Bulletstorm is an amazing little shooter with a lot to offer.
The innovative mechanic that sets Bulletstorm apart is the scoring system. Kill an opponent, earn 10 points, kill them with a headshot, earn 25 points, Grab them and throw them into a cactus, earn a 100 points, Thump a group of enemies into the air, light them on fire and spear them in the nuts? Earn a couple thousand points. Yes, Bulletstorm awards extra points for nut shots. And wouldn't that be worth praise, even without everything else People can fly brought to the table.
Points are important in campaign and Multiplayer, because they let you buy upgrades. More ammo, cooler weapons, alternate fire modes and more. Killing in a new way earns 5 times as many points, so you'll always be hunting for one of the 131 (and more in multiplayer) ways to kill with skill. Unfortunately, for much of the game, the best strategy is to use the same skillshot over and over again. I wish there was a mechanic to encourage you to vary it up more, but there's just the bonus for the first time you discover a skillshot.
Even without the skillshots, you'll have fun using the weapons in Bulletstorm. there's the bog-standard assault rifle and pistol, each with a small twist. The sniper rifle slows down time as it nears it's target, control it for accurate shooting. Then there's the weird ones. An explosive coil wraps around enemies, you can let them die of it, kick them into their buddies for a "Gangbang," or finish them before it explodes. A bouncing ball that explodes, a spear launcher, the weapons in this game are fantastic, and the skill system keeps you switching between them. On top of the weapons, you'll always have your handy leash, reposition your enemies for fun and profit!
Bulletstorm is split into three modes, a campaign, a high-score mode called echos, and a Multiplayer PVE mode. The campaign is reasonably long, about 20-25 hours, and has some replayablity. (I've played it 5 times) The story isn't great, but the characters are. You play a black ops assassin turned space pirate, turned to drinking over the guilt of his former life. You get your friends killed or nearly dead, and have to escape a deadly planet. Despite this, the main characters wisecrack nonstop, with dialogue that had me laughing. Along the way, you meet a badass woman who (spoiler), and the real star of the show, the main villain.
If Bulletstorm is a love letter to old school shooters, the main villain represents the worst of modern shooter fans. He's a misogynist, short-sighted, military jerk. Too bad for the protagonist, he's also the only way off this planet. Bulletstorm balances old-school and modern sensibilities, and the contrast between the villain and protagonist embodies this balance. There's something deeper than just another shooter to this part of the game.
The campaign is also filled with great set-pieces. The giant robot level is a blast. Kicking enemies off a cliff and hearing them scream never gets old. There's underground levels, waterfall levels, indoor levels during a lightning storm, and a great level in a building on its side.
Echoes mode is also a winner. It's a set of short levels, and you compete to have a high score with your friends. The action is fast and furious. Some echoes are just short sections of the campaign, but the better ones are all new levels designed for the mode. The 5 times multiplayer on your first skillshot encourages you to keep switching weapons, and a timer makes you run, run, run.
The multiplayer mode is a bit of a letdown. Teams of four work together to get a high enough score to progress to the next round by defeating a group of enemies. There's a couple new skillshots to learn, including two-player ones, but the mode is really grindy. Pretty soon, you'll need to resort to the optimal strategy of doing a single high-scoring combo, instead of switching it up.
Achievements are pretty easy. There's a level select, so no worries about missing anything. There's a couple of innovative achievements, like "old school," which forces you to play the game without scoring a skillshot. The only real drag is the multiplayer achievements.
Bulletstorm has a lot to offer. Get it if you still have a 360 to play on.
5.0