Today is a big day for EA Games as they not only drop Dead Space 2 on us, but also unleash the multiplayer demo for Crysis 2 on the Xbox 360 and Bulletstorm on both consoles (no PC, sorry fellas). Since there’s really not much else going on in the world of gaming (and I’ve got a lot of free time) I decided to check out both demos and report on them for you. Ain’t I thoughtful?
The first one that I tried was the multiplayer demo for Cyrsis 2. I played a lot of the original on the PC, including some very fun stints in the multiplayer mode. While the original version emphasized large-scale maps with vehicles a la Battlefield, the sequel drops you into small arenas like those found in Call of Duty. Both teams are equipped with the series’ iconic Nanosuit and there are several load-outs to choose from, unlocked via ranking up through the in-game progression system.
Gameplay wise, it’s exactly as I imagined Crysis would be if I played it with a gamepad as opposed to a mouse and keyboard system. As an old-school PC guy, the mouse and keyboard set up is far superior for fast-paced gameplay, so I ended up with more deaths than kills. Watching everyone else use their suit powers to leap around the map and absorb bullets was pretty wicked though, and the game definitely looks gorgeous. Crysis 2 on the 360 doesn’t look anything like the videos parading around on the Internet, but it is one of the better looking game I’ve played in recent memory. Suffice it to say that, while it was fun, I’d much prefer to get it on the PC come release day. One thing that did irk me about the graphics is that the level I was playing on, Skyline, features a lot of brown textures, and the opposing team was decked out in brown colored Nanosuits. Seeing as my team was wearing white, this struck me as a little unbalanced. Hit the jump for my thoughts on Bulletstorm!
First off, let me establish that I was pleasantly surprised by Bulletstorm, the FPS collaboration between Epic Games and People Can Fly, a Polish studio best known for Painkiller. Given the latter’s penchant for crazy awesome combat and the former’s creation of an engine that can produce some good looking games, Bulletstorm is one crazy gumbo of wacky kills and beautiful vistas. The gameplay is pretty much the standard FPS set-up, but the main hook of Bulletstorm is the ability to do Skill Shots, which is attempting to eliminate your enemies in creative ways to earn points. You get a small amount of points for the basics like head-shots and one-hit kills, but to really rack up the rewards you need to use you energy leash and your boots in interesting ways like lassoing an enemy into spikes or kicking them off ledges. Combat is quite frenetic and attempting to think up new and innovative ways to kill your adversaries while trying not to die at the same time adds an interesting twist to the old FPS format.
Bulletstorm left me impressed more than anything, but admittedly I went into the demo with low expectations. While I didn’t appreciate the game yelling at me to pre-order (and calling me dick-tits), I’m still tempted to check it out when the full version drops.
Did anyone else try either of these demos? Any thoughts if you have?
I was excited to try both of these, and I was surprised at how much I liked Crysis. The suit powers are cool and hopping building to building Spiderman-style is fun. Bulletstorm I knew I was already going to buy, but now that I’ve played it, I can’t wait. The combat is so fluid and fun, and I found myself laughing hysterically at the crazy kills I was getting. Also the dialogue is as over the top and ludicrous as the rest of the game, so it fits and well and had me laughing pretty good. Both demos got me excited, now tonight I get to play Dead Space 2! Does today get any better?
I played Bulletstorm first… enjoyed it but the demo was a little short for me to get 100% behind the game
Then I played Crysis and had fun. The same map kept repeating and then when I backed out my xbox froze… still, both fun demos
I was really looking forward to a crysis 2 demo on the PC, I find it funny how the system that gets pirated the most doesn’t get a demo, a common excuse for some pirates. You would think that developers would want to give PC gamers a better idea of how the game would run and eliminate the tempting excuse. I guess I will have to stick with the Bulletstorm demo which, I would have to agree, is pleasantly surprising.
I would be more than happy to try the demo of both of these games, if only they were on PC.
I understand Bulletstorm was always going to be a console first game, but Crysis 2 I assumed would get a PC demo considering the original wasn’t even released on consoles.
I’m with Gadfly Jim.
Ace and Gadfly bring up a good point about there being no PC demo when that is where the series got its’ start. I was talking about the [Crysis 2] demo today with a friend and was offended and wanted to rip his head off when he said that no one really plays “computer games” (were the words he used) anymore. I don’t really know what made me so mad except for the ignorance of the remark. There are tons and tons of people who still play games on the PC, where true gaming got its’ start. Most of the major competitive gaming is on the PC today, with the exception of MLG and Halo. I guess my point is that it’s because of people like him who don’t understand the power and beauty (if you will) of the mouse and keyboard and only play on consoles that PC gamers seem to be getting the shaft nowadays, because companies know they can make more money on consoles.
Yeah, no Demo for a game that should be played on PC if you’re going for beauty (which Crysis was always trying so hard to do) is just weird. When the first game came out, almost no one could run it, why not give us a Demo this time to see how it works?
I’m just confused. But it’s okay, Cyrsis didn’t need a sequel, I guess we’ll see how it goes over.
I’m really curious about bulletstorm though…
Just got done with Bulletstorm and i must say I’m quite surprised, not only is it a fun and funny but its also a very solid fps. I think i’ll be getting it sometime this year.