Bulletstorm pokes fun at Call of Duty
By
Brendan Sinclair, Senior Editor
Epic Games releases free game parody of Activision's popular military first-person shooter to promote its own take on the genre.
Call of Duty may be a blockbuster success on a global scale, but Activision's cash cow isn't quite bulletproof. For example, Epic Games is taking shots at the franchise with Duty Calls: The Calm Before the Storm, a free downloadable game parody that mocks the military first-person shooter and a number of its gameplay conventions.
The difference between Duty Calls and its inspiration becomes apparent as soon as players start the game. Upon being dropped into a level, a voice gives the player marching orders over the radio.
"Here's your objective," the commanding officer says. "Blah blah blah blah secret base. Blah blah blah blah plan. Blah blah blah nuclear missile bomb. Blah blah blah counting on you. Utmost importance. Win. Good luck."
As players make their way through the game, they find useless objects (a stick, loose leaf paper), run into villains who can be beaten only in slow motion, and achieve the rank of Sergeant of the Master Sergeants Most Important Person of Extreme Sergeants to the Max. The game isn't exactly subtle about its critiques, as every one of the player's gunshots is accompanied by a voice clip loudly saying, "Boring!"
Although the game's parody is pretty apparent, its purpose--promoting Epic's upcoming shooter Bulletstorm--is less overt. Up front, the biggest clues at the tie are the game's subtitle and a plug for Bulletstorm in the description section of a YouTube video on the official site. A short commercial for Bulletstorm also runs at the completion of Duty Calls, which can be finished in about five minutes.
Developed by Epic subsidiary People Can Fly, Bulletstorm is a first-person shooter built around a skillshot system that rewards players for dispatching enemies in creative and often gory ways. The game is set to launch for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC on February 22. For more on Bulletstorm, check out GameSpot's previous coverage.
By
Brendan Sinclair, Senior Editor
Brendan Sinclair has been a games journalist since 1999. His tastes are eclectic, though he has a definite affinity for games with arcade roots. He's Canadian, but has also been at home in Atlanta, Austin, Chicago, and San Francisco.
217 comments
Duty Calls: The Calm Before the Storm isn't compatible with Mac. FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU
@lazycomplife I meant in the amount of players, ya camping is really involved and those people should just go F**K themselves. I actuallt have played all SSB's as a matter of fact.
This is just a parody! A joke! I don't think people should take it too seriously. We need not insult all the CoD players! Seriously. let them enjoy what they enjoy! There is no point in telling them that their opinion is wrong, because an opinion is an opinion! Insulting someone else for their enjoying of a video game that others dislike is pointless. Just roll with the joke and enjoy it!
Everyone keeps saying how funny it is how "serious" the "CoD fanboys" are taking this.... when I've only seen 1 person try and defend CoD. Everyone just wants to jump on the CoD hater band wagon but it's "cool" to make fun of CoD now. Why can't people just accept the joke instead of having to trying to insult people?
OMG, can the CoD fanboys not see how their game has regressed since CoD4? What have you gotten in the past 2 installments? Same gameplay + hacks/bugs/glitches + overpriced map packs = WOM (waste of money). I loved CoD4, but it has just gone downhill since. Duty Calls is pretty accurate with where CoD has gone in the past few years.
Just wanted to thank all the CoD fans who've chimed in on this board. You've said something dramatic to advance the effect of this parody. And you're as ridiculous as you are in denial about how crap CoD has been since CoD4.
LOL "*Duty Calls is a parody. It is not associated with Activision or the Call of Duty games." :-) funny stuff
Wow, people really take offense to this. I love COD, but this is funny. It's like making a "your mom" joke. Who woulda thought that people didn't like "your mom" jokes. Chill guys, it's just for fun...don't cry about it.
People's reactions to this is just hilarious, with so many people defending Call of Duty. I think it's pretty bad I had more fun in the 5 minutes of this game then playing any Call of Duty released. Definately picking up Bulletstorm.
They are making fun of MW2.......... Why because it had one of the worst plots, and some of the most bugged online play ever in recent history for shooter games. I like it so fare.
Funny stuff aside this guys are pathetic. A bug on IW & Treyarch windshield. Do you need some numbers flying on your screen to "kill with skill"? Please... It's just like any other cheap-idea game. You'll foget it in 2 months. No what you can say about COD because "haters" and fans still talk about it. And yes I am a COD fanboy. And yes I kill with skill in both BO and MW2. And even more I play them on the PC, with a mouse and keyboard, the way they are meant to be played. So cry me a river, haterz
Even funnier is the reaction its getting. I am a battlefield player when it comes to 'online shooters' but if they took the piss out of battlefield (and its no easy to) I couldnt possibly take offense.. its all in fun.
@Fogshie7277 CoD's multiplayer is a rage-inducing camp-fest. How anyone enjoys it is beyond my imagination, besides the fact that unlockables (in any game) are addictive. ATVI sure does know how to make money though. You probably didn't play SSB/SSB:M/SSB:Brawl so you don't know about unlockables being addictive. CoD = CRAP I LOST AGAIN I HAVE TO FIND NEW CAMPING SPOT!!!....but at least I got a new weapon that I hopefully do better with this time! Oh and I will be called homo if I don't prestige so I better do that when the time comes and let this cycle repeat...
Funny, blah blah blah is what I heard when I played CoD4's campaign. I stopped playing the campaign after that. I do like BF:BC1&2's campaigns though. Epic is Epic, now give me GoW3 please.
@el3m2tigre Ask yourself why it sold millions? I truthfully don't care if it was successful, the only reason it sold millions is due to 13 year kids asking their parents to buy them it every single year.
@sammoth first of all, Activision is already suing EA for trying to breach infinity ward's contract and steal them away. And second of all, I said it'd be funny when they sue the little studio. STUDIO. Meaning People Can Fly, this is their game and they did this meh joke. kthnxbye
@CyberKlown28 are you kidding me. Activision SUE EA ? You really have no idea how much EA makes year round do you. EA is hardly a little game publisher.
I love it. Why not poke fun ? Most of it is true anyways. Sometimes we need a little something differnt in FPS these days. Military shooters are a dime a dozen. Granted COD has been one of the better at it even though I loved to older ones more then the last few years of Rehashed gameplay. Things have to change and Bulletstorm is just a start. Games should be fun. Without change we end up with the same ole year in and year out.
@ KillerWabbit23 Didn't Eminem try to sue Weird Al for doing a parody of one of his songs? If he would do it, Activision probably would too. @ BlackBaldwin Activision didn't just 'come up' with COD, the guys at Infinity Ward did. That's like writing a book and having your publisher take credit for it... (although sometimes that is how it seems to be, sadly)
Watch Activision sue them for this. That'd be like someone suing Weird Al for parodying one of their songs, but knowing Activision... sigh..
@MEDzZ3RO not to sound like a troll but the reason the level is short in the demo is because it's in echos mode not the real campaign. in the interviews they said in echos mode you just play a small bit of a level not the whole thing. Just sayin
duty calls? wow looks like EA has some envy issues, seriously they are just sad that they didn't come up with cod before activision did. I on the other hand have bowed out of the whole fps game scene completely after you have played one you have played them on. I soo miss the days of orginal ips coming out each year...
HA! HA! HA!You cannot stop me unless the game goes into slow motion for some reason and I become easy to shoot.Epic paroady game. I laughed at almost all the lines said by the characters in this 4 minute game. Good job for epic/EA for being brave to make fun of COD. At least Activision can't sue you guys now.
@cynicalundead yeah I didnt see the publisher iss EA..... I hated Activision's business conduct (Bobby Kotick in particular), I love COD controls, and hate them for release 1 every year.... if they release 1 every 18 months to 2 years i wouldnt mind that.... This is a great franchise thats getting milked bone dry ...
@GamerLegend10 dude, its okay being a COD fanboy or not I dont really care about it, people choose what they want to be.... but thanks for pointed out to me that its made by epic and publish by EA...
@remysola Cod successful? Yeah right, Cod 4 is the only good recent one. And Bullet storm won't be as "successful" because kids want to buy something with Call of duty in the name because it has been shoved down their throats. Cod & Activision are jokes now and people chose to follow them because if they don't... well i don't know.
Can't wait for Duty Calls midnight launch. I'm picking up the prestige edition which includes a live claymore thats prone to go off.
"I'm going to point at you and say something dramatic, to develop the game's story!" this game made me lol so hard. Scary how true it is.
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