Let me start off by saying I’ve never played the original Bionic Commando. Hell, I didn’t know it even existed until a friend heard about this remake and had to tell everyone how happy he was, whether they cared or not. I guess I was too busy playing Excitebike, Ghost n’ Ghouls, and Mario to really give two shits back in the day. Hell, it could be that I was only seven when I owned an original NES (I really wouldn’t consider that the age of a gamer in his/her prime). So it is with this week’s release of Bionic Commando Rearmed on the Xbox 360 Arcade that I get my first crack at this “classic.”
What is most appealing about this game is that it isn’t just a port of the NES original. GRIN has gone in and retouched everything. The graphics have been given a three-dimensional overhaul, a physics engine has been implemented, and bosses have been completely redone to the point of no longer being cheap. No rock was left unturned when GRIN approached this project, delivering a highly polished final product.
The story follows Nathan “R.A.D.” Spencer on his first mission into the Imperialist (Nazis) camp to rescue a fellow agent, Super Joe. Once you get over the horribly cheesy names of the characters you will realize the story is just a vehicle to use a robot arm and kill Nazis. I’ve never really come across a form of entertainment involving Nazis that I didn’t like the premise to. So if nothing else, Bionic Commando Rearmed delivers when it comes to giving players a purpose.
However, besides being able to kill Nazis, my experience with BCR was rather underwhelming. While swinging with your bionic arm is entertaining, both in premise and execution, there isn’t enough variety to the arm to keep me interested throughout the entire game, even with all new moves added to Rearmed. The controls are also extremely frustrating for a novice player like me. I felt like I could never do precisely what I wanted with the arm which lead to many deaths and having to restart levels over and over.
This becomes even more apparent when you encounter boss battles in Bionic Commando Rearmed. It is at this point where you understand how vital pin-point controls with the bionic arm are to this game. Sadly, if you don’t have them from the word “go,” you’re screwed. Even the first boss was a headache inducing nightmare because I couldn’t get Nathan to do exactly what I wanted, when I wanted, resulting in failure.
However, for people naturally gifted at the mechanics of Bionic Commando Rearmed you will find much to like in this title. If single player gets boring, snag a friend and power through the game co-op style on a single Xbox. But take my word of warning; when two players get separated the game shifts to a split-screen view and if you’re unfortunately in the midst of swinging, prepare to fall to your doom. Also included are a number of obstacle courses to test your skills with the bionic arm and four player deathmatch.
Bionic Commando Rearmed is a fantastic deal, no doubt about it. Players will find plenty of options and game types to keep them busy for weeks, all for a measly ten dollars (800 Microsoft Points). However, for new players to the franchise your experience with BCR might not be so hot if you aren’t already invested in the nostalgia of the original game.
Crave Online Rating: 7 out of 10
