Duty Calls The Calm Before The Bulletstorm Trailer

While Black Ops is busy showing off its impressive online multiplayer stats, it would seem that someone else doesn't think too highly of the franchise. Released today, Duty Calls is a hilarious Call of Duty parody that may just make you wonder why you bought Black Ops in the first place. Because you see, Duty Calls is just a reminder that Bulletstorm is the game we've all been waiting for.

The trailer gives only a glimpse of the incredible glory awaiting players that play this game. We've all gotten used to the common tropes and themes of super-serious military shooter, but this one is changing things up in a big way.

The game can be downloaded - for free - at the Duty Calls website right now. In fact, do it right now. Install it. Play it.

Don't believe us that it's worth a good chunk of your time? Just see for yourself in this "epicly epic" trailer:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIOxjztMZfc

Done? Good. Aside from sending a strong message to the gaming industry at large, Duty Calls actually manages to be worth the download time for a fun, lighthearted experience. If you really are too irrevocably tied to the mainstream, hardcore, ultra-realistic shooters to give this one a shot, then hopefully you still have a sense of humor.

Have a look at what has to be the most spot-on and inventive lampooning of Call of Duty that we've seen. Activision isn't going to like this one bit:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AW0Q4Iypk2s

Now you hopefully have a better idea of what really makes this game so amazing. Epic Games has really outdone themselves this time, and not just because Duty Calls is a great jab at the reigning king of first-person shooters, but because of the lengths they went to in order to send one simple message: Epic and People Can Fly are holding no franchise above parody.

Starting the game, you'll definitely get the parody feel, but confusion will be the immediate reaction for most. Why would someone go to the trouble of creating an entire game but forget to give the enemy any AI? Even after the player gets into the hang of killing the seemingly mindless opposing forces, it's jut as odd to be told by your own weapon that what you're doing is "boring."

After muscling through the rest of the game, the player is rewarded with Epic unveiling their newest marketing tagline: "Putting the fun back in the gun." To say the trailer for Bulletstorm that follows is the most satisfying and exciting that we've seen so far would be an understatement. With Filter's "Hey Man Nice Shot" playing in the background, it's impossible to resist getting pumped for the game's coming release.

And then it finally sinks in. Epic has gone to the trouble of creating and releasing an entirely separate game to take one heck of a shot at the king of online shooters. If you haven't yet played the demo, it's been out since last week, and you can take our loving opinion regarding it as proof that it's the real deal. This latest release is proof that Epic isn't backing away from the hype, but what did you think of Duty Calls?

Bored of your boring gun and the boring people you shoot with it? Well Epic has your fix on February 22, 2011 when Bulletstorm is released for the PC, PS3, and Xbox 360.