Bulletstorm: Full Clip Edition

Bulletstorm failed to meet the expectations of People Can Fly / Epic Games and EA. It did not even turn a profit when it was originally released in 2011. That's maybe not the kind of a game one would expect to see a remaster of, but Gearbox -- who had apparently acquired the rights to it -- decided to publish one anyway.

Re-release of an under-performer

Bulletstorm: Full Clip Edition was released last year. The remaster includes all of the original content, higher resolution textures, and some extensions to its additional game modes. There's also a new piece of DLC which replaces Grayson Hunt (the protagonist) with Duke Nukem -- voice, new lines, everything. I'm not convinced it's worth its cost unless you're a really big fan of the character.

I found the graphics options menu surprisingly lacking. It's an Unreal Engine 3 game -- surely it wouldn't've been an impossible task to include a toggle for depth of field for example. There is an FOV slider, though. I believe that wasn't in the original release.

I'd put Bulletstorm among the likes of Singularity and TimeShift -- a corridor shooter with futuristic technology. Bulletstorm is more of a spectacle, however. Its visuals are colorful and pleasant to look at. The story is more involved too: Grayson is on a journey of revenge against a general who tasked Grayson's team to kill civilian targets.

You also have a companion or two with you to provide constant banter. The banter has plenty of crass humor which makes sense given the characters' military background. It is at times genuinely funny, too. Jennifer Hale as Trishka felt out of place, though -- I couldn't unhear Commander Shepard in her voice.

A competent shooter

Combat starts simple but gets more varied with every newfound weapon and unlocked alternative firing mode. The game's big gimmick are so called skillshots which provide points for buying ammunition and weapon upgrades. More complex and difficult skillshots are worth more; a kill with a dull bodyshot gives you measly 10 points while something like kicking an enemy into a cactus gives 100 (or 300 the first time you do it).

Early on into the game you acquire an Energy Leash which allows you to pull enemies towards you. While airborne they slow down to allow easier aiming. The Leash also has an alternative mode that sends multiple targets into the air but I too often forgot its existence. It can help in a situation you're about to get overwhelmed.

I played Bulletstorm on Hard which was moderately challenging. I reckon on Very Hard you just spend more time sitting in cover, waiting for health to regenerate. On Hard I had to do that occasionally but the game was still constant, entertaining action.