The definitive Bulletstorm experience
Bulletstorm: Full Clip Edition is a remaster of the 2011 title Bulletstorm and offers the definitive experience of the action-packed, critically-acclaimed first-person shooter. With updated hi-res textures, increased polygon counts, smoother framerates, and up to 4K resolution on PlayStation 4 Pro— People Can Fly and Gearbox Publishing didn’t hold back on making this one heck of a remaster.
Additionally, there are six new maps a new Overkill Mode, and all previous released DLC. Also for the first time, you get the chance to play as the one-and-only Duke Nukem. COME GET SOME!!
Game Details
Platform(s): PlayStation 4 and Xbox One
Release Date: April 7, 2017
Developer: People Can Fly
Publisher: Gearbox Publishing
Genre: First-Person Shooter
Modes: Single-player, co-op one to four players
ESRB Rating: M (Mature 17+)
An epic story full of adult humour
The game takes place in the 26th century, where the universe is run by the Confederation of Planets. You play as Grayson Hunt who is the leader of a black ops team known as Dead Echo. Under the command of Star General Sarrano, your team does its part in keeping everyone safe by assassinating criminals.
However, after your last assassination you discover that Sarrano has been tricking you into killing innocent people who have been looking to expose Sarrano’s corruption. In an attempt to run from Sarrano’s forces, you and your team become space pirates. It’s not until 10 years later when you finally meetup with Sarrano’s battlecruiser.
In a drunken rage, Grayson rams the battlecruiser and both sips crash land on the surface of a nearby planets. You’re now forced to make the decision: survival or revenge. The game’s story is full of twists and turns with entertainingly adult themes. Being an M rated game, the language in Bulletstorm: Full Clip Edition can get quite graphic. Luckily, there is an option to tone down the game’s saucy talk when little ears are close by.
Non-stop high-flying action
Bulletstorm: Full Clip Edition is a rock ’em sock ’em in your face first-person shooter. The action is non-stop from the very begging and is focused on kicking butt and taking names. The majority of gameplay is based upon the energy leash, a rope of energy, that is projected from your left hand.
With it you can pull nearby enemies toward you and perform mini combos. By kicking the enemies as they fly towards you and then pulling them back in with the energy leash—you can perform skillshots. During this time your enemy goes into slow motion ala Max Payne bullet time. Therefore, allowing you to rack up some serious points.
Skillshots are rewarded with points by taking out your opponents in the most creative and destructive ways possible. Killing enemies in midair, making use of environmental hazards or utilizing a weapon’s distinct feature will all gain you maximum points. These points can be used at dropkits scattered across the planet to purchase firearms, ammunition and upgrades.
A cult-classic shooter reborn
Bulletstorm: Full Clip Edition looks lush, detailed and gorgeous. Correspondingly, it’s easy to see that the main focus on this remaster was to polish the game’s presentation by updating it with better textures and higher polygon models, while also offering an upscaled 4K resolution on the PlayStation 4 Pro.
When Bulletstorm came out in 2011 it was a nice looking game, and this additional polish makes it look even sharper than before.
New gameplay modes
My favourite and the most noteworthy new feature in Bulletstorm: Full Clip Edition is Overkill Mode. This mode allows you to restart the campaign with your full arsenal available from the beginning. My biggest gripe with Bulletstorm when it originally came out was the amount of time it took to get weapons on my second run—Overkill Mode fixes that. It gives you more time to play with the game’s last gun, which fires spinning drill bits into and through people.
Another noticeable addition to the game is the six additional Echo stages. This mode turns bite-size chunks of the main game into levels of a score-attack mode. In addition, there’s a four player co-op horde mode, fittingly named Anarchy, that ramps up the carnage.
Additionally, you can replace Grayson with a fully-voiced Duke Nukem. Playing as Duke Nukem doesn’t really add any new content to the game, hearing Duke Nukem shout insults to his enemies makes taking them out that much more satisfying. By the same token, I was a bit disappointed to see that there weren’t any new stages or enemies added to spice up the experience while playing as Duke.
Final Thoughts
Even by today’s standards, Bulletstorm: Full Clip Edition still manages to be a frequently thrilling ride that delivers an exhilarating experience. Moreover, it maintains a breakneck pace throughout, keeping you from getting bored during the seven or so hours it takes to complete the game.
Though the game’s adult humour and use of swear words can at times seem too much, I did find myself shaking my head and cracking a smile. All in all, People Can Fly and Gearbox Publishing did a great job with Bulletstorm: Full Clip Edition.
If you are looking for a game with non-stop action and some of the best weapons and levels in a first-person shooter in recent memory—Bulletstorm: Full Clip Edition is just what the doctor ordered.
+ The ample use of slow motion, extreme rag dolling and dismemberment of enemies makes every encounter a joyful affair
+ Varied weapons
+ Playing as Duke Nukem is every bit as satisfying as you would imagine
+ Beautiful remastered graphics make an already great looking game even better
+ Dialogue is so bad it’s good
– No Deathmatch mode
– Occasional performance issues
OVERALL
Gameplay: 4.5/5
Graphics: 4/5
Sound: 3.5/5
Lasting Appeal/Replayability: 4/5
Overall Rating 4/5 (80%)
Get Bulletstorm: Full Clip Edition for PlayStation 4
Get Bulletstorm: Full Clip Edition for Xbox One
