Bulletstorm: Duke of Switch Edition|Nintendo Switch Review
Bulletstorm initially launched way back in 2011 on PS3 & Xbox 360. It got a new lease of life on next-gen consoles with the remastered Full Clip Edition and has now released on the Nintendo Switch. But does this almost decade-old title still hold up? And how does it play on the Switch?
Note: If you have been struggling with FPS games in handheld mode then we can recommend the Hori Split Pad Pro controller. It clips into your console like Joycons but the much larger sticks help with moving and aiming and really makes FPS games a joy.
In short, it is great. Bulletstorm was well received back in the day gaining numerous 8-9/10 scores. It sold reasonably okay for a new IP, the remastered version sold a little better, but it was never enough to trigger a sequel despite developing a large cult following.
Designed by Cliff Bleszinski, Bulletstorm feels like it could have been a spin-off of Gears of War. Although it is a completely separate game, the characters, weapons, and vehicles all have that “heavy” design that would have been right at home in the Gears universe.
Set in the 26th century you play as Grayson Hunt, leader of a black ops team carrying out hits for your general. In the prologue, you discover that you have not been targeting bad guys, but rather civilians, reporters and generally anyone that could expose the general. This triggers the decision to desert and become space pirates.
Flash forward ten years and your team of pirates has just come across the general’s battle-cruiser, drunk and hell-bent on revenge. Hunt crashes your ship right through the battle-cruiser and crash-lands on an alien planet. Kicking off an excellent few hours of action packed fun.
There are a few mechanics that set this apart from the normal FPS. Not only can you shoot enemies but early on you get a leash, this allows you to reach out and pull enemies through the air. When airborne time is slowed down allowing you to shoot them, or what is even more fun, kick them off cliffs, into spikes, fire, or electricity. The more extreme the death the more points you get, you spend these point on weapon upgrades and ammo.
It is fair to say that Bulletstorm isn’t for everyone. It’s more controversial elements are the foul mouth characters and the extreme levels of violence. It is very much a game of its time. It’s not mature but it is entertaining.
The Switch Port: As the Switch is showing, games from this time are really holding up on the console. It plays really well and looks great. This is a great port and for a console that doesn’t have an abundance of great First Person Shooters, this fits the bill perfectly.
The Duke’s Tour option is exclusive to the Switch and allows you to play the full campaign as Duke Nukem, it also has some newly recorded voice lines too.
Overall: This was a great game back in 2011, and it still is. In a world of endless open-world 70-hour games, sometimes I just want a nice liner shooter that keeps the action, and blood, flowing.
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