shots to perform and on my first play through I managed to complete 75% of them. Rest assured some will take a certain amount of dedication and concentration to pull off. 

As well as the leash and the mighty boot, Bulletstorm has a modest arsenal comprising of seven weapons. Each has a different strategy to effective use and each has a charged secondary fire. You have your standard issue assault rifle of course, that spits out bullets with trustworthy accuracy and a devastating secondary fire that fires all bullets at once to vaporize your foes. You get a quadruple barrel shotgun, which literally throws enemies backward or blows them in half. There are two types of grenade launcher, the flail gun serving as a remote mine launcher whilst the cannonball allows you to bounce off shots and explode them at will. The only weapon which perhaps doesn’t work as well is the obligatory sniper rifle. Every time the weapon is fired you take control of the bullet and glide it on home. You can press ‘B’ to skip this and fire the shot normally but it just feels at odds with the in your face combat that defines the rest of the game. There are sections of course which call specifically for the sniper rifle and in my opinion it breaks the flow of the game. It is far more fun kicking hapless goons into razor sharp cacti or turning them into smart bombs.          

You can do better than that...

Bulletstorm contains elements of many different shooters, a mongrelish monster composed from the genetics of the well known thorough breds of the genre. The excessive point scoring and colourful wasteland artistry feels similar to Gearbox’s Borderlands, whilst the boot melee kick is quintessential Duke Nukem. Developed by People Can Fly, it feels very similar in tone to their previous over the top shooter, Painkiller (a title that once lived in obscurity until a particularly favourable review from Yahtzee Croshaw led to an explosion of interest on Steam). The game has also been produced under the watchful gaze of Cliff Bleszinski and the people at Epic Games, the stable that reared Unreal Tournament and Gears of War.

Bulletstorm feels very much like a first person version of Gears of War. Built with the unreal engine, the combat is schlocky and satisfying, the vistas are grand and beautiful. The game knows how to do monsters and there is a similar kind of bromance between Grayson and Ishi as there is between Marcus and Dom. Though there are no chainsaw bayonets there is a gun that fires drills, which when used properly will grant you the all important ‘drilldo’ skillshot.The aesthetics of both game worlds and the character designs feel largely one and the same. Delta squad came first, whilst Grayson’s Dead Echo squad come next. Foxtrot Squad will come in the next Cliffy-B game.  Thankfully, Bulletstorm is a lot more colourful than the greys and browns of Gears of War. The planet of Stygia and the city of Elysium is basically Tatooine crossed with Las Vegas, a ruined monument to tourist extravagance baking under the rays of twin suns. 

The premise is simple, slide kick goon into cactus.

Unfortunately, it also shares many of the game’s faults, namely in the story department. The game has a perfectly functional story, it can be very funny in places, especially in the earlier parts of the game which includes several sly digs at the genre’s conventions. Part of the additional enjoyment of the game came through this aspect, even though the game is knowingly linear in the traditional ways of the shooter. Forcing you through areas, to flick a switch that will open up a new area where a team mate will clear some debris and so on and so forth. It is a similar dynamic to Wes Craven’s Scream, knowledgeable of all the clichés of the genre whilst still pursuing them regardless to great effect. Having said that, the story begins to fall apart towards the end, where the characters begin to have serious conversations about the extent of their revenge and their moral well being. Y’know the old morality question about killing many for the greater good of the millions, how can I sleep at night, what about the sanctity of my soul? Etc... You really neglect all these warrior questions once you’ve kicked a heavy in the backside and shot hot led down his exposed ass crack laughing as he dies in a cloud of his own fiery flatulence. Y’know? Just saying. Whilst I do think games should take story and narrative more seriously, probably not in the case with this game. 

Having said that, I did like the characters in general, particularly Grayson, even if the game is unsure of how to depict him, either as a crude drunk or a noble hero in exile. His accompanying friend Ishi, who is haphazardly turned into a cyborg to avert his own demise is quite well done, as the character struggles to keep a grip on his humanity against an overpowering computer logic AI with hilarious consequences. But essentially he is the voice in your ear reminding you of where you are going and what you should be doing. There is also the addition of a female character, Trishka, a spunky warrior heroine who would literally rip your head off if you implied she was full of spunk. She’s basically a fiery tempered man hating stereotype, the kind we have seen in many other games and movies. Luckily, she doesn’t fall for any of the protagonists but is basically just another gun. She also has the worst line in the game that basically defines her character, you’ll know it when you hear it. Incidentally, if Epic Games really wanted to appeal to all the lady gamers out there (they do exist apparently) then surely they would have made her a playable character, thereby giving women the ability to shoot men in the nuts! I mean, do they not realise how cathartic that would be for female gamers? It may even soften the problems between man and woman? Just a revolutionary thought, y'know? Regardless, whether or not you’ll give a damn about Bulletstorm’s story will probably depend on whether the death of Maria in Gears of War 2 affected you on any deep emotional level (apart from laughter). 

The 'guys' (from left Ishi, Trishka and Grayson)

Aside from the main campaign, Bulletstorm has echoes mode, a score based collection of the game’s best levels in which you are tasked with getting as high a score as you can. It is in this mode that Bulletstorm is at its best and provides the game with prolonged replayabity. The secret to success is moving through the level as fast as you can whilst gaining as many skill shots as you can. You have to keep your shots varied should you want to maximize your score. If you are so way inclined, you will begin learning every aspect of the levels, thinking mathematically on how you can best boost your score. This is what makes Bulletstorm brilliant, of course, the game may masquerade in the guise of a story about a drunken space pirate but behind all the gore and obscenely named skill shots is a depth that other shooters just can’t compete against.

The only real problem with Echoes mode is that your score is rated by three stars which is actually very easy to attain. Conceivably it is not unheard of to double the three star score or perhaps go even further. For the more skillful and dedicated players who reach well over 20,000 points, the game doesn’t has much in the way of reward save for a lucrative position upon those all important leader boards. The weapon set for each level is also limited to the weapons you had in the campaign. The first level for example only allows you to use the assault rifle, denying you access to all the other weapons which you are hungry to use. Nothing that can’t be fixed by a patch of course… Just sayin’.  

FACE!

The game also offers multiplayer in the form of ‘Anarchy’ mode, though instead of being competitive the focus is on four player co-op. Confined to small to medium sized arenas, your team must together accumulate a predetermined amount of points to go on through to the next level. You will get bonus points for working together and will be called to dispatch enemies in a particular way to gain a bonus. These instances can often see the difference between success or failure, so it helps if all four of you are well co-ordinated. The game does offer matchmaking, but it is best played with friends or at least a company that communicates together. If just one of your player’s goes rogue, the entire team will be stuck on the same level for rounds and rounds. On the whole however, as far as co-op modes go it compensates the main game really well, adding an extra dimension to difficulty in the way Spec Ops did for Modern Warfare 2. Time will tell whether Anarchy mode it is as successful as Gears of War’s Horde mode or Halo’s firefight. 

Bulletstorm has been marketed as a colourful alternative to all the realistic modern warfare clones that are in vogue at the moment and for the most part it does feel like a breath of fresh air when compared to its competitors. With that said, Bulletstorm only goes and sets itself within that other popular style of FPS, the sci-fi shooter starring a cast of manly space marines as they fight their way off an alien planet. In this regard, Bulletstorm is nothing you’ve never seen before, but the open ended fast paced combat is immensely entertaining and gratifying to pull off and will almost certainly have you coming back for more. There is a lot of room for improvement, which will no doubt be handled in the inevitable sequel. As it stands, Bulletstorm puts the game back into the shooter genre. Suffice it to say, as you cower for cover, dodging grenades in Call of Duty you will miss the errant thrill of slide kicking into your enemies whilst sending them flying into a fan via a single shotgun blast. 

The game devs talk about gun porn... Its not sick honest...

Interstellar Marines: An indie tactical space marine shooter with land sharks...

This article was originally written for Crude Pixel, an indie gaming site that I have started to contribute to. Check out the original site here.

Will you believe in the dream of an unfinished space marine shooter? It has landsharks!

All my life I have been running from something. A monstrous creature that haunts the inner recesses of my mind, revealing himself only in my worst nightmares...  I refer of course to the land shark, an unholy fusion of the body of a rabid wolf and the mouth of a great white shark with all the pent up murderous rage that exists because of the destruction of each animal’s respected ecosystem. Until recently, people thought me mad when I talked about my lifelong psychological affliction. I had to stop playing Spore, because rather than letting my imagination run riot creating all manner of cutesy characters, my game world soon became populated by the malevolent force of the land shark. First they were ambling around eating everything in sight, then they evolved to tribe level and burned all the villages down, then they became ‘civilized’ nuking every other city on the planet before taking to the stars to fulfill their horrific reign of terror upon an intergalactic stage. That was a couple of years ago now, but it appears that the land shark has now manifested itself once more within a new independently developed sci-fi shooter – Interstellar Marines by Zero Point Software.

Interstellar Marines has been in development since 2005, a very long time. The very title may be enough to make some gamers groan at the prospect of another space marine shooter but then this isn’t your usual board meeting commissioned shooter. After the success of Minecraft, last year, the developers are looking to create a trilogy of games without the backing of a mainstream publisher house. Instead Zero Point Software want to build a solid fan base community in order to support the game through its development stage. Judging by the latest trailer that was promoted through Gametrailers last week, the game certainly looks like a triple-A title and the ambition of the creators already has me sold, even if the premise does feel a little like Mass Effect meets Star Wars: Republic Commando. The game is set in the future where humanity has become a space faring civilization, and the game picks up when first contact is made with an alien race. Things perhaps do not go as well as planned with the presence of the Interstellar Marines and the fact that the game is an FPS. Did I mention there were also land sharks?    

Oh God! Oh Jesus Christ!

By going to the game’s website, you will learn much more about the game and how to get involved within the development process. By registering, you will gain access to the first three playable chapters that have been released, which can be played in browser. The first playable chapter, The Vault, acts as a kind of museum, showcasing the various characters that appear in the game. Namely the interstellar marines themselves, a Robocop styled sentry-bot and of course a pack of ravenous land sharks or Carcaradon Polemos as the game affectionately calls them. The second chapter, Bullseye, is a target range which allows the player to get a feel for the combat. Target ranges are a mainstay of traditional FPS training levels but even through this demo, Interstellar Marines, feels very good. The shooting is as tight as any major release, allowing you to fire from the hip or switching to ironsights/red dot sight to make that all important head shot. The target range gives you access to many challenges, where you compete to gain a star rating, which in turn levels up your combat proficiency as well as your weapon attachments. I found it very addictive and the ‘ping’ sound you make every time you land a headshot is satisfying.

Bullseye, a thoroughly enjoyable target range level. Check it out!

 

The latest chapter ‘Running Man’ is another training exercise, which gives you more freedom as you face off waves of robotic enemies. The robotic enemies are a little basic, little more than walking crash dummies for you to discharge hot lead into. As the difficulty ramps up and the robots are coming from all directions you do begin to feel as if you are under siege. On the other hand, for a game that supposedly places emphasis on the elements of a realistic tactical shooter, it perhaps feels a little mindless offering the usual run and gun protocol. It is however just a demo, designed to give the player a feel for the controls and movement of the shooter. Interstellar Marines does run very smoothly in browser, though you may need an above average rig to enjoy the graphics at their best. You can also tone down the graphics for the more modest systems out there. The look of the game perhaps suffers from an overuse of grey and could benefit from a broader colour palette. On the whole however it echoes the sterile space age environments of Mass Effect. The sound is also great, the ambience is very effective at defining the cold environments and the music is once again very reminiscent of the piano tinkerings as heard in Mass Effect or Assassin’s Creed.

A fourth playable chapter,’Deadlock’, will be available in due course and will allow players to get a feel for the multiplayer, which is supposed to employ a tactical edge to the usual frag fests that define modern FPSs. The full release ‘first contact’ has not yet been determined and is probably reliant on the growth of an interested and donating community. The website already invites players to ‘enlist’ in the interstellar marines by making a choice between three payable packages. For a modest $4.96, you will help development and gain a couple of privileges such as beta access. The developers really want you to either pay for the silver ‘Frontline’ membership at $23.44 where you will reserve a copy of the first game, or the more expensive $36.56 for the gold ‘Spearhead’ membership, which will reserve you a copy of the entire trilogy.  It should be noted that the actual release of this game is not yet set in stone since it lacks the traditional support of a mainstream publisher.  It may be seen as peculiar to pay so much for a game that may not even have a release, that has incidentally been in development for such a long time. However, the question you have to ask yourself is whether or not you are willing to endorse the concept the game? You are putting yourself in the position of publisher, which is a very exciting prospect when the game looks and plays this good. Once you have tried out the demos you can discuss your play experiences on the forums and the community are generally very welcoming to any constructive criticism or questions you might have. Perhaps you haven’t had the right qualifications or knowledge to make computer games, at least Interstellar Marines gives you the chance to have your say in the game’s development and gain some valuable insight into how you go about introducing a new IP into an overcrowded market.                       

They'll keep fighting and they'll win! Remember service guarantees citizenship!