Bulletstorm: Full Clip Edition Review

Developer: People Can Fly, Epic Games

Publisher: Gearbox Publishing

Release Date: April 7, 2017

Platforms: PS4, Xbox One, PC

When Bulletstorm was first released in 2011, originality was front and center due to the emphasis on fluid and stylish gameplay making every combat scenario unique and exciting. While reviews were generally positive and the title sold relatively well, reports circulated of the behavior of its characters during the brief campaign as sometimes hilarious and other times annoying, even stirring up controversy by Fox News. The new IP unfortunately did not catch on and Bulletstorm 2 was canceled. I never experienced the original Bulletstorm, but after playing the out-of-control Full Clip Edition, I will never look at First Person Shooters the same, in a good way.

Kicking Ass Across The Galaxy

In this universe, you take control of Grayson Hunt, an exiled former member of the elite assassin group Dead Echo. Across a story which revolves mainly around the protagonist getting his revenge on his former commander, you will use your choice of weaponry to take down all sorts of flaky, mutated freaks who stand in your way. Unlike other FPS titles though, the way in which you take down your foes is absolutely key. You will be rewarded for fancy shots and cleverly dispatching those who seek to torture and ravage you while doing it with a bit of style.

One of the best gameplay hooks (literally) is when you are given a leash which acts as an electric lasso of sorts. The lasso can pull enemies towards you, move large objects, and connects to various Dropkits located throughout the game; which allow you to see the different kind of Skillshots you can perform or have unlocked, check game statistics, and upgrade all your items. There are a good number of guns available for purchase, and you can kick enemies to expand combos to raise your score. Bulletstorm rewards you for being inventive when killing enemies, and by unlocking and initiating Skillshots, you will earn points to unlock new items and abilities.

Unlocking the many Skillshots is a ton of fun and varied enough to provide a good amount of content to experience. Some of them include pulling an enemy from a distance into a cactus to unlock a ‘Pricked Skillshot, kill an enemy who’s on fire will earn you the ‘Afterburner’ Skillshot, or shoot an enemy in the junk then kick their head off to earn the ‘Mercy’ Skillshot. Experimentation with your kills is key and provides maximum enjoyment and plenty of laughs along the way.

Whip It Good

On top of the assortment of weapons at your disposal, the most fun is using your kick to propel people into fences, spikes, man-eating plants, or electrical currents and watch as their body parts and bodily fluids gush out like an explosion of fireworks. With your leash weapon, you can whip people directly to you, slowing down their momentum to setup the perfect kill in a variety of manners, such as kicking them off a building or shooting them into oblivion. This is where the replayability comes in as the majority of the campaign is linear with scripted events to break up the monotony. The core of the gameplay is that you are scanning each environment for brutal methods of dispatching enemies.

The Full Clip Edition of Bulletstorm has received a visual overhaul with hi-res textures, increased polygon counts, remixed audio and smoother framerates to make this truly feel like a current-generation experience. In fact, it’s hard to believe you are playing through a six-year-old game, with vibrant environments and gunplay which feel great in 2017. Some of the character animations are showing their age during cutscenes, but the actual gameplay all looks great. This version also comes with the Overkill Campaign mode. This essentially lets you play an unrestricted version of the game’s original campaign, with complete access to all of its weapons and abilities right from the get go. Also, the score-based Echo mode is back with six new levels, challenging you to get high scores and complete certain objectives. All previously released DLC and the co-op multiplayer Anarchy horde mode are here as well, making this a great deal for veterans and newcomers alike.

The King Returns

The greatest addition to the Full Clip Edition though is the inclusion of the Duke Nukem content, which unfortunately at this time is only a pre-order bonus. Jon St. John returns to voice Duke, and seeing as the game was already crude, adding Duke Nukem in the campaign makes perfect sense and actually works really well. Hearing the Duke go through his one-liners in the typical Duke Nukem fashion is hysterical and honestly made the experience fresh enough to wonder what he was going to say next. While the voiceover gives off the feeling of a terribly dubbed movie, like Kung Pow: Enter the Fist, it’s hilarious nonetheless. it would have been nice if Bulletstorm’s side characters didn’t refer to Duke as Gray, since all they did was keep the same AI dialogue, but it’s a minor annoyance.

Overall, BulletStorm: Full Clip Edition is the definitive version of the game released back in 2011 and while $50 is a steep asking price for a nearly six-year-old game, the fantastic Skillshot system and unique weapons make it feel fresh. This version includes all the DLC, speeds up framerate, and even provides a clever new way to enjoy the campaign. The remaster could definitely have been better, but the underlying quality of the game and gameplay shines through.