Review: 'Bulletstorm' full of dumb fun

There are times when one simply can't beat around the bush. This is one of those situations when I can't begin with anything witty so the absolute truth will have to serve as the introduction. With that out of the way, all I can truly say to accurately describe "Bulletstorm" is to call it the dumbest fun that I have had with a game in a long time.

Taking place in the distant future, what little plot that actually matters revolves around disgraced soldier Gray Hunt and his crew who are forced to flee across the galaxy after being betrayed by their superior officer who forced them to assassinate innocent civilians. In a drunken attempt to destroy the officer's ship, Gray's incompetence causes both ships to crash land on the planet below – a former human resort that has since been overrun by mutants and giant monsters. As implied by my opening statement, the plot matters little to the enjoyment of the game itself. I could never quite make out what the actual setting was until I did a little background research and a lot of the dialogue ranges from funny, to unintentionally funny, to cringe-inducingly bad. Normally this would be a bad thing, but they somehow serve to enhance the game.

"Bulletstorm" is essentially a giant sandwich of action set pieces. Every layer of this sandwich may vary in how great it is compared to the last, but it ultimately never ceases to be fun despite repetition. In a span of less than three hours, I crashed a ship through a bigger ship, fought off hordes of enemies thrown at me in a valley, fought through a town, fought through a disco bar playing "Disco Inferno," fought through an amusement park and crossed into the next level of the game after taking control of a giant robot from said amusement park and using it to tear open a pathway out, all while listening to Gray deliver one liners galore. A night of "Bulletstorm" is like watching the greatest Arnold Schwarzenegger film never made.

The thing that really gives the game its replay value however is the leash system. In addition to getting a cool electric whip that allows you to fling objects and enemies away and into the air, attaching the whip gives the player a point system similar to an arcade shooter. Simply killing enemies nets a low amount of points but the game rewards you for killing them in unique ways. While gunning somebody down nets you about 10 points, kicking them and shooting them in the head while they're still falling down will give you 50 points. You can use the leash to fling them into a cactus or metal spike for even more points. These points will allow you to upgrade your equipment and buy new ammo at different points of the game. It also helps combat the repetitive nature that sets in early on in the game.

Multiplayer does not disappoint. Despite the lack of traditional deathmatch type game play, the Anarchy mode, which pits four players against continuing waves of enemies with progression to the next level dependent on how many points are earned rather than kills or surviving waves, forces the players to find creative ways to kill the enemy and think on their feet.

"Bulletstorm" was admittedly a pleasant treat. I've played a lot of serious, artfully done video games in the last year or so and, although I would not put "Bulletstorm" on par with them in any way, it's very refreshing to play a game that is simply light and fun. In that regard, I recommend it for any fans of action looking to have a good time.