Title Bullet Witch Date 03.21.2006 Genre Action Platform Xbox 360 Developer Cavia Publisher Atari

When I bought this, I was hoping it would fill a bit of a gap I've found in the market recently; a lack of pick up and play shooters that are fun. Visually, at least on the pack of the case, it looked interesting, like a fast paced action shooter. However, I found when playing it, this isn't the case, there are some frantic bits to the game, but for the most part it feels more like a gentle stroll through post-apocalyptic Earth.

Storyline
The setup for the game is good, and the storyline sounds interesting, however, the problem is that there's just not enough. It's barely explained in the game, and more often than not it's just a really bad reason to go to the next area. The only bit that's really explained is why the demons are there and why she's a witch, but the demon inside her is never explored, and the ending isn't that great as it doesn't really explain anything and gets a bit confusing.

Gameplay
The game plays in a style similar to devil may cry, basically you roam around the level shooting things and using magic every now and then. Although very simplistic, there is some fun to be had, as some of the enemies are interesting. However, this is where the good points end; there are only about five different types of enemies, and the game is very, very short. There are only six missions, which only take about thirty minutes each to complete, except the last boss, which takes about thirty minutes. I did find it annoying that the levels were so big, and yet for the most part, they're just empty spaces that don’t even have enemies in them.

The AI however is an extremely good point of this game, they'll work together and provide each other with covering fire, hide until you reload, and swarm together in groups. It's refreshing to play a game like this where the AI does actually work in teams not just taking it turns to shoot. However, the annoying thing is that the NPCs that are on your side are incredibly dumb.

Overall, there are some nice touches, such as the magic and the explosion effects on the environment, such as watching the ground literally explode and shatter. The missions are alright while they last, but it really isn't worth buying, when it can easily be finished in the time space of a rental. Also, the ‘downloadable content' doesn't exist in the west thus far, and if you want it, you'll have to go through a pretty laborious process.

Graphics
The environments are pretty well done, and although all the buildings look pretty similar, the effects the magic has on the environment are simply a visual treat. The characters themselves are drawn well and detailed, although some look a little unimaginative. Alicia is done extremely well, and the graphics in the cut-scenes are simply stellar, they're probably the most realistic I've seen in a game recently. However, my problems are; since there are only five types of enemies, you see a lot of them over and over again, and it gets a bit boring. Also, there are some levels that over use fog effects, to the extent that you can barely see the enemies.

Sounds
The voice acting is fine, there's just not very much of it, which is probably a good thing as it makes what little there is sound alright. The explosions are fine, and basically all the sounds are nice enough, but there's nothing memorable that stands out. I can't remember any of the in game music, and whether there actually was any.

Summary

The game had a lot of promise, and on paper sounded pretty good, however, there are just a lot of downfalls. There's an extremely evident lack of content, and after buying it, you're not given a lot of game for your money. Despite looking impressive and being alright in terms of playing it, there's not a lot in the game to warrant buying it, especially, as mentioned above, when you can finish in one rental.

Game Score

D

Reviewed By: Contributed