Since its unveiling, Bulletstorm has managed to stand out from the crowd with its offerings of over the top, tongue in cheek action and adult humour. A little taste of exactly what we can expect from the title has been revealed thanks to the ESRB. In the rating it confirms that People Can Fly and Epic Games have completed their mission of bringing something fun, fresh and un-COD-like to the FPS genre and we can’t wait.
The rating starts off simple enough with a basic outline of the story and the gameplay itself before things start to sound a bit more like what we’ve come to expect the game to bring to the table.
“This is a first-person shooter in which players assume the role of a space pirate who must escape a planet populated by mutant cannibals. Players use futuristic machine guns, shotguns, magnum revolvers, assault rifles, and chain guns to perform over-the-top kills that dismember and decapitate foes. Injured enemies emit large sprays of blood that stain the ground and surrounding walls.”
“Specialty kills (i.e., Skillshots) represent the most intense instances of violence: enemies can be dismembered with explosives; impaled on spikes; and drilled into walls, resulting in body parts breaking into pieces. During the course of the game, players can consume alcohol and kill enemies in order to receive an Intoxicated Skillshot; the screen turns blurry during these sequences. The dialogue contains numerous jokes and comments that reference sexual acts, venereal diseases, and having sex with one’s mother (e.g., “Guess I know where the ol’ gal got that limp.”). The names of some Skillshots are infused with sexual innuendo (e.g., Gag Reflex, Rear Entry, Drilldo, Mile High Club); one Skillshot (i.e., Fire in the Hole) allows players to shoot at enemies’ exposed buttocks. Language such as “f**k,” “sh*t,” “p*ssy,” and “c*ck” can be heard in dialogue.”
So drunkenly dismembering enemies in an Intoxicated Skillshot while potentially shooting another in the exposed buttocks for a Fire in the Hole Skillshot combo? That does sound a little bit off kilter for a genre dominated with gritty, dark and overly serious Call of Duty clones. While I will agree it’s not exactly the highest brow of humour in the rating but for me that’s not the point of Bulletstorm.
It’s about showing gamers and developers that you don’t have to create dull, lifeless environments to surround a generic gravelly voiced space marine. You can create a bright world for the FPS gamer and indulge yourself in some less than serious overtones in the quest to create a different and genuinely fun experience.
Bulletstorm hits shelves in the US on February the 22nd and Europe on the 25th of February.