The Fine Art Of The Frag

Some people think death is a joke. New shooter Bulletstorm proves it.

by Peter Y. Levin

We’re sick of games that play it safe. Remember Mortal Combat vs. DC Universe? It could have been cool, but its dulled-down fatalities were boring. Other classics got it right. Carmageddon gave you extra points for pwning pedestrians. We’re willing to admit, socially speaking, it was a little sad and wrong. But as a gooey, gory stress-reliever after a long day of working retail (talk about true horror) it couldn’t be beat.

Bulletstorm steps back in the direction of hot’n’heavy hilarious homicide. It’s a fast-paced first person shooter dedicated to eliminating enemies in increasingly awesome ways. In the game, you’re an elite mercenary trapped on a planet of vicious mutants. Armed with a whip-like leash and an absurd arsenal of artillery, your goal isn’t merely to survive, but to survive while inflicting as much cartoonishly elaborate violence on your enemies as possible.

To aid in that mission, the designers have created 135 unique “skillshots” – think kill shots, but with more flair. Each has its own name, and the more creative the death, the more points you earn for it inflicting it. Our favorites include instant classics like “Juggler,” where you fling a guy into the air then continually shoot him to keep him from hitting the ground. There’s also the slightly less subtle “Rear Entry,” which you get by flipping your enemy around and, uh…shooting him in the butt.

Which brings us to what should hopefully be an obvious warning: this is probably not a game you should play with young children or, you know…your Grandma. Unless Granny’s got game with a Gatling gun and her pacemaker’s all tuned up. In that case, we want her on our team. Bulletstorm rains down tomorrow.

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