Bulletstorm

[Oobgarm]

http://www.bulletstorm.com/

Anyone else going after this one? Something tells me it's going to be pretty fun.

The insane amount of foul language I've heard in this game based on the trailers alone certainly adds an edge to it.

[emceelokey]

It looks pretty cool but I need to see more of what the multiplayer offers. The crazy combos look neat but that seems more like a good single player element rather than a vs multiplayer thing. I'm going to take a wait and see stand with that game. Maybe a demo will come out.

[kupomogli]

Looks like it'd get really boring really fast, even if you are a fan of FPS games. Did Epic Games forget how to make good FPS games? Unreal Tournament 3 wasn't released too long ago(a few years but still this gen.)

[The 1 2 P]

I was thinking about getting the Epic edition just for the Gears of War 3 beta but I haven't completely made up my mind yet.

[Oobgarm]

Gave the demo a shot. Seems fun enough, but I can't say I'll be in line to grab in on day one.

[Oobgarm]

Fun new game/trailer thing that spoofs Call of Duty:

http://www.joystiq.com/2011/02/02/du...with-free-game

[BHvrd]

Fun new game/trailer thing that spoofs Call of Duty:

http://www.joystiq.com/2011/02/02/du...with-free-game

Pretty much sums up exactly what i've always thought of the Call of Doody series. Boring, boring, boring.

[emceelokey]

I didn't find the demo for Bulletstorm to be any more fun than any other FPS. It's the same thing where you walk until you hit a point where there's enemies and you have to kill them to progress. You just have the leash to pull people around but it seems just as linear as COD, MOH, or BFBC:2's single player modes. The multiplayer better be revolutionary for me to pick it up. I have a feeling that that parody is goping to back fire on them.

[G-Boobie]

You know, maybe I finally hit "old" or something, but the language and attitude Bulletstorm revels in actually makes me want it less. I'm interested in the mechanics, but I'll probably wait until it hits twenty bucks.

[Vinnysdad]

I was thinking about getting the Epic edition just for the Gears of War 3 beta but I haven't completely made up my mind yet.

Gamestop gives you a free upgrade to Epic edition if you pre-order but I dont think there is any other version of the game anyways.

[Wolfrider31]

You know, maybe I finally hit "old" or something, but the language and attitude Bulletstorm revels in actually makes me want it less. I'm interested in the mechanics, but I'll probably wait until it hits twenty bucks.

I feel the same way actually. It's not that I wouldn't find a violent FPS parody funny (I love schlocky splatterflicks) but I don't find any of the humor... well... humorous. It's not witty the way a parody should be, it's just loud and stupid. And it's stupidity is supposed to be the funny element, I get that, but it just isn't working for me.

I did play the demo, and honestly it plays really well (reminds me of Metroid Prime in weird ways), but I couldn't make it all the way through until the end. The obnoxious swearing and ridiculously loud screaming (especially from the female lead - she sounds like she's being raped) was too much. I dumped the demo after about 15 minutes.

Multiplayer could be a gas since my primary problems are with the voicover work and the presentation - but I'm taking a wait and see approach to this.

Also, considering that I'm eagerly awaiting Duke Nukem Forever (FINALLY!) I was surprised at just how much I disliked the "humor" in Bulletstorm.

[Tupin]

I liked the demo. It was pretty good, but I'm not going to buy it day one.

Its niche was trying to be like a modern Duke Nukem, but we're getting one soon, so....

[heybtbm]

The demo was fun. Too bad no one will be playing this online after a week.

[Tupin]

The demo was fun. Too bad no one will be playing this online after a week.

Or if they do, it will all be cheaters.

[The 1 2 P]

The demo was fun. Too bad no one will be playing this online after a week.

Unfortuantely thats the problem with most fps games that aren't named either Halo or Call of Duty.

[shopkins]

You guys see this Fox News story about how Bulletstorm will create a generation of rapists? With a claim that all the raping that's in games these days has -already- led to a real world increase in rape? It's hard to surpass the level of the ridiculousness of the media debate about the sex in Mass Effect, but I think this does it.

http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/...-kids/#content

Is Bulletstorm the Worst Video Game in the World?

By John Brandon

Parents had better beware: There's a Bulletstorm on the horizon.

In the new video game Bulletstorm due February 22, players are rewarded for shooting enemies in the private parts (such as the buttocks). There’s an excess of profanity, of course, including frequent use of F-words. And Bulletstorm is particularly gruesome, with body parts that explode all over the screen.

But that's not the worst part.

The in-game awards system, called Skill Shots, ties the ugly, graphic violence into explicit sex acts: "topless" means cutting a player in half, while a "gang bang" means killing multiple enemies. And with kids as young as 9 playing such games, the experts FoxNews.com spoke with were nearly universally worried that video game violence may be reaching a fever pitch.

“If a younger kid experiences Bulletstorm's explicit language and violence, the damage could be significant,” Dr. Jerry Weichman, a clinical psychologist at the Hoag Neurosciences Institute in Southern California, told FoxNews.com.

“Violent video games like Bulletstorm have the potential to send the message that violence and insults with sexual innuendos are the way to handle disputes and problems,” Weichman said.

Carole Lieberman, a psychiatrist and book author, told FoxNews.com that sexual situations and acts in video games -- highlighted so well in Bulletstorm -- have led to real-world sexual violence.

“The increase in rapes can be attributed in large part to the playing out of [sexual] scenes in video games,” she said.

The Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB), rates all video games as a guide for parents; each game carries a letter-label at retail (T for Teen, M for Mature) and an online-only summary. Lieberman and others say it's useless, because it isn't enforced at retail.

Video game advocates say the existing warning system works fine: Parents are responsible for deciding whether their kids can play games, not the government. Epic, the game developer, did not respond to FoxNews.com's requests. But game publisher Electronic Arts released the following statement: "Bulletstorm has been given an "M" rating by the ESRB, and we have adhered to all their guidelines in regards to the marketing and promotion of Bulletstorm."

More important, defenders argue that games with excessive violence and sexual content simply don't sell well.

“Games without sufficient quality of gameplay -- games that include highly objectionable violent or sexual content -- often pump up the level of this kind of content to gain media attention. This tactic typically fails, as can be seen in the poor sales performance of titles such as BMX XXX and Postal,” said Billy Pidgeon, a video game analyst with M2 Research.

The most common response is that, in the U.S., game makers have the right to produce violent content. If the government restricts games they would have to further restrict all media.

Penalizing store clerks
There might be a simple way to address the problem: penalties for selling violent games to kids.

This year, the Supreme Court will make a landmark decision about video-game violence. A California law now makes it illegal for a merchant to sell a Mature-rated game to a minor; the law imposes a $1,000 fine. But the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) has sued to overturn the law.

“Between a great ratings system, parental controls on the consoles and the major retailers inhibiting the
sale of Mature-rated games to minors, the matter is really one for parents and adults to consider, individually,” Hal Halpin, the president of the similar Entertainment Consumers Association, told FoxNews.com. “I respect the creative rights of game developers to make a game like Bulletstorm in the same way that I appreciate Quentin Tarantino's right to make over-the-top movies like Kill Bill."

Melanie Killen, Ph.D., a professor at the University of Maryland who has pushed for laws that govern the sale of video games, disagrees that the ESRB rating system is working. She says 9-year-olds are playing games like Bulletstorm and that there is no real enforcement. The FCC monitors all TV broadcasts and stiffly fines broadcasters for violating decency rules, yet there are no penalties in place for retailers who sell violent games to kids.

“The marketing is clearly aimed at children and young adolescents,” Killen said. “Politicians were organizing efforts to address violent video games prior to the presidential election but got distracted by the election. It is time for senators and representatives to come back to the issue.”

Are the warnings enough?
To be fair, the online-only ESRB warning for Bulletstorm does spell out the objectionable content -- and even that is too graphic to reproduce entirely. Here's an excerpt:

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.”

Video game publishers traditionally stay glib about the issue of violence. Microsoft, maker of the Xbox 360 console, declined to comment. Epic Games did not respond to requests, and the developer did not respond. Remi Sklar, the vice president of Public Relations at Warner Brothers Interactive Entertainment, which makes numerous video games (though is unconnected to Bulletstorm), offered the following statement: “We don’t have a comment for that story.”

In the end, those who don’t see a problem with Bulletstorm praise the game for being innovative.

“One thing that tends to be ignored is that if Bulletstorm consisted solely of beating people up, it wouldn't be fun to play,” said Hal Levy with the National Youth Rights Association.

“It's been praised for encouraging innovative thinking. Bulletstorm involves developing new moves and dispatching of enemies creatively. Plenty of emotionally unstable adults will play the game and they’ll be fine,” he said.

[Cobra Commander]

Well having played the game off and on(mostly off) since Tuesday I can say that I love the game. Yeah its same old same as far as the action is concerned, but damn is it fun! There's some great dialogue in there.

[LaughingMAN.S9]

bought the limited edition brand new sealed off ebay for 45 shipped yesterday, lol i didnt really want this game like that, but i couldnt pass up on a deal, add me on psn if you plan on goin online with this


psn: elprivon

[Cobra Commander]

One more thing: Giant hyper mutated venus fly traps suck. Most annoying boss I've fought in sometime.

[Tupin]

Bought it yesterday, haven't had this much fun with a game in a while.