|
| |
Bionic Commando Rearmed Review
Written by: Grant Hatchimonji
This isn't your average remake.
Remakes or re-releases of classics are hot these days, what with the digital download services like Steam, Xbox Live Arcade, the Playstation Network, and the Wii's Virtual Console allowing for the digital purchase of games that would otherwise be too small of a package to release in retail. Many old-school titles have been given new life recently, including "The Secret of Monkey Island," "Turtles In Time," and "Marvel Vs. Capcom 2," but with these types of releases, one always needs to consider what sort of additions or changes are being made to the original game that make it worth spending money on an old-school game (in some cases, for the second time around). "Bionic Commando: Rearmed," a reboot of the classic "Bionic Commando," is available on XBLA, PSN, and Steam, and while the most noticeable difference is the completely redone visuals—which look stunning—there is much more below the very pretty surface that make it a purchase that is worth every penny.
In "BCR," you play as Nathan "Radd" Spencer, a military commando who has been sent behind enemy lines to discover the whereabouts of fellow special commando Super Joe. When the Federation discovered that the Imperialist Forces were developing a project that was known as "The Albatross," Joe was sent in to investigate, but then went missing. What makes playing as Spencer unique, however, is that he has a bionic arm that shoots out a grappling hook, which allows him to latch onto various surfaces to swing his way around levels, traversing pitfalls and avoiding traps while taking down enemy forces. The use of the bionic arm is the cornerstone of the gameplay, with some of the most challenging parts of the game revolving around intense and creative platforming.
The game's revamped graphics look absolutely incredible, adopting something of a 2.5-D setup; "BCR" is still a side-scrolling platformer that has you play on a 2-D plane, but the character models and environments are rendered in 3-D. This kind of set up is a great way to stay faithful to the source material while still giving it an update. Colors are bright and varied, and explosions also look fantastic, complete with heat distortion around the edges. Because of the dedication the programmers showed in their revamping of the game's visuals, the environments and level design—which are creative in and of themselves—are given a real sense of style and personality, with each of them distinct from the last.
The game's graphics are not the only facet of the game that demonstrate a true dedication to the revamping of "Bionic Commando"; the soundtrack has been given new life in the form of catchy techno and electronic songs. There are 14 different in-game songs, all of which are catchy and inspired enough to be listened to on their own—hence the soundtrack being released for download by Sumthing Else Music Works.
The greatest strength of "BCR" is also its only issue: the challenge. Being an old-school game, "BCR" brings a certain level of hair-pulling difficulty that you don't find in games very often these days. I don't know if gamers have gone soft or what, but the types of games that are so hard that their completion brings an overwhelming sense of satisfaction are few and far between nowadays. "BCR" helps remedy that issue by bringing some of the most challenging gameplay and platforming to the table that you'll ever experience, and for the most part, that's a great thing. Enemy AI is impressive, adopting tactics like dropping grenades on you from upper levels if they are alerted to your presence, and the game's level designs that require you to demonstrate expertise with your bionic arm are tough. But the best part is that it's not the type of challenge that feels cheap; nothing is impossible, it just requires skill and focus, not sheer luck.
That being said, "BCR" can still be freakishly hard, and sometimes to the point where you just have to give up. There are three initial difficulties: easy, medium, and hard, and being the hardcore gamer that I believe I am, I tried to start the game on hard. Huge mistake, and I have never felt worse about myself. I couldn't even get through the first level, but it wasn't for lack of trying. After about an hour and change, I finally gave in and switched to medium, which is still a pretty big challenge. I can appreciate the game's difficulty and while I never got too frustrated because, like I said, it's not cheap or unreasonable—just really, really hard—I can absolutely understand why most gamers could be unhappy with any setting higher than easy. I love having a game come along that's this tough, but it's a double-edged sword.
While I wouldn't consider it a flaw, it's also worth mentioning that the bionic arm element of the game is difficult to get used to. Firstly, you cannot jump in the game at all, and while I have read many a review that complain about this feature (or lack thereof), I think it makes perfect sense; add in the ability to jump and half the game's challenges that require you to use the bionic arm are nullified. Also, there are many nuances to using the hook that feel awkward at first, but eventually you become accustomed to. If you're just standing there, the default direction of the hook when you shoot it is diagonally upwards. To shoot it straight up or straight forward requires the simultaneous pressing of the respective direction. You will only swing, however, if you connect to a surface at an angle. Once swinging, you'll stay that way until you either press the direction you want to release, or press the hook button again to reel yourself in to whatever platform you're hanging from (at which point you can climb up, providing you're not blocked by any objects). This sounds simple, but the fact that pressing a direction is all that it takes to release your hook results in many, many accidental deaths as you will often be swinging along and suddenly detach your hook because you tapped a direction when you meant to stay swinging. The bionic arm is obviously what makes the game unique—and fun—but it takes a lot of practice to master, and if you don't have the patience, this game isn't for you.
There's more to "BCR" than just the single player missions, so should you get through them in spite of those challenges, there's still plenty more to the game. "BCR" scores big time on the value front, with tons of content to go along with what was clearly painstakingly hard work to completely revamp the original game. In this sense, it becomes apparent that this isn't some shoddy rehashing of a classic that was released just to make a quick buck, and that's satisfying for gamers who are looking to get their money's worth out of their games. Certain aspects, like the remade bosses, the addition of a new final level, and the tweaking of the health and bionic arm systems (you can now pick up barrels with your arm and throw them at enemies, or grab enemies and use them as human shields), show that programmers were trying to enhance and optimize the gameplay experience. Other elements, on the other hand, like the new content that comes in the form of multiplayer modes, challenge rooms, and medals, show that "BCR" is a worthwhile purchase in that you're getting more than just the original game with a few bells and whistles. At 10 bucks—the game was originally priced at 15 for PC, but has since been dropped—it's staggering how much you get here. The multiplayer features are offline and include some competitive modes, like Deathmatch, Last Man Standing, and Don't Touch the Floor (which has you swing around the map while trying to knock your opponents off), and there is also two player local co-op. The challenge rooms are a great addition for those who want to get more out of the single player experience, with 59 different challenges, all of which require masterful use of the bionic arm to complete (you are tasked with getting from point A to point B in all of them), and all of which are difficult but ultimately satisfying. The medals are the game's equivalent of achievements and while some gamers couldn't care less about them, I can proudly state that I'm an achievement whore, so I love that addition as well, which inspires you to try that much harder to do things like clear the entire Sewers stage without getting touched by the purple blob enemies. There's enough here to keep you busy for a good 20 hours, and that's more than you get with a lot of the full-priced games out there.
"Bionic Commando: Rearmed" may be a re-release, but there's so much to it that it can easily be considered its own entry in the "Bionic Commando" series; the only thing that makes it a re-release is that it remains faithful to the gameplay mechanics and story of the original. The single player element alone is worth the purchase, what with the challenge, reworked graphics, soundtrack, and subtle gameplay changes, but on top of that you get tons of new content, all of which are equally fun and worth checking out. If you're a fan of this re-released/re-imagined games phase that video games seem to be going through, you should be aware of the fact that "BCR" is quite possibly one of the best ones out there.
Score: 9.6/10
|
|
|
|
|
|
