-
Hey Guest. Check out your NeoGAF Wrapped 2025 results here!
Bulletstorm sequel shelved, People Can Fly on new project
- Thread starter ShockingAlberto
- Start date
I'm still pissed GAF convinced me to buy Bulletstorm. I knew I wouldn't like it, but it kept being brought up in threads with praises like "best FPS campaign in recent memory."
Allow me to disagree. Who wrote this script? It feels like a bunch of Hollywood bros got together, threw together a rote but passable tale of sci-fi betrayal and then passed the script off to their sugar-high preteens and told them to write as many vulgarities as possible. The writing is pointless vapor.
Unlike House of the Dead: Overkill or Brutal Legend, Bulletstorm isn't balls-to-the-wall for any discernable purpose. The setting is beautiful and rich, and the art throughout the game (with the exception of the meathead characters) is spectacular. Linear action is the expectation for FPSes today -- it seems like Bulletstorm wanted to differentiate itself from the market by being the loudest game in the room instead of focusing on what its real strength was, the gameplay.
The actual score attack and gunplay in Bulletstorm is what I hope PCF build upon, and I think if they can attach that to a more thoughtful IP PCF could become very successful.
EDIT: Also the ending sucked. </allvideogameendingssuck>
Allow me to disagree. Who wrote this script? It feels like a bunch of Hollywood bros got together, threw together a rote but passable tale of sci-fi betrayal and then passed the script off to their sugar-high preteens and told them to write as many vulgarities as possible. The writing is pointless vapor.
Unlike House of the Dead: Overkill or Brutal Legend, Bulletstorm isn't balls-to-the-wall for any discernable purpose. The setting is beautiful and rich, and the art throughout the game (with the exception of the meathead characters) is spectacular. Linear action is the expectation for FPSes today -- it seems like Bulletstorm wanted to differentiate itself from the market by being the loudest game in the room instead of focusing on what its real strength was, the gameplay.
The actual score attack and gunplay in Bulletstorm is what I hope PCF build upon, and I think if they can attach that to a more thoughtful IP PCF could become very successful.
EDIT: Also the ending sucked. </allvideogameendingssuck>
Stallion Free
Cock Encumbered
60$, no demo till well after release, a bunch of random issues, and no one likes GFWL.
They approached the PC port wrong in quite a few ways.
funkystudent
Member
"We made a PC version of Bulletstorm, and it didn't do very well on PC and I think a lot of that was due to piracy"
or it was because you used GFWL.
If its shit as a DRM and shit as a service I dont know why Publishers/developers insist on using it.
Has there ever been a GFWL game where the dev's come out later and talk about how great that version of the game sold and how awesome GFWL was to work with?
or it was because you used GFWL.
If its shit as a DRM and shit as a service I dont know why Publishers/developers insist on using it.
Has there ever been a GFWL game where the dev's come out later and talk about how great that version of the game sold and how awesome GFWL was to work with?
BruiserBear
Banned
I have a feeling that's going to be true. Next gen they'll have People Can Fly pumping out Gears games, and Epic's main team on a new IP.
funkystudent said:
Does there always have to be a excuse for PC piracy? Can it just once be "a lot of people pirate on PC"?
If you want another old school shooter than I recommend checking out Hard Reset: Extended Edition which was made by ex People Can Fly devlopers and former CD Projekt, the team is called Flying Wild Hog.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6G5-vg_hHY
I'd actually be fine if they took over Gears. Gears 3's environments looked like a week-old turd throughout, when compared to Bulletstorm's impressively kaleidoscopic palette usage.
And Gears could really use some Bulletstormificiation in the dialogue department, also. Gears 3's banter was fuckin' awful.
And Gears could really use some Bulletstormificiation in the dialogue department, also. Gears 3's banter was fuckin' awful.
Chiggs
Gold Member
Agreed. It would have sold much better if:
1. It launched at $49.99
2. Didn't use GFWL.
One of the developers wrote an editorial piece in Game Informer about just how awesome 3DTVs are, and he used Resident Evil: Afterlife as the defining reason as to why 3DTVs will succeed. It was so juvenile that I have little doubt most of the people working for People Can Fly are undersexed dimwits who use terms like "boobage" and "meat curtains" on a daily basis.
NotTheGuyYouKill
Member
Fuck!
Bulletstorm was great. I don't regret picking it up at full price.
Bulletstorm was great. I don't regret picking it up at full price.
Revolutionary
Member
I thought the game was okay but the later levels on PS3 were absolute dogshit in terms of performance. Fucking awful.
...and I found the dialogue absolutely cringe-worthy. "I'll kill your dick!" "No, I'll kill your dick!" -_-
So yeah, I'm glad they're moving onto (hopefully) better things.
...and I found the dialogue absolutely cringe-worthy. "I'll kill your dick!" "No, I'll kill your dick!" -_-
So yeah, I'm glad they're moving onto (hopefully) better things.
Femmeworth
Banned
I think the implication/assumption is that if they are working on a new Gears game, it will take advantage of their talents.
It's very stupid, but very self-aware in how purposefully over-the-top it is. It fit the frantic gameplay and nutty characters like a glove. I can't imagine the game with any other style of dialogue.
So it wouldn't be a Gears game. Glad we got that straightened out.
The writing in Bulletstorm was top-notch. People who think the swearing was pointless need to get the stick out of their ass. It was quite clearly self-aware, used ironically at times and tongue-in-cheek at others. (The whole point of "I'll kill your dick" was that it IS over-the-top and preposterous -- that's the point!) The game actually wove a complete tale, with details at the beginning (
) proving to have consequences later on. The connection between Grayson and Ishi grows and so does Grayson and Trishka. No character moment is pointless. The swears were just a lighthearted shell around a surprisingly focused story that never missed a beat and had characters that for all of their flaws were weirdly lovable.
The idea of a sequel, to quote the game, had me "violently fiddling my balls in anticipation." But alas...
the assassination of the reporter
The idea of a sequel, to quote the game, had me "violently fiddling my balls in anticipation." But alas...
Chiggs
Gold Member
Femmeworth
Banned
Is Halo Wars not a Halo game?
How did you get that quote out of me? I didn't even write that.
Regardless, the game is first-person Vanquish, which is fucking awesome, and plenty funny if you have a sense of humor. People who don't "get" lines like "I'll kill your dick" are waaaaaaaaay too literal.
Plus, stomping enemies never gets old. Kicking should be in every first-person shooter. So should sniper bullets you can steer. And high-speed ground slides. And grappling hooks.
Chiggs
Gold Member
Not sure, but the only thing that's wrong is the alas part.
Jibbajabbawockky
Member
Or, maybe people pirated the thing to avoid the god awful GFWL?
I know I've been tempted to buy it on sale on Steam sometimes, but as soon as I see it has GFWL I don't bother. Hell, thats for almost any PC game that uses GFWL. Every single GFWL game I've bought has ended up with massive issues. There are plenty other games out there where I don't have to bother with that crap.
Reagan's BR
Banned
Spoilers for the ending of the first one:
Didn't the last game set itself up for a sequel? The main villain got away or something correct? My memory isn't that good
The RTS is not really an FPS, no. I'm talking about the gameplay here, not the IP.
If PCF's Gears was so wildly different from Epic's Gears as to almost encompass a different genre (like, say, an arena shooter), yeah. But somehow I doubt that'll come to pass. Halo Wars and regular Halo games were made and released alongside each other. Halo Wars wasn't a replacement; it was a compliment.
If Epic is passing the Gears buck to PCF it's likely because they have other plans for their own studio, like that PC exclusive, and whatever they have planned for the next generation of consoles. Cliff's recent comments would indicate that Epic are tired of Gears, but they would likely want to keep the IP alive, and a way to do that is to pass it to a studio they own. And I'm saying it would be a waste of what PCF does well. I'll eat my shoes if we see a fast-paced, Quake-like Gears shooter from them.
clutch.as.it.gets.
Member
I would love a Bulletstorm 2. The first was really fun and fresh.
Too bad, now we get gears 4/5/6. Meh.
Too bad, now we get gears 4/5/6. Meh.
That's not what satire is. Your argument would drag games like Postal 2 and Duke Nukem into social satire. There's a subtlety and bigger point in satire than just blunt battery. I'd hope the writers were self-aware...all that proves is that they're not actually the puerile children they seemed so keen on imitating. Ultimately, this whole argument kind of falls apart once you realize that even the developers didn't realize how far they'd gone.
People Can Fly's Creative Director said:
I'm all for humor in games. Grim Fandango, NOLF 1 & 2, Anachronox and Mass Effect all were able to use humor really effectively. There was no comedic timing in Bulletstorm, just a full-frontal barrage of profanities in hopes that eventually it'd elicit a giggle.
Femmeworth
Banned
Yes.
mysocksarepink
Banned
I hope the inevitable sequel has a full fledged competitive multiplayer aspect ...
Shooters seriously aren't worth the full purchase when the campaigns are short. Yeah, I'm one of those.
Shooters such as portal/2 and bioshock are of course easy buys.
but for most shooters.. there needs to be some mode for replayability. Oh and I don't play the same game over for better combos (except back in the day with guitar hero)
anywaay, looking forward to see what they whip up next
They're owned by Epic right?
Shooters seriously aren't worth the full purchase when the campaigns are short. Yeah, I'm one of those.
Shooters such as portal/2 and bioshock are of course easy buys.
but for most shooters.. there needs to be some mode for replayability. Oh and I don't play the same game over for better combos (except back in the day with guitar hero)
anywaay, looking forward to see what they whip up next
They're owned by Epic right?Bulletstorm was a weird mashup of juvenile humor and a serious underlying tone. I thought it toed the line very well for the most part, but there were times when the dialogue seemed crass just for the sake of it. I still think it does the storytelling thing better than most games in its genre.
I love this scene, for example, where Ishi tells Gray he doesn't hold him accountable.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sx9NxBs76D0&feature=relmfu#t=07m11s
I love this scene, for example, where Ishi tells Gray he doesn't hold him accountable.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sx9NxBs76D0&feature=relmfu#t=07m11s
Being self-aware doesn't mean it's a social satire. The script uses the language knowing fully well how silly the language is. It comes off fun, not "trying to be cool" or "cheap." It never strikes me as though it's expecting a laugh because the word "dick" is funny to pre-teens; it's funny because of the delivery, the context. Sometimes it provides a contrast to itself by NOT swearing, like when the monster dramatically appears in the sewers and then trips and stumbles into an acid vat, and if you choose to stare into the vat for a bit, Grayson says after a long pause, "I feel like I should make some witty remark here." And Trishka deadpans in response: "Why start now?" The script is a joyful stream of little moments, one after another in quick succession. To get hung up on the swearing as though it compromises the quality of the script is to not see the forest for the trees.
The game had tons of comedic timing. Grayson being told they need to be quiet and then accidentally setting off a chain reaction of noisy explosions in real-time, for example. The way the narrative played out in the gameplay was lithe and tightly scripted.
Neuromancer
Member
What? You don't get the penetrator until almost the end of the game.
Well, the one thing about People Can Fly is that they're very good at what they do. They'd probably have to set out with the specific goal of making a shooter bland for it to actually be so.
Neuromancer
Member
Ah yeah, I remember seeing this article but it's from an unheard of site. I'll take the word of a named industry analyst over Gizmofusion's "industry source."
Agreed. Weapon impacts were some of the best this gen.
If only.
Just gives more strength to the notion that the PC exclusive will be F2P.
Humor is always a balancing act, and for me PCF really overdid it. (To be sure, it made me laugh several times, but I'm talking about the product as a whole experience. Of course there are examples of comedic timing, but I'd be very wary to call anything about the script "tight.")
The camp in House of the Dead: Overkill, not to mention the actual context of the story, made it's second-to-second profanity less distracting. It worked within the realm of the game. Visually, it had the same grindhouse appeal, buckets of blood, and the actual story involved several insanely outlandish plot twists that made me say "Fuck" right along with them.
Bulletstorm, as I mentioned earlier, doesn't seem so tightly designed. Its vistas aren't crass or campy -- they're expansive and beautiful, teasing you to take some time that all of your compatriots remind you that you don't have. The catastrophic events that struck this utopian paradise are relatively hidden, and the game instead veers for explosions and curse words to gloss over their impact. And then, antithetically, the actual plot attempts to develop characters and even goes for emotionality, like the one scitek showed:
At this point in the game, all impact of this scene had been sapped. It's just tropes layered onto tropes, and, what's worse, they work against the gameplay of the game. The bad guy is bad because he used you and your cronies as his killsquad. That doesn't take away from the glee felt and expressed throughout the game when you're throwing bullets around. Why explore moralism in a game like this, where bloodshed is meant to be tied to gameplay and happiness? (more recent example: Ninja Gaiden 3)
Bulletstorm then came across to me as very uneven and unsure of itself. All the incongruous elements didn't meld quite as well as PCF thought they would.
Anyway, at this point we're delving into game design and I'm taking away from my central argument and the reason I entered this thread. I hope the developers build upon this classic FPS design that they've refined over the years and apply it to an interesting IP. (Gears of War would be a real shame)
adversesolutions
Member
boooooourns : /
Night_Trekker
Member
Well I am not happy to hear that. At all.
But maybe it will be a new IP. Or a new Painkiller game! The IP needs to be rescued after all the farmed out expansions...
I totally agree. It's hard for me to believe someone could play Bulletstorm and not understand all of that.
But maybe it will be a new IP. Or a new Painkiller game! The IP needs to be rescued after all the farmed out expansions...
I totally agree. It's hard for me to believe someone could play Bulletstorm and not understand all of that.
Rated-Rsuperstar
Member
It still didn't change the fact that I had more then enough points by the time it unlocked, and spent most of the game just buying ammo.
@ pakkit:
Actually, in the game's last act the story regularly makes a point of how you're not much better than the villain, pointing out that the special ops you just jettisoned into space, and the crew aboard the ship you crashed, and so on were mothers, fathers, etc. The villian needles your conscience left and right, and in a telling move, Grayson can't even muster a retort -- he knows he's a horrible person. But maybe not one with no hope of redemption.
And the game does explain the catastrophic events that happened. And the pacing is fine for soaking up the sights as you enjoy the gameplay. And the "emotionality" is cliched on paper but works fine in the context of everything that happens beforehand: the Ishi example posted earlier is preceded by many misguided actions on Grayson's part giving Ishi's remaining vestige of humanity every reason to despise him, but in the end he sees him for something Grayson doesn't even see in himself. It's exceedingly simple, and not meant to be some Oscar-winning act, but it does its job just fine. Maybe this is a case of diff'rent strokes for diff'rent folks?
I just loved Bulletstorm. It doesn't fit any neat label like "grindhouse." A game doesn't have to do so to work. It can be bright and colorful and beautiful, and still have foul-mouthed language, and still be self-aware and witty, and still pose a question or two without ramming it down your throat. It can have splashy explosions and gruesome deaths but still offer up reams of strategy in how you approach each situation. Bulletstorm does all of this and does it well. Shame there won't be a sequel...
Actually, in the game's last act the story regularly makes a point of how you're not much better than the villain, pointing out that the special ops you just jettisoned into space, and the crew aboard the ship you crashed, and so on were mothers, fathers, etc. The villian needles your conscience left and right, and in a telling move, Grayson can't even muster a retort -- he knows he's a horrible person. But maybe not one with no hope of redemption.
And the game does explain the catastrophic events that happened. And the pacing is fine for soaking up the sights as you enjoy the gameplay. And the "emotionality" is cliched on paper but works fine in the context of everything that happens beforehand: the Ishi example posted earlier is preceded by many misguided actions on Grayson's part giving Ishi's remaining vestige of humanity every reason to despise him, but in the end he sees him for something Grayson doesn't even see in himself. It's exceedingly simple, and not meant to be some Oscar-winning act, but it does its job just fine. Maybe this is a case of diff'rent strokes for diff'rent folks?
I just loved Bulletstorm. It doesn't fit any neat label like "grindhouse." A game doesn't have to do so to work. It can be bright and colorful and beautiful, and still have foul-mouthed language, and still be self-aware and witty, and still pose a question or two without ramming it down your throat. It can have splashy explosions and gruesome deaths but still offer up reams of strategy in how you approach each situation. Bulletstorm does all of this and does it well. Shame there won't be a sequel...
Pretty much, I stopped giving a shit 2.5 hrs in. So overrated. Also the world needs less FPSs, so this is good news.
Similar threads
- Locked