Bulletstorm Demo: First Impressions

So today, the Bulletstorm demo came out. I was reminded of this by my girlfriend. She is indeed a fine example of a woman. I've just downloaded it and gave it the once over, and I want to share my thoughts.

It's excellent. It's basically Gears of War, with a camera shift and a sense of humour. I welcome both of these features, as I prefer first-person view, and I always thought Gears was a little cumbersome and poe-faced when it came to the absurdity it was showing you on screen.

Just like Gears, I think it's also going to take a bit of getting used to. I found the leash interesting and instantly understandable. Other mechanics and layouts initially tripped me up though. Things like the run and the kick being assigned to face buttons instead of stick clicks are trivial however, and just require a bit of practise.

The main gripe I had is the lack of options I found when dispatching enemies. This is of course a demo, and so I'm fully aware it could be nothing like the finished game, and I really hope not. Maybe it was my lack of imagination, but I found the number of ways I was dispatching enemies to be a little restricted. Again, I'm going to put it down to needing practise and looking at the way I play FPS, but I hope Epic put in enough variation to constantly make me go 'WOAH!'

It's hard to explain, but this makes me feel like Little Big Planet makes me feel. It's not that it makes me feel stupid, just slightly less creative than I'd like to think I am. We all think we're creative, and capable of great works of art, even if you're chosen canvas is a wall covered in rusted spikes, and you're brush a Carbine Assault Rife. It's not that I feel stupid when I play, just a little bewildered when faced with possibilities. Towards the end of my playthrough this was subsiding though, and I was slowly learning just what to look for, and just what to do.

So yeah, it really did feel like I was playing something a little different. If the game maintains it's brilliant post-modern tone, and provides enough variety and weapon selections, I can see this game being something quite special.

With this and Duke Nukem on the cards in the next few months, could this be the year the shooter goes post-modern, and at the same time, gets even better?