Even though the game requires Games for Windows Live, it feels and acts like a console game by default. Let's fix that.

Bulletstorm is getting great reviews on the consoles, but how does the PC version run? We gave it a download on Steam to check things out, and things are... weird. The game has a number of issues on our favorite platform, but it remains a fun—and violent—way to spend an afternoon.

The first thing I tend to do when playing first-person shooters is to adjust the field of view for my widescreen monitor, but when I tried this on Bulletstorm I noticed that instead of the standard text you'd expect in the configuration files, there are large blocks of... gibberish. The .ini files are very weakly encrypted—you can already find tools to get to the text itself—and the whole thing was more of a pain in the butt than an impediment to playing the way I wanted to. Once I could edit the files, I found that the framerate was locked to a maximum of 62fps. Apparently those of you with higher end machines don't need to actually use them, right?

The game likewise doesn't give you many options in adjusting the graphics from within the game, but the obfuscated .ini file will give you plenty to work with if you're willing to tinker. Don't worry about learning console commands, since there is no console. Wonderful.


The game requires the use of Games for Windows Live, even if purchased through Steam, which is a pain in the butt. No more needs to be said. Aim assist is turned on by default, so if you don't want training wheels, you'll want to remove that right away. The menus are all navigated with key presses, not your mouse, which is another area of annoyance. The framerate can be a problem, but again, feel free to dig around in the settings to find options that work for you. The various unofficial forums online have great advice for different video card set-ups. Don't look for critical thoughts on the PC version on the official site, however, as those are getting locked.

All this being said, once you get access to the .ini files to edit your graphical settings and get the game running well, it looks and feels great on the PC. EA and Epic tried to keep us from having access to the game's higher level settings, and that's annoying, but it's also easy to get around.