Bulletstorm: Duke of Switch Edition has dropped onto the eShop for £24.99 with no official announcement, or even a dubstep filled launch trailer. It was even missing from yesterday’s weekly eShop line-up, which Nintendo themselves curates.
Our more cynical side believes publisher Gearbox has something to hide, such as performance issues. We’re really hoping this isn’t the case as it’s always great to see a big-name shooter hit the Switch. The screenshots give some hope, showing off smooth and impressive visuals.
For the uninformed, Bulletstorm is a comical 2011 first-person shooter originally published by EA; one that’s filled with gore, swears, explosions, and plenty of ways to maim outside of gunplay.
While it did gain a cult following, as well as notching up some overwhelmingly positive reviews, it failed to shift in significant numbers. Or at least, the kind of numbers EA was expecting.
In 2016 it was given a second shot at success with a remaster – The Full Clip Edition – which also forcibly inserted Duke Nukem into the cut-scenes. Why? Because Gearbox owns the Duke too. This is the version the Switch receives today, in all its bad guy booting, skillshot slinging, glory.
Expect gameplay footage to surface on YouTube over the weekend, giving some indication as to how this conversion holds up. It might be an idea to hold off until then – the Switch has seen some less-than-impressive conversions of late, after all.