As soon as I'm a minute into the E3 demo of Bulletstorm, the next shooter from People Can Fly (Painkiller) and Epic Games (Gears of War), I know that this is a game you have to play to really experience. I'd seen the presentation a month ago, which I wrote a preview about, but I couldn't tell from watching it if the crazy Need-for-Speed-meets-first-person-shooter combo system would draw me in for more than a few moments. Having finally tried it out for myself, though, I can already tell that I'm a sick, sick person, easily addicted to finding just one more way to creatively kill my enemies.


The text popping up is actually rewarding, not distracting.

My first run in the abandoned, water-logged city of Stygia (the game's setting) took some getting used to. It's not that Bulletstorm has weird controls, or feels clunky in any way, it's that years of other FPS games have taught me to take cover, keep distance between me and my foes, and take them out when an opportunity presents itself.

This is not the Bulletstorm way.

No, in Bulletstorm players make their own opportunities, using their generally abundant (though by no means infinite) health to close the gap with their enemies. Getting close allows the player to utilize their kick and energy leash, two tools that essentially put your target into slow motion. Additionally, players can also do a slide kick to get close in a short amount of time, or, after upgrading, use their leash from a distance to knock whole groups of enemies up into the air.

The point of slowing down your foes is so, like a cat with its prey, you can line them up for the most creative kill possible (called a Skillshot). Bulletstorm rewards players who kill enemies creatively with points that they can spend for upgrades. However, even more gratifying than obtaining the points, is the fun that comes from discovering new Skillshots. While the more obvious Skillshots like headshots or blowing someone up with your weapons won't surprise anyone, People Can Fly has created a world that's just waiting to assist you in maiming someone.

At one point I watched as the EA staff launched enemies upward at just the right moment to throw them into their own helicopter's blades; another time they kicked an enemy into the maw of a carnivorous plant only to trigger an explosive they'd previously tied to them. The points and constant sense of reward you get from seeing the names of the Skillshots you're pulling off drives you to play this game unlike most any other shooter. You're a monster running down peons in all the gruesomest ways.


Yes, you can slide kick. Yes, this is awesome.

Gratifying deaths and little numbers popping up on my HUD are enough to get me going, but those of you who require tangible rewards will want to score points off the upgrade kiosks. At these little beacons, players can spend points on upgrades for weapons and equipment that will give them even more ways to creatively kill all who stand before them. Upgrading the energy leash turned it into the Thumper, enabling the player to slam the leash on the ground and throw anyone -- and anything -- up into the air for a span. Weapon upgrades allowed the use of an alternate fire, with the assault rifle doing a super shot of multiple bullets at once, while the previously shown Flail Gun's upgrade allowed it to shoot a heated shot that would cut enemies apart.

The only real shame about the demo for Bulletstorm is how much it leaves me wondering what else is waiting to be shown. How ammo will be obtained isn't yet sorted out (it was infinite in the demo), and they only allowed me to play with the same two guns they showed during the announcement. I've still seen just the one stage, leaving me with only speculation as to what other sorts of crazy environmental hazards they'll give players to use. Still, it's telling that the four of us in the demo room played through what amounted to a five-minute demo over and over, laughing while we passed around the controller to see who could outdo the previous player's best score. If a few minutes of a game can do that, I can't wait to see what a few hours brings.