Difficulty:

Just Right

Time Spent:

10 to 20 Hours

The Bottom Line:

"Just plain fun"

Few games are able to deliver an immersive, action-packed and original game concept and still be an excellent experience. Bulletstorm is one of the small selection of games that has managed to pull this off with flying colours.

Make no mistake, first person shooters are rapidly reaching their use-by date and it takes a fresh and original concept to make gamers still want to enjoy them. Bulletstorm does this not by its spectacular graphic or sound design, but by the ability to make a serious game but at the same time, let the player have a ridiculous amount of fun in its world.

You play as Grayson Hunt, the leader of a disbanded squad that has crash landed on a foreign planet. You've set yourself the task of killing the ignorant man who used you and your team to murder civilians. You'll have to fight a wide range of enemies through a constantly collapsing world in order to reach him. But don't worry, you'll get plenty of weapons to help you do just that.

Though the weapons are far fetched, the amount of fun that they can bring far exceeds that of a current-time based firearm. There is something for everybody, including an accurate assault rifle, a quad-barrelled shotgun and even a remote controlled sniper rifle. There is also your leash, which will instantly become your best friend as its power to devastatingly melee enemies in slow motion possesses you. Combining the power of the leash, melee and weapons is the key to success and is where there is the most fun to be had. The sequences in the middle section of the game can get slightly repetitive but the gameplay quickly regains interest and leads up to a breathtaking climax.

Whilst delivering big with fun and action, the storyline is memorable and has a very serious element to it. Aside from the hilarious quotes and humorous, colourful atmosphere, the story of the game remains strong and the acting from each of the characters is to be commended. It is difficult to pull off so much diversity in the average game these days, but Bulletstorm is none of the sort.

As if the very lengthy single-player campaign wasn't enough, there is plenty to do elsewhere. There is a very robust "Echoes" challenge mode as well as a well-structured and addictive multiplayer mode. Also, with downloadable content on the way, you'll surely get your money's worth out of this game.

Bulletstorm is destined for multiple sequels and serves as a reminder that Epic Games is one of the most powerful, ambitious and successful game developers around today.