Bionic Commando: Rearmed Re-review

You’d think that after 20 years of technology expansion and human evolution, a man could learn how to jump. Nope. Not Captain Spencer of Capcom’s Bionic Commando fame. Bionic Commando: Rearmed is a remake of the classic 2D game released in 1988. It’s at heart the same game but renewed with gorgeous graphics, fluid animations, cool music, and a slick art style. I was born that year too, so no, I never played the original. But now at 20, I’m proud to say that I’ve played the re-release. And I’ll go back and replay it. Damn, that’s a lot of “re’s”.

Ok, I’m not bashing the game for not having a jump button/mechanic. Though at first it does feel frustrating and unnatural. We gamers like to jump in our games. And apparently, if a modern shooter doesn’t feature jumping, then it’s automatically bad. Not necessarily the case for BC: R since its a fresh and fun departure from the norm.

As the “Bionic Commando”, Spencer’s (player character) bionic arm is the key to your survival, progression, and success. You’ll utilize the arm to traverse the platform-heavy environments non-stop. So getting used to the style is important, and may take some time. Pressing the O or B button (depending which system you play it on) you’ll shoot your grappling hook-like arm at a forward angle. By pressing the corresponding D-Pad direction and the O/B button you can aim forward and up. Once the arm attaches to an object, be it a suspended platform or barrel, you press O/B again to reel in. This is how you elevate and swing on the map, reel in barrels, and eventually deflect projectiles.

While you’re hanging from a platform you can swing in either direction to reach other platforms. If your destination is far away, you’ll have to swing and jump (attaching to objects in between) to get there. And as you swing-jump consecutively, you gain momentum in that direction. It’s daunting at first, but eventually you’ll come to notice that the level design is perfectly spaced and situated to the platforming nuances. Become a pro at it and you’ll feel like a better person, with more to give the world no doubt.

Aside from platforming, you press X/A to shoot whatever firearm you have equipped. You can only shoot forward though (and crouch-shoot), not up, diagonally, nor down! It pissed me off a few times, however looking back, it’s some sort of balancing design scheme…in a sadistic and sick way only Capcom could get away with.

When it comes to graphics and sound design, you really can’t complain. Especially on the visual front. Capcom did an amazing job with the attention to detail for the animations, lighting, and textures. It sure is a sight to behold. The sound in the game is top notch as well, fitting effects, quick-charismatic ad-libs, and awesome retro-inspired music. The only downside to the sound is that the soundtrack isn’t deep and there are no voice overs. But still the writing is so good that it shouldn’t bother you. I actually think it’s better that they kept it out.

You can play the story mode solo, or with a friend. But there’s no online co-op and if you start a game alone, a buddy can’t drop in and play with you. The save files for solo and co-op are different so you’ll have to start from the beginning if you want to play together (and vice versa). A cool thing about the co-op is that the screen automatically splits if you and your buddy separate too far from one another (either horizontally or vertically depending on the situation/area).

There are about 20 levels in all to play through with 4-5 of those being safe zones to find keys that unlock new enemy zones. As you travel – by helicopter – to the next level, you often encounter enemy convoys. During these special levels, the camera takes a sky-cam type angle (in opposition to normal side scrolling) in which you’ll have to progress north and destroy the main vehicle.

Along the way, you’ll discover new weapons (shotguns, grenades to laser guns) and power-ups (damage resistance - bionic arm upgrades). It took my brother and I about 6-7 hours (we’re completists) to complete the campaign, but it can be finished quicker than that depending on your play style. Even though it’s lengthy for a downloadable game by the end you wish there were more to play making it feel short.

But no matter how quick you can beat it, the ending is definitely one of the most satisfying to ever grace a game. Trust me.

Apart from the story mode there is added multiplayer. You can select various heroes and villains from the game (everyone has a bionic arm) and duke it out in deathmatch style modes. There’s a good number of maps as well, each containing power-ups and weapons that spawn in random places. It was pretty fun, but would be much better if you could take it online.

Another thing that’s very much worth mentioning is the difference between the PS3 and 360 versions of the game. Personally, I purchased and played it on the PS3 because it has exclusive “Challenge Rooms” which are tough platforming trials that pit you against a 30 second timer. It’s really fun and “challenging". Unfortunately the 360 version doesn’t have this feature. Maybe because of the size restrictions Microsoft places on arcade games. Also, the 360’s unresponsive d-pad can often become a liability considering it is the prime and most comfortable way to control side scrollers. Besides those distinctions (though big) both versions have achievements (well the PS3’s doesn’t exactly have official trophy support but there are “medals” to unlock), multiplayer, co-op, and a database which is an in-game encyclopedia for every item, character, and weapon detailed.

The bottom line is: Get this game! For $9.99/ 800 MP this download is a steal. Both versions are worthy. If you own both systems I recommend the PS3 version, unless you’re that much of an achievement whore to disregard more gameplay.