Bionic Commando Rearmed – 360 – Review

With the recent generation of games
consoles, downloading your favorite retro game is as easy as keying in a credit
card number and clicking “Buy.” The content was so good this summer that Xbox
heralded its recent releases as part of the Summer of Games. A great summer,
indeed. One of the best downloadable games ever dropped on both the Xbox Live
Market Place and Sony’s PSN Network. Look out Spidey, say hello to our new
swingin’ friend.

Bionic Commando was originally the
hardest of hardcore platformers from the NES days. Its Contra-like shooter
mechanics combined with an interesting swinging mechanic gave the game its very
own style. Heck, you couldn’t even jump. Take that Mario.

But this remake by Capcom not only
adds new content and graphics, but also maintains what was great about the
original. The premise is simple: Super Joe has been captured by some unnamed
country (that are known as The Imperials) who are working on something evil.
Enter Nathan “Radd” Spencer to save the day. His bionic arm allows him to swing
from platform to platform, deflect bullets, and, later in the game, pull enemies
close and use them as human shields.

The mechanic is extremely fun and
especially rewarding once you master it. There are tons of unlockable goodies,
like secret rooms and extra lives, sprinkled throughout levels. And when you
master the timing of swinging across spiked floors, robots, and endless chasms,
your nimble commando will be rewarded.

The levels are split up into mostly
platforming, and a few missions in a isometric 3D environment where you just
have to make it to the end and blow up a truck. These 3D missions are the
weakest of the game, but also help to relieve some of the extreme tension built
up towards the end of the game.

At the end of every level, you’ll
face a boss. Every one tests a unique ability of Nathan’s bionic powers. One
boss requires you to deflect mechanical arms coming at you from all angles,
before swinging up and shooting the operator. All of the bosses require quick
relaxes and mastered timing – hard, but rewarding.

That being said, this game is based
on trial and error. Something some will love, others will feel to be outdated.
What Capcom has preserved, like its predecessor, is the classic difficulty. I
commend Capcom for sticking to their guns and keeping this game hard. If you’re
going to remake a classic game from the NES days, you better keep its most
essential part. If you just played Braid (another XBLA title), then you’ll be
wishing you had the rewind button here. You get three lives to do a mission, and
if you fail, you have to restart the level: no save checkpoints. Bionic
Commando: Trial and Error should have been the subtitle. And while the
difficulty does increase towards the end of the game, it also becomes that much
more rewarding.

One of my favorite parts of the
game, though, is the updated look and the remixed music. The graphics were given
an HD overhaul and have come out to be truly remarkable. While it is a 2D
platformer, everything else – from character animations to building in the
background to boss fights at the end – has been given an elaborate 3D makeover,
while still retaining a classic look. Similarly, the music takes the classic
8-bit tunes and turns them into awesome, techno beats.

What is best about this game,
though, is the amount of content you get for $10 (that’s right, ten bucks!).
After you beat the lengthy single-player campaign (6-10 hours depending on your
ability level), there are over 50 challenge rooms that test your swinging
skills. Also, there is a two player offline co-op that makes the game just as
exciting with a friend to play with, and a four-player versus mode that, while
not totally fleshed out, is still an added bonus.

Did I mention that this game has a
great sense of humor? It pokes fun at the original game, while showing much
respect. Doesn’t that make it the perfect remake? I think so.

Gameplay:
9.0
Retains the classic
gameplay and makes it stronger. Swinging is an absolute blast once you the hang
of it, and the upgraded abilities throughout give multiple ways to kill enemies.

Graphics: 10
The visuals are
incredible, from background oil rigs to underground furnaces. The boss fights
are also very impressive.

Sound: 9.5
The remixed tunes
are great and simultaneously retro and hip.

Difficulty:
Hard
The increasingly
hard difficulty might put some off, but stick with it for a great payoff.

Concept: 10
I only wish more
developers would remake games as good as this.

Multiplayer:
8.0
I was not expecting
multiplayer at all, but the co-op was another added treat.

Overall: 9.5
Bionic Commando:
Rearmed is the perfect remake, retaining all of the things that made the
original great, but making those things fresh again. For $10, this game is an
absolute steal.