Review of Bionic Commando
Bionic Commando
By: Capcom Average Rating: 3.5 Total Reviews: 55
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Solid but with some frustrating annoyances
On: 2010-08-16Its a solid game as long as you dont expect too much out of it. The gameplay is a little on the shallow side, but that doesnt stop it from being B movie fun. There were some annoyances throughout, such as when you completed a challenge, or got a collectible you had to make it to the next autosave for it to count. Not a huge deal but somewhat annoying when you completed a challenge at a more difficult part. Repeating cutscenes after you died were also annoying especially because you cant skip them. Overall, I dont think it would be worth a full price game, but for 10-15 dollars and you can overlook its shallowness and its flaws, its a fun experience well worth the price of admission.
Does it CLAMP the franchises former glories with BIONIC precision?
On: 2010-08-06Perhaps not. But is it better than the sum of its main users opinions? You bet it is. The problem with "BIONIC COMMANDO" for the PS3/xbox360 is that the crowd who bought it, more than 70% of them at least, has no idea about the history of this game. For me, the game isnt perfect but a game doesnt have to be to be fun and worth while. BC makes this claim and comes through in spades 8 xs out of 10. The graphics are probably about 80% on par with what youve come to know as acceptable. Which, to say the very least, are pretty damn good. Even on par with Uncharted 2 at times, if you ask me. Well, that depends on the tv you use too. I use a top end 52in 1080P 120hz Sony Bravia tv, professionally calibrated by "IND ADUDIO/VISUAL". But BC looks pretty sharp the bulk of the game. It doesnt always hold up, though. It drops quality at times. But what game doesnt? Uncharted 2 dropped tremendous quality the last few levels of the game. This one just tends to drop its quality more often.
As for length, its not terribly long but it isnt terribly "HEAVENLY SWORD" short, either. Its of fair length. Well worth the price of admission for new and an absolute steal at used price.
The gameplay is a mixed bag but not in a bad way. Its actually rewarding to play this game because the "Swing" mechanics of the arm actually require skill to use. And even if you become versed enough to use the "Bionic Arm" to a degree of success, youll always want to polish your skills more. It really is a game that is eye for an eye. If you learn the "arm" and the "swing" nothing comes off as a cheap death. If you wanna blindly go in and arcade around on every pipe and building like Spiderman, no. Its not going t happen. This game takes "SKILL" just like the games of the past use to, only with higher production values now. Learn the "arm" and the game is very rewarding. Trust me.
One thing that I dont like is the save locations. Too far and too few away from each other. There are times youll be at the end of a level, and some of them are rater long, and miss a jump due to not knowing the "arm" well enough and die. This sends you all the way back to the start. Some say it punishes the player too often. I tend to agree with this. They "could" have been a bit more lax here. But it isnt impossible to say the least. It does become frustrating though.
The story is absolute ballz. Its rubbish and its pretty forgettable. Its not going to win any Oscars and its not going to be worth talking about much past this right here. Watch the story cause you have to, not because you want to. But that doesnt mean the whole game is pointless, its not. Its just less than stellar in the story telling department. So skip the stories and make up your own as you play through it. "ha"
In the end, the game was fun. I had a better time playing this than a lot of AAA games out there that got the higher nods in score and sales. Bionic Commando is a worthy game to have in your collections. Sure some things arent as polished as the could have been or as much as other games out there but what is here is fun. And thats all that matters. A game is to be played for fun and Bionic Commando succeeds for the most part.
GO! GO! GO! BIONIC!
On: 2010-07-12I personally have a soft spot for GRiNs final release. With that in mind, Bionic Commando (2009) is a game that was not completed entirely, resulting in a lack of polish and unimplemented ideas. This was due to a mix of arrogance as well as resources being spread far too thin throughout the development studio. Since GRiN was so convinced people would buy the game regardless of its final shape, the developers felt confident that it was acceptable to leave many things, such as a cliffhanger ending and completely unexplained characters and motives, in Bionic Commando without embarrassment. Despite all these issues, the game still manages to be entertaining.
Throwing the presentation (Including Mike Pattons over-exaggerated line deliveries.) aside, the gameplay itself has an addicting nature; Its fun to swing around and shoot bad guys. Having played the Xbox 360 version first, I can say that the games main source of frustration is loading screens. I purchased the PC version for the express purpose of eliminating that issue, and I can report that, with a decent build, loading screens are nearly painless. After a brief 4-hour run with Bionic Commandos story mode on the PC, I can say that this version, ironically enough, may be the best release.
Bionic Commando on the PC has some issues, such as a lack of DirectX10 support (Unlike popular releases, like Devil May Cry 4 and Resident Evil 5.) and slight environmental draw-in, but it seems to detract little from the game compared to the positive points. At the games highest settings, Bionic Commando is the version GRiN should have made for consoles. (As a side note, the 360 controllers buttons are the only ones displayed on-screen, so those insisting upon a Keyboard/Mouse setup should read and memorize the equivalent mappings. Otherwise, the ergonomic 360 controller is definitely the best option for functionality and style.)
My personal recommendation is to give the game a try, preferably through Valves "Steam" service. (This digital distribution method avoids the DVD-checking DRM.) Bionic Commando is worth the 4- or 5-hour run to experience an amusing, fun, and addicting game. Bionic Commandos [and GRiNs] history might be sad and self-imposed, but this game is certainly not an awful experience.
Bionic Commando Review
On: 2010-07-07Simply put I like this game, though I far from love it. Its single greatest strength is the game play mechanics of the bionic arm. The arm serves as both a weapon and a means of swinging from place to place, which for me was allot of fun while being very challenging. Unlike games like Prince of Persia where you just hit a button at the right time to "link" your next acrobatic stunt, in Bionic Commando you have to time your swings and line up your next swing with much precision and grace. Personally I enjoyed the challenge of perfecting my "swing", because it is lots of fun and soaring through the air has a sort of innocent quality that I very much enjoyed. Though the negatives are a lack luster story, mediocre graphics (though the environments themselves are well put together, the textures are just nowhere near as sharp/clean as they should be), and somewhat boring combat. The combat plays like an arcade shooter from 1995, no cover system (similar to Gears of War or Drakes Fortune is sorely lacking) and a very very basic AI hinder this game from being memorable in light of far more advanced games available on the market. But hey, for less than $10 bucks its worth playing this game to experience the unique and distinct swing mechanics, that is if you have the patience to master it.
Much better than most reviews belie
On: 2010-06-15I loved this game. I think a lot of people that gave this game negative reviews just did not get it.
I found the controls as good, if not better, than most Spider-Man games. And it is like playing Spider-Man with a weapon arsenal. Its just awesome to fling yourself off a high rise, falling, then at the last moment hitting your grappling arm to a light pole swinging up in the air, taking out your gun, firing at you enemies below, then before you even hit the ground throw your arm again into an enemy, fling him in the air and empty the last of your rounds into him.
There are great moments like this throughout the game. The environments are wonderfully built around the grappling mechanic, and surprisingly diverse, from destroyed cityscapes, to jungles, to vast underground caverns.
The one downside is the story. Utterly ridiculous.
It burns like fire...or completly invisible radiation.
On: 2010-06-04I bought Bionic Commando with the knowledge that it was not the best game. I had heard that some people had fun with it, and that maybe the critics had been too harsh. I can safely say that this game earns every harsh word that comes its way. Not because it is a flat out bad game, but because what should have been a truly fun game seems to go out of its way to be the exact opposite.
First the good points.
1. The graphics are down right beautiful.
2. Using your Bionic arm is super fun once you get the hang of it.
3. It is fun to swing.
Wow. That was short. Now for the bad.
1. Those beautiful graphics that I mentioned only show ugly, delapidated buildings.
2. Your arm is limited throughout the first part of the game. You are shown how to do everything at the beginning of the game, but for reasons that are never explained, you arent allowed to use your attacks until your never present commander reminds you how they work. Suck.
3.While swinging is fun, you are only allowed to swing in certain places. Even though the levels look huge, most of them are covered in nearly invisible radiation that kills you almost instantly. You wont know where these places are until you swing right into them and die. Super Suck.
4.The achivements are time consuming given how sporadicly the enemies are sprinkled throughout the levels, so you have two options. Try and have fun, or get the achievements. There is no in between.
5.Water is another near instant kill. Good luck finding something to latch on to in the 2 seconds youre given before you drown.
6.The snipers in this game can hit you from anywhere in the level. Tres unfair.
It seems like the developers of this game made two different versions. the first is a game with huge levels that you can use your super cool arm to zip around in while killing your enemies with style. the second game was put over the first one, and its only purpose it to limit how much fun you can have at any one time. Having fun swinging? Here take some invisible radiation that you cant avoid. You like the bionic arms combat functions? Well then, for the enemies that the style of combat would be affective against were not going to let you use any of the cool moves. When can you use them? When the snipers who can see from anywhere come into play and your melee options become pretty much zero seems like a good idea to us.
In short as well made as this game is, it goes out of its way to kill any fun that you could have had with it. If you want something like it, but fun buy Just Cause 2. Play now, thank me later.
Unsalvageable
On: 2010-05-28The tutorial portion of the game made things very exciting. It was fun, and I couldnt wait to get into the real world to check out how these swinging skills would come into play.
Once in the real world, things turned into a mess. As great at things look (chaotic and detailed rubble, etc) it was not fun to swing around in.
I am assuming things get interesting as the levels progress, but I could not stomach trudging through the entire game to find something I like. Give it a shot if you REALLY like Bionic Commando, but there are far more better and polished games for you to enjoy.
would've been good if....
On: 2010-05-03Bionic Commando wouldve been good....if:
-There werent COMPLETELY random toxic areas to limit your exploration and to punish you for no apparent reason.
-You didnt pretty much die every time you fell into water. (Seriously,in some places its maybe a foot deep-just stand up for goodnessake!)
-The controls werent so completely unforgiving at times when you need them to be accommodating.
-Swinging from floating mine to floating mine was actually nuanced and smooth instead of insanely aggravating because of poor attach detection and doofus swing mechanics.
-You didnt have to re-play huge chunks of the game over and over again because the save spots were in such stupid and unintuitive places.
-If the story was little more than truly ignore-worthy.
-The main character was less of a tool-shed.
Of course it really wouldve sucked if not for:
-Really great graphics.
-Fun grappling mechanics.
-Decent combat.
-Taking enemies out by throwing cars and debris with your mechanical arm (One of the games ONLY saving graces)
-A couple of cool bosses and some really great larger enemies.
I wanted to like this game. I really did. There are some really great moments in it, but man it was hard to get through with all of the frustration. A poorly designed game, with deeply flawed controls a good experience does not make. Play something fun instead.
The Best Game Last Year (That no one played)
On: 2010-03-13Let me start by saying I love old school games. Ive owned my nes for twenty plus years and I enjoyed the original Bionic commando and thought the remake by Grin was an awesome. I bought this game relatively cheap and at first I really hated it. The swinging was awkward and frusterating but I kept on playing and before I knew it I was swinging around like a pro.
The main problem here is that the learning curve is really steep and I would miss a swing and fall to my death. I want to compare this to a recent spider-man game but unlike those games where you fly around on your webs latching on to invisble things in the sky, this game requires skill. You really have to carefully plan your jumps and master the controls or this game will straight up rape you. But there in lies the beauty of the game, it really is rewarding once you get the hang of it, pun totally intended. After some practice, the controls feel very natural and the game slowly introduces more and more abilities which become indespensable towards the end of the game. Before I knew it, I was slinging cars at giant robots and travelling all over with my swings.
The gunplay is well done and for this style of game, they give you tons of different weapons. You have the pistol, a sniper rifle, a submachine gun, a powerful grenade launcher, and a really sweet rocket launcher that homes in on flying enemies. All this really adds a level of strategy to the game as you can only carry three at a time and each has its distinct usage. Another cool things is that the achievments are tied into powering up your character which is awesome and Im really surprised other developers dont do this as it rewards you for trying new things.
The graphics are really nice despite the fact that Rad spencer, the main character looks kinda ridiculous with
dreadlocks. The cities are well rendered and the park and garden section of the game is really a sight to behold. The storm effects and background nuances are all really well done. My favorite part is the music which deftly switches between the original music of the nes game to full blown action movie orchestra. Seriously, the music really makes a solid impact and all the nods to the original are awesome.
The only real issue I have with this game is that the environments appear to be really vast and open but the game goes out of its way by putting radiation barriers that limit where you can go. This wouldnt be too bad except that if you land in a bad spot, the game will kill you for crossing the boundary which really sucks. Landing in water is also really deadly but honestly all of the environmental hazards make sense in a way. You have a heavy metal arm so you sink, the cities are bombed out, so therefore, you have radiation but it all feels like an excuse.
I have to say that I really loved this game despite the rocky start and Im glad I stuck with it. The game is pretty long although I would have liked more boss battles because the ones you do get are pretty sweet. The enemy variety is a little lacking too. All these complaints are really minor and dont hurt the overall enjoyment. Its a shame more people didnt give this game a chance, it sold really poorly and Grin, the developer that made this went out of buisness. Im really sad that there most likely wont be a sequel and I hope it doesnt stop capcom from producing more games like this, after all, a new reworked Strider or Captain Commando game would be the best thing ever. In closing, Buy this game and show your support for the old school and really there isnt any excuse, you can get this game on the cheap and its well worth your gaming dollars.
A rental at best...
On: 2010-03-05This game was mediocre at best. It provided a few days of fun, but nothing more than that. Once you get used to the physics of the bionic arm, the game starts to become enjoyable. Although the game is an "open world", there are many radiation "barriers" which wont allow you to go where you choose, making the game very linear. Also, the range of the bionic arm is not very far and you may find your self missing your desired target to grapple on to, resulting most of the time in death (especially near water). Overall, the game isnt the worst Ive ever played, but I do feel sorry for the people that paid full price for it. It cost me $15 and that was fair enough for me. I would suggest renting this first or if it is less than $15, it would be worth picking up. As for me, I think Ill stick with the NES version from back in the day...
A Surprising Remake
On: 2010-02-13You have to stand up and Take Notice and give Capcom some credit
for a Unique Re-Launching of A Somewhat Forgotten Classic
The Original Bionic Commando was Ahead of its time in the 8Bit Area
CAPCOM & GRIN did a ***** Job on this title
Its Fun it seem to me now more Game arent made to be fun
More like going through the motions
The Low Price alone should make any XBox360 Owner jump on it
Stick with it for a hour and master the controls and youll Enjoy and Appreciate what Capcom tried to do
Controls 8.5/10 (Once u get the hang of the how to Play it Does work Not Flawlessly But, pretty Good
Graphics The game runs on Grins own Diesel engine 9/10
Audio 5.1 Dolby Digital is a Great Audio mix along side the V/O Casting for Nathan "RAD" Spencer (voiced by Mike Patton, The Lead Singer of Faith No More) is Such a Great Idea he does a killer job! 10/10
Over All A Must Play title 8.5/10
Its A Very Good High Profile title that got Lost or Over Looked in the Shuffle
Not All games are gonna be Call of Duty, Gears of War, Bio Shock, Assassins Creed, Halo, Mass Effect!
Where Legends die
On: 2009-12-30What a waste of a legendary character, the game is mediocre at best. It has its moments but every level is pretty much the same. This is probably the dumbest ending to a story line since the Sopranos. If you must buy this is defiantly a $10.00 game.
A missed oppurtiny, still fun though
On: 2009-10-22This game could have been one of the best of the year, but falls short. It becomes repetitive and the difficulty is tougher than expected with help from walk-through or strategy guide (I prefer gamefaqs). Graphically this game is amazing, button layout is easy to get used to and the design and physics are also cool.
originality- 8/10 (points for being unique to other 360 games, but loses a tad for being a remake of a classic and not living up)
graphics- 9/10
sound/music- 8/10 (uses old school music for finding hidden items)
replay- ??? (havent played through it yet. I have Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion GOTY, so I get distracted from playing this game which is not as fun)
fun factor- 7/10 (fun, kinda sucks you in, but can it keep you there?)
overall- 7.5-8
It just seems like this game is missing something and ends up being sort of repetitive, as I said before. There are parts where you have to rely on the "commando" part of the title by sneaking and using certain tactics to defeat certain enemies. I would buy it when its a little cheaper, if it gets on greatest hits or platinum hits... or just borrow it from someone that might have it.
Its good, not great... not terrible either.
A shiner in your collection....
On: 2009-10-18While Bionic Commando is not perfect, it still is a shining example of how quality can be present, and completion of vision is not. Simply stated, Bionic Commando
is a must play for fans and non-fans even though some areas of the game are lacking.
The graphics are great, the grappling is FUN, and the story (in Ninja Gaiden style) is great even though there isnt much of it.
All around I was impressed with the game. Its certainly A VERY WORTHY entry in the Bionic Commando series, and fans NEED to check it out. At least buy the BC Rearmed on xbox live or the psn.
Since the original 8 bit Bionic Commando was one of my very fav games of all time, I can say for sure that there is a bright future for the franchise, as
long as Capcom can see it. At least Ninja Gaiden (Sigma) and Sigma 2 are selling very well......
Anyway, its your job as a fan to at least see all the things that were AWESOME about this next gen BC, and appreciate THAT..... Most games that come out SUCK, but still get better reviews then this little gem did.....
Plenty of homage to the original, I highly recommend this to fans and non-fans..... its a blast, and worthy of your time.
Now, Capcom..... plan your next move!!!
if you liked the origonal
On: 2009-10-04This game does Bionic Commando in 3D right. the fighting and swing puzzles are tough but a lot of fun, it has a bit of a curve but once you have it down the game play is some of the most satisfying I have played this year (in a shooter at least). The cast and the script work really well considering the original 1987 arcade game and the NES versions did not really have much of a script to go from.
Best campaign I have played in a LONG time.
On: 2009-09-29I got this game a few weeks ago from a different online store and I must say that the campaign was a ton of fun and was very exciting. After you beat the campaign there isnt much replay value so I would recommend to rent for a week but it is definitely a game I would suggest to play.
I can't believe it. I really liked Bionic Commando!
On: 2009-09-27For the record, I still think the 1988 NES original is one of the best action games ever made. I *still* play through it every couple of years, and most of what it does still feels fresh and original. (Note that technically the NES game was based on an earlier arcade game, but other than having a bionic arm and the same name, that game is nothing at all like the NES game, and absolutely terrible.)
I wasnt expecting much from this sequel, as I thought NSTs late 90s sequel was severely flawed, and I didnt even like Grins remake much from last year (Rearmed). I thought it was okay, but in every area where it deviated from the original, I thought the original was better. (Even the graphics and music, which sounded like a generic techno remix.)
So the worse reviewed, and 3D sequel? Not very hopeful. And for some reason, the game took a LONG time for me to get into. There are a lot of times I had to replay a section multiple times to get through it. (Luckily there are fairly frequent checkpoints.) On top of that, while the weapons are fun to use, I dislike the use of a generic post-Halo "can only hold two weapons and grenades" system this game uses.
But those end up being fairly minor quibbles for me. Its true that the game artificially restricts your path (mostly with blue "radiation"). Perhaps because of the freedom the bionic arm gives you, that feels more obvious than in most games. But after a point, the ability to quickly scale obstacles, avoid attacks, etc., becomes second nature, and the game controls beautifully for the most part. I also like that the bionic arm has become much more of an offensive weapon in this game than the original. It has me wondering (much like the original, actually) why the Bionic Arm mechanism isnt copied in other games.
I love everything else about the game. The slightly larger than life characters fit the theme and setting perfectly. It somehow FEELS right to me, despite a 21 year gap, and a new team on the other side of the planet developing it. The plot, voice acting, and writing/characterization feels like a valid take on things.
I feel similarly about the graphics. Normally I dread post apocalyptic settings. They all look alike, and look depressing and generic. But not here. Somehow Grin made this world bright, colorful, and often beautiful, even despite the ruin-its anything but a normal looking post apocalyptic setting. The musics fantastic too. Where Rearmed felt like a generic techno remix, this games original music and riffs on the first game are exciting and often beautiful (if-like most modern games-probably too infrequent). Im astounded at how the original 8-bit games music sounds like it was always meant to be played on piano, violin, trumpet, or electric guitar (etc.).
In short, despite some very frustrating moment, on balance I loved the ride Bionic Commando provides. I just wish Grin was still around to provide us with some sort of sequel. I love these characters, and would love to spend more time in this world-there seem to be so many possibilities. Id love another 3D game that perhaps provides a weapon, upgrade, and stage select system thats closer to the original (and more in-depth than we get here). Id also love another 2D sequel!
Fun and entertaining game
On: 2009-07-31Graphics in this game are nicely done.
They are a bit on the cartoon style side but nevertheless they are excellent.
I love the apocalyptic setting of this game with the ruined cities and buildings.
That why I bought this game in the first place.
The sounds in this game are nicely done as well with music scores and detailed background noises.
The game AI consists of soldiers and some mechanized units.
The soldiers actions are very nicely programmed and realistic. The taunts and dialog of the soldiers directed at the player is awesome.
The controls of the main character is a bionic arm which takes a bit of learning to master. Nothing that is too hard but does takes some practice.
I really had fun playing this game.
Meh
On: 2009-07-09This game is just okay. It didnt really grab my attention though. Its definitely not as open-world as I thought it would be. I played it for about a day before I decided to start something else. The mulitplayer seems to lack some substance for an online game, too. The swinging mechanics are really easy to learn, though. Overall, I would say this would be a decent rental for the weekend but you might want to try it before you buy it.
Great fun for 3-4 hours. Not much more there to recommend
On: 2009-07-07I loved this game until about half of the way through. Once I started to get a good feel for the pace and the structure of the game though, I felt the developer was trying to stretch a decent, medicore action game a little too thin. The "plot" is a joke as is the dialogue. The swinging is fun, but restricted and the shooting and weapons are very disappointing. One of the games highlights is the "Challenge" system that constantly feeds you gameplay requirements to complete. Most of them come with an in-game bonus along with a majority of them being tied directly to the Achievement system. In one playthrough, I had 90% of them complete, but the remaining few werent enough to make me want to play through the game a second time.
Ehh, not the Bionic Commando I was looking for
On: 2009-07-05Well, I had high hopes for a new entry into the Bionic Commando line. After the pretty accurate and expanded remake Bionic Commando: Rearmed, I had hoped the developers would make this 3D incarnation just as good. Well, it seemed like a sloppy rush to the finish line.
One of the things this game tries to be is have a open world exploration (or at least it seems to be) theme to it until you swing into a radioactive invisible barrier (that is everywhere) that forces you to swing back around or die. It makes the game feel more like you are in a corridor then a open city.
The check point system is terrible. If you start a level, collect a few collectible items, and then die, you are forced to start all the way at the beginning, forced to watch the cutscene again and then go about getting your way back. Some levels are kind and put a checkpoint further in but its really annoying to have explored, found some difficult to get powerup only to fall because of a camera angle glitch and start over.
Best part of the game is if you have Bionic Commando Rearmed on your 360, you can get a code from Rearmed t to input into this Bionic Commando to unlock the classic skin (aka, Spencer without dreadlocks).
Its not the best game of its kind but its a decent distraction. It could have been much more.
Bionic
On: 2009-06-15I found the game to be fun at first. The graphics are nice but the game play kind of lags. The complicated controls keeps it from really being as fast passed as I wanted. There are not enough save points either. But besides that it was an interesting game and a fun play.
Sloppy half thought out game
On: 2009-06-05This game seems very unfinished. They have one thing right: the grappling hook. Its very fun to swing around like spiderman and grab on to everything and fly in the air and all that good stuff. Too bad the game fails miserably at everything else. From the dreadlocked bratty-mouthed cyberdouche main character to the horrid gun system to the boring enemies this game is just plain old NOT FUN.
The world is set up strangely. You have these big open cityscapes to explore, and the exploration would be 10 times funner if not for the random stupid radiation clouds which kill you pretty quickly and the ridiculous water pools which you cannot escape. Why even bother putting an oxygen meter in the game when you cant get out of the water anyway? You fall in water = you die. I think I only grappled myself out once. So half the game is outside in the city, but the other half is inside buildings. This is achieved with the most boring repetitive design ever. Big square hallways and big square staircases that all look identical.
I dont understand why they even put an "aim" function for the guns because all it does is take your field of view from "super wide" to "pretty wide". It serves no purpose, especially when you are swinging around on a grappling hook most of the time anyway. No way you can aim and shoot. The only success I had with any guns was to grapple an enemy first and shoot down the line.
Mediocre, But Has Its Moments
On: 2009-06-05The mechanics of the game are basically fun: Swinging from building to building is pretty awesome when you get it right, and the beat-em-up battles allow you to make quite a bit of creative use of that gigantic robot arm.
But the game is marred by a lot of flaws: Control can be awkward. It seems _almost_ like an open-world game until you realize the levels are basically narrow linear corridors lined with deadly radiation. The main character cant swim, which makes sense, but missing a jump and drowning in an oversized puddle really breaks the feeling of being a nigh-invincible super-soldier.
The storytelling is surprisingly good, though, implausible final plot twists aside.
Anyways, I dont regret having played this one, but I do regret having bought it new. Rent or buy used if you feel like it.
Good game, funky ending
On: 2009-05-28It was a well put together game, I couldnt put it down. The story line about spencers wife was a little far fetched. And I had expected more in the ending then there was. The bionic swing was probably my favorite thing in the game. My fav weapon, throwing stuff at my targets. The thing I would change would be the story line about the wife. (My wife is still confused about it). Look forward to a second one (Hint hint)
Meh
On: 2009-05-24To start out, I am not someone who grew up on the original Bionic Commando. Up until recently, i hadnt even played the original. Now that we know I dont have some fanboy grudge or anything like that, lemme go on. This game is merely ok. The "gimmick" of the game, the bionic arm and swinging physics, is what breaks this game. Swinging is fun at first, but it lacks a fluidity (for lack of a better word). Swinging and shooting anything but the overpowered shotgun? Dont even dream about it. Online is kinda fun. The story is really well done, although people who dont know anything about the original would do well to look it up the story of it on Wikipedia or play through the remake on XB Live or the Playstation Store. To sum up my rantings, a decent game that is hurt by the gimmick that made the original such a classic.
A Good Game with Fun Retro Tie-Ins for Old-School Gamers
On: 2009-05-22I had been anticipating this release for quite some time. I saw a gameplay trailer for it almost two years ago and had been waiting anxiously for it ever since. Im not disappointed, but some gamers might be.
Theres a lot of ground to cover, so Ill try to be succinct.
Unfortunately, if youre not into this game for the nostalgia factor then youre probably going to grow tired of it somewhat quickly after you complete the story mode once or twice. The multiplayer may grab your fancy and keep you coming back, but if youre a CoD or GoW or Halo (later referred to as "The Big 3" in this same review) online player than likely you will find yourself putting your "drug of choice" back in when you need an MP fix.
If you played the original Bionic Commando for the Nintendo Entertainment System this game will have lots of retro flare for you (the Title screen music is the original title music from the NES game redone on piano) and many references to the 1988 game. For those of you who never played it, youre still in for a fun 3rd Person action/adventure/shooter.
I myself am the type to flip through the game manual for a few minutes before I take the game itself for a spin. And at first glance I have to admit I thought the controls would be rather complicated, but I was wrong. Most actions in the game are simple and can be completed with one or two button presses. Use of the Grappling arm (that pretty much IS Bionic Commando) is extremely simple, and fun as well. Some swinging tricks take a little getting used to, but anyone whos played a Spider Man game on 360 will likely have no trouble at all adapting. But fear not if you havent, it still really simple to get the hang of.
The game looks impressive. The colors are vivid, the shading is nice, and water and shadow effects are pulled off nicely. Sometimes it looks a bit fuzzy, but I blame that on my TV. The levels/areas themselves, unfortunately, feel somewhat restrictive, and life-threatening radiation often prevents you from swinging to an enticing perch.
When it comes to achievements, Bionic Commando is probably a pretty easy completion (1000/1000 GS) for most avid gamers. The achievements are based around the games Challenges, which require you to perform certain actions throughout the game and reward you with weapon and armor upgrades. Most challenges are relatively simple, but progress in difficulty throughout the game.
The weapons in the game are diverse and fun to use. Enemies die with satisfying replicated agony, and Spencer (your character) makes many little wise-cracks and quips throughout the game. Sure, its nothing original in that respect but always amusing when done well. I think it was done well in this case.
Unfortunately, the game doesnt really offer much in the way of replay value. There are 3 difficulty levels, and many collectibles stashed throughout the games areas. There are achievements in the game centered around finding all of the collectibles and completing all of the challenges, but you must find/complete them all in one play-through to unlock the completion achievement. That is really the only replay value I see in the game for those just looking for something new to play.
The multiplayer is nothing new or innovative when it comes to game-type selection. Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, and Capture the Flag are available. But, if youre looking for something a little different than the aforementioned "Big 3" than this might grab your attention for a while. The grappling hook can make battles very interesting.
So, if you really liked the original 1988 NES release of Bionic Commando, youre going to like this game as a matter of principle alone when it comes to content and story. The gameplay mechanics and vivid scenery will keep you playing. Theres even and old friend or two who pop up to say Hi.
If you never even knew there was a 1988 NES Bionic Commando until you read this review, you still may enjoy this game if you like 3rd person action/adventure/shooter games with a few unique mechanics and quippy dialog.
Do u like BiOnic arms an swingin on stuff then this game for u and it realy freaky nice.
On: 2009-05-20i got game early n beat in day or so. it had good arm n grapple bad guys i like lots. i beat big monky thing that scarey to me but fun. ok good but not great ok good just good ok. Get.
