Written by: CaptainJSheridan

 

 

 

Half human, half awesome! How would you otherwise describe a soldier with bionic parts that can tear cars apart like they were made of cheap plastic? A "Bionic Commando" maybe.

 

Capcom just released a direct sequel to the NES classic, which can be found in its original form on Capcom Classics Mini Mix for the GameBoy Advance, or in its remake form on Xbox LIVE and PlayStation Network.

 

 

The story happens ten years later than the original, where people got scared of bionic soldiers, forgetting that they saved their lifes, and so the government started what was know as the purge, dismantling bionics like as if they were machines.

 

However, a terrorist faction detonated a device on 'Ascension City' and only a bionic soldier could stop them. This is where you come in, playing the role of Nathan Spencer, stripped of its bionic armed and unfarily imprisioned by the same government he worked for, now they ask for his help in exchange of information on his missing wife.

 

 

Just like in the original, you have a bionic arm to swing around on your left hand and a gun on your right, altough this time, you have a jump button.

 

 

The map mechanics were abandoned in favor of a normal progressing stage objective focused. You can wander a little, but it's not a sandbox game, there are very limiting boundaries.

 

Swinging at first is a bit hard, it took me a while to get used to it. There are times when you feel like 'Spider-Man', but you'll be going where you don't want to quite often. These rough swinging controls may turn off some players, but they do get better with practice.

 

The main design problem with Bionic Commando is that it doesn't decide what it wants to be. At points you bionic arm feels incredible and you can wipe a whole horde of enemies. At others, it feels slow and you're just too open to enemy fire. Guns are sometimes effective, but at other times, they seem to be unnecessary.

 

You have moves that can throw cars at enemies, or catch an enemy and hit it against the ground causing a shockwave, but you also have a zoomed aim to score headshots with a litte pistol.

 

It's so bizarre that you have such distincts levels of power in the same game, cause it's not like you can chose, cause there's the lack of a decent cover system and the enemies too spawn this different levels of power. At times you're fighting armed soldiers, but all of a sudden an armored or aerial enemy can bring things to the next level.

 

 

You have some special moves, but there's no move that can actually solve a combat quickly. That's not very comfortable because you know you have a massive weapon on your arm, you just don't have an effective punch or whip, and everytime you catch an enemy he's pretty quick to electrocute you.

 

The big problem here is even tough you're part machine, it's the human part that dies all the time. I gotta say, Bionic Commando is one of the games where I had the most silly deaths. Level boundaries are set with radiation and water, you can't pass trough radiation because of your arm and you can't swim, since your arm would sink, and that makes for some really ridiculous situations.

 

 

Besides that, levels are large and can be explored, altough the limits are a bit severe at times.

 

 

The graphics look incredible, nothing seems out of place and there's this very reallistic post apocalypse feel. You'd expect the scenarios to have little diversity considering the game is mostly in 'Ascension City', but you'll find plenty of different locations besides city ruins.

 

There's some great epic soundtrack to follow your adventure through the game, but at times you may hear the wrong music for a certain situation. For some reasons, at battles, there was this really calm background music playing, that it just didn't feel right.

 

Spencer could have some better lines for his voice over tough.

 

 

 

"Bionic Commando" is not exactly a long journey, and can be finished around eight hous without much trouble. There's multiplayer and some extra itens that can be collected for completion values, but there aren't a lot of extras besides a level select. You can also connect it with Bionic Commando Rearmed for something special.

 

It's a great adventure with a nice story and gameplay values. Capcom did a good job bringing the franchise back to where it belongs to.

 

 

 

+ Beautifully destroyed city
+ Crushing enemies like nothing is fun
+ Bionic Commando is back and it's great
+ The story does catch up with time