Video games: 'Bulletstorm' is bloody good

Going into a game called "Bulletstorm" I expected a paper-thin story as an excuse for nonstop murder. Instead, I was greeted with a humorous, potty-mouthed opening that fleshes out the dramatic crash-landing of ornery fugitive Grayson Hunt. His quest for revenge on corrupt military leader Sarrano is a goofy sci-fi romp that doesn't deserve to have its cutscenes skipped.

"Bulletstorm" offers a degree of character control I haven't experienced in a first-person shooter since "Mirror's Edge." Gray's kick, slide and leash allow him to move through and interact with the environment with fluidity. In other games, it would be unthinkable to pull a foe from across the map, strap him with explosives, kick him back into his buddies, and slide away while detonating the bloody mess. Amazing moments like this are easy to pull off in "Bulletstorm." The slow-mo effect applied to enemies after being kicked or leashed offers the perfect window of opportunity to boot them toward electric wires or cacti, and the game has a predictive way of guiding the poor soul where you wish.

Skillshots are necessary to gain points to spend on weapon upgrades and ammo, but they're riotous fun in their own right. Working similarly to trophies and achievements, players earn hundreds of points by dispatching foes according to dozens of general and weapon-specific criteria. For example, the "French Revolution" skillshot is pulled off by decapitating multiple foes with a chain flail, and "Fan-tastick" is earned by launching a foe into the air and impaling him into the ceiling with a rotating spike, turning him into a human fan. The weapons themselves are some of the most creative I've seen outside of an Insomniac title, including a quadruple-barreled shotgun that evaporates enemies like the playground scene from "Terminator 2."

In addition to the single-player campaign, "Bulletstorm" offers Echoes and Anarchy modes. Echoes takes sections from single-player maps and lets friends compete with each other for the highest score. Knocking friends down the ladder is a nice distraction, but only score fiends will want to play this after beating the main game. Anarchy is a cooperative horde mode in which four players work together to earn skill points to progress through waves. Playing catch with foes using the leash and teaming up to kick a jerk into a gigantic dino's maw is a good time, but the higher level waves are impossible without constant communication.

New homicidal toys are constantly introduced in the first three-quarters of "Bulletstorm," which makes the final few hours a little stale. Mix in a ho-hum ending and the stellar experience goes out on a bit of a low note.

Small gripes aside, there's no denying "Bulletstorm's" blissful action. The sadistic opus arrives at a time when most shooters do little more than let you blast dudes in the head while things explode. "Bulletstorm" has those things, but also lets you shoot a man in the testicles and kick slide his head off.