If I had no idea what the series entailed, I'd think Gears of War 3 is the video game incarnation of Jack Osbourne's biography; a story of tracking down his long lost father, Ozzy, and shooting at huge monsters, who may or may not be his sister, Kelly.
In all seriousness though, as much as people would believe that Gears of War 3 is online multiplayer only (a la Call of Duty) there is a story you know. You can piece some of it together during this trailer, and for what you're not able to make out, there's, well, actually buying the game. A novel idea!
Fans were naturally upset when Gears of War 3 was delayed for marketing purposes, but that anger quickly turned into excitement when Epic announced that it would run a public multiplayer beta. While Epic is using the beta to gather valuable technical data to tweak and refine the game, players are just happy for an advanced opportunity to chainsaw their buddies into bloody giblets.
I've been lambasting Bulletstorm from what seems like day one. Why, you ask? Well, the graphics and effects are amazing, the action is off the charts, and the skill/style based combat rewards creative fragging.
It all sounds good until the characters start running their mouths, and that's where it goes downhill for me. In one word summation, "dick tits". That's what the writers have sunk to. However during this incredibly fast paced, short-lived demo, the script was not on display, nor was the atrocious voice acting. It's all about killing with skill.
+ A bloody, adrenaline rush of a good time + 300 kickin' and beam whippin' lets you get creative with kills - Hero Grayson Hunt looks like Billy Ray Cyrus - Too much health, almost impossible to die - Way too short
After playing the enthralling demo twice, (and watching my associate play through twice) I came away with a changed mind. I didn't think the action of Bulletstorm could be worth sitting through the rusty nails I was prepared to have forcefully kicked through my ears, but I may be eating some serious crow come February 22nd.
If you're a fan of juvenile shit talking, big guns, blowing off limbs, and style kill combos, tomorrow is gonna be a good day for you. Epic Games and People Can Fly's newest title, Bulletstorm, is about to get all demo on your ass for Xbox 360 and PS3.
I have a hard time hiding my feelings for Bulletstorm. It looks great, graphically and gameplay wise, but I can't get with the awful voice acting and script written by a 15 year old. I can only tolerate one game making butthole jokes, and that right is already taken. Spending some time actually playing the game might sway my opinion, but I wouldn't bet on it.
Give it a run through tomorrow and let us know what you think. Methinks even if Bulletstorm is sub par, it's going to make money on the Epic Edition alone, which gets you into the Gears of War 3 beta. Now that's a fine plan to raise sales numbers.
Get used to swiping the hell out of your iOS device with your finger, because you will be doing a lot of simulated slicing come December 9th, when Chair Entertainment and Epic Games unleash Infinity Blade.
The beautiful action RPG will run you $5.99 on the App Store, weighing in well below the $9.99 I thought the price point would be. For a six buck entry fee, it'll be hard not to pass Infinity Blade up, that is unless you don't have an iOS device. Or hands. Sorry bro.
People Can Fly and Epic Games' newest project is something called Bulletstorm, a slick little number that adds a dimension of style and skill to the typical FPS mold, rewarding you for finishing your enemies in the most amazing and ridiculous ways. Cliffy B hopes this addition will endear Bulletstorm to the refined FPS gamer, and if that won't reel 'em in, the lowbrow humor will!
In its favor, Bulletstorm features a great art style, lovingly detailed, beautifully rendered locales, and hectic action which focuses not only on putting your target down, but humiliating them, and doing it with flair. Also, giant machines and giant dinosaurs. If the two come together at any point, this could obviously be a candidate for game of the year.
With so much going for it already, why does it seem that People Can Fly and Epic are trying much too hard to give the game an edgy, shit-talking personality? "You scared the dick off me", "son of a dick", and "strap that dildo on" are just some of the choice one-liners heard, a true homage to the art of video game writing. The banter between characters seems to stay at this level of human regression throughout. So one must ask oneself, can I sit through six to eight hours of mind-numbing chatter about dicks, dildos, farting, et al? I have a hard enough time getting through 30 minutes of South Park.
These script choices makes me question what kind of audience Bulletstorm is aimed toward. Growing up, games like Duke Nukem 3D andShadow Warrior cracked me up with their use of random swear words, urinating, farting, and adult themes. Though as a teenager at the time, things of that sort appealed to my childish sense of humor. Now, in my late 20s, the fart jokes and cursing for the sake of cursing don't have the same draw. I don't want to say this decision is alienating mature gamers, because I'm sure most will play Bulletstorm regardless, on the strength of the game itself, but the target demographic most definitely has to be a younger crowd. More specifically, the kid who's on the limited edition Halo: Reach Xbox 360 paid for by mum, who at 2am insults everyone in his Team Slayer game with all the cuss words in his narrow vernacular. That's the type of person who hears "what the dick" and has a revelation to start using the phrase with his friends in the school yard the next day.
I guess I'm a fickle gamer; some decisions that most don't even notice can rub me the wrong way. I had a hard time playing more than 20 minutes of Enslaved: Odyssey to the West because I couldn't deal with controlling a Jersey Shore reject. I have a feeling I'll have a similar problem with Bulletstorm, because the substance of a well written story and script is infinitely more appealing than saying dick 12 times in a under a minute. Yet in its vast beauty, and it's potential for insane fun, I fear I may have to suffer through the writing of pre-pubescent, rage-repressed, Halo Matchmaking momma's boys.
Earlier this week we gave you a look at Infinity Blade, the Unreal Engine 3 powered iOS game that looks like nothing we've seen on the iPhone before. Those were pictures and a loose release date. This is ice cold video, baby.
Hot DAMN, this game looks good. I mean it's no fart app, but it's close. My one concern would be the lack of movement during battle. It looks like dragging across the screen makes your character attack in real time, but there's no movement during a battle. The limitations of control are understandable, but if you can't move, shouldn't there be an attack timer? We need to know more, now!
Epic Games and ChAIR Entertainment have announced that their mobile title for iOS, previously known as Project Sword, will release this holiday season under the finalized title of Infinity Blade.
The sword and shield, castle-faring, full 3D action RPG looks like it's raising the bar on iOS graphics. Powered by Unreal Engine 3, Infinity Blade is said to feature an intuitive combat interface and simple touch controls.
Aside from the campaign mode, which features fun, furious, adrenaline-fueled sword battles, and large scale boss fights, players will gain experience, level their stats, and find more powerful items and weapons as they battle on. Free content will be added after the game's launch, which will add multiplayer and Game Center support amongst other things.
There's no denying the graphics are amazing, but the controls on the iPhone's screen are what truly worries me. Sure the exploration of Epic Citadel felt intuitive, but once you throw in sword fighting and possible spell-weaving, things become infinitely more complex.
No exact release date or price has been announced yet, but keep it locked for more Infinity Blade news as it surfaces.
Sunday, May 29, 2011 at 1:12PM 
