Last week we had a chance to see a ton of new content coming from Japanese powerhouse developer, Capcom; at their gamers-day event in Las Vegas, NV. Today we are going to focus our time on the remake of an old-school gaming classic that is sure to tug the heart strings of older gamers all around the world. The year was 1987; the system was the NES, and the game, Bionic Commando. This side scrolling action hit swung into gamers’ hearts and instantly became a “video game classic”. When Capcom announced a while back that they were remaking the classic franchise for next-generation systems there were mostly excited faces in the crowd. After spending a good bit of time with the game, checking out multiple different environments, we are really excited about what is coming out of this crazy development house. At this time it is unknown if fans will flock to the XBLA title Bionic Commando Rearmed or if the entirely new game will strike gold. The new Bionic Commando looks to be one hell of a remake and based on our time with it we cannot wait until E3 to see more.
Bionic Commando Rearmed is basically done, or at least the parts of the 2D side-scrolling game that we saw were. The developers have taken a classic, 8-bit, game and turned it into something that can easily stand up to other arcade titles on Xbox Live. The insanely difficult swinging parts are still there from the original but Capcom has added in a couple new features to help push not-so-talented gamers through the title. There is still no finite release date on Rearmed but it is assumed that it will be released before the new Bionic Commando, coming out for the Xbox 360, will. It is unfortunate that Rearmed is still just a classic title with a new face but for gamers that either love the original or have never played it picking up this XBLA title is a no brainer.
The first true sequel to the classic 1988 Nintendo Entertainment System original, Bionic Commando sees the return of the bionically enhanced Nathan "Rad" Spencer, voiced by Mike Patton, the former lead singer of Faith No More. Time has not been kind to Spencer: 10 years after his heroic defeat of the Imperials in the original game, he has been betrayed by the government he swore to serve, imprisoned for crimes he didn't commit, and sentenced to death. On the very day of Spencer's execution, terrorists detonate a massive experimental weapon in Ascension City, unleashing an intense earthquake that has turned the city into rubble and wiped out its population. With the terrain in ruins and the city's air defense grid now in the control of a massive terrorist force whose goal remains unclear, the FSA have only one option left - a behind-the-lines assault; the perfect job for a Bionic Commando.
The real star of the show when it came to swinging arms and insane level design was the next-gen version of Bionic Commando, created by the guys over at Grin Studios in Sweden. Basically the developers took a 2D gaming greatness and spun it into the 3D world, hoping to transfer over all that which made it such a great game in the first place. The first thing we instantly noticed after playing the preview build for just a few moments was the massive focus on the swinging technique. Considering this makes up a ton of the game we were hopeful that the developers could build something that was enjoyable and challenging at the same time. Everything in the world of Bionic Commando can be attached to using the main protagonist’s claw-like arm attachment.
At the event we were shown a couple different locations from the upcoming next-gen game and each one was massive in size, featuring a ton of things to reach out and swing off of. Although it did take a little time to master the swinging mechanic once we did it changed the entire way we played Bionic Commando. Everything in the level is a potential claw-attachment, just sitting there waiting for the player to figure out how to use it to their advantage. “People have been comparing us to the Spider-Man games, our game is nothing like that, there are tons of things you can do in our game that have never been seen in a Spider-Man title”, stated the game’s head producer. Trying to fit Bionic Commando into a specific genre would be like choosing one flavor of Skittles when you have an entire pack sitting right in front of you. It is obvious that the swinging mechanics are a major focus of the game but all of the elements that surround it are just as fun.
GRIN told us that the choice to take Bionic Commando into the realm of 3D was an obvious one, considering the power that next-generation consoles possess. We were curious to see how a classic 2D game would work in a full, 3D environment and are happy to see that it works quite well. The Bionic Commando universe seems like it was designed from the beginning to be in full 3D. Swinging, jumping, and shooting have never seemed more natural for any game’s protagonist. Because the game was still quite difficult the developers have thrown in a useful tutorial system meant to get players going quite quickly. We also got some time to check out the weapons system and it looks to be mighty useful, with weapons coming down to Nathan via space pods during the most intense battles.
The bleak colors of the game fit well with the back story but overall the graphics were coming together really nicely. Some of the levels were simply breath taking to look and because we were swinging/running/shooting through them it made it all the more fun. Considering Bionic Commando is still a ways off with a ship date of TBD there is a lot of polishing time for the developers to turn the game into something amazing. The little bit that we saw has us wanting to see (and play) more so stay tuned to PlanetXbox360 for more information (and an interview with GRIN) on the next-gen version of Bionic Commando.
Game Features:
- Use the bionic arm to swing between towering skyscrapers at breathtaking speed, hook onto distant objects, zip up on hanging girders and choose your own route through the game
- Explore anywhere - on land, in the air, or swinging from the top of 50-story skyscrapers - in a game that redefines 3D action
- Gameplay that moves through horizontal and vertical environments - a 3D game that truly uses all three dimensions
- Use the power of the bionic arm - and of next-gen physics - to realistically throw massive objects, pummel opponents, whip enemies into the air, or pull the landscape apart
- Arm yourself with a variety of weapons worthy of a Bionic Commando
- Starring Mike Patton, the former lead singer of Faith No More, as the voice of Nathan Spencer
- Published by Capcom, the makers of the Resident Evil and Street Fighter series as well as next-gen hits Lost Planet and Dead Rising
