Game Debate #194: Bionic Commando

[Reed Rothchild | 9,526]

[cj_robot | 542]

Ok, this is one of those games I often see being regarded as a classic, but I just never could get into it. I've been kind of surprised actually, recently revisiting many old NES games I missed out on, to realize just how janky many of Capcom's games were.

The grappling hook mechanic never bothered me much, although it obviously takes a bit to get used to. The game just never clicked with me. I spent a lot of time with the GameBoy Color remake as well back when it was new and, try as I might, just couldn't get any enjoyment out of it either.

5/10

Never played Rearmed.

[Sumez | 2,951]

Both very good games. 

I think especially for its age, the NES Bionic Commando is really surprisingly good at designing the entire game around easing the player into a mechanic that's likely extremely unfamiliar to them. On the first stage you'll probably faff around clumsily with the grappling hook barely making it over ledges, while on the final stage, you're slinging yourself across chasms like an expert. It's not a favourite of mine, but it's decently high on my NES top list. 

Also, hurling yourself off that ledge to fire a precisely timed bazooka right into Hitlers face is so god damn satisfying. 

Edited March 7 by Sumez

[G-type | 2,481]

this is on my backlog... minus 1 point for not being able to jump.

[wongojack | 214]

I just never really enjoyed the side-scrolling platformer genre.  I didn't want to be jumping on turtles or collecting . . . stuff.  I appreciate jumping and running if it helps me get somewhere, but not as the central game mechanic.  So for me, Bionic Commando was a refreshing change from so many of the other games on the NES.  If you had asked me in junior high, I probably would have said it was my favorite game of all time (maybe).  I gave it a 10 out of 10 on this poll and it is easily in my top 5 NES games.

Because of my love for the original, I took playing the Rearmed games very seriously.  It took me a while, but I finally finished all the challenge levels on Bionic Commando Rearmed a few years ago.  Those were very hard - I think I've said before that I can't recommend playing them unless you hate yourself.  They do however turn BC Rearmed into something other than just a reskin and give the player A LOT of replay options.  The extra difficulty levels for the main quest don't hurt either.  I also gave it a 10 out of 10 on this poll.  It is a bit hard to get working on Steam these days though and never made it off the PS3/360 AFAIK.

Bonus comment for Bionic Command Rearmed 2.  Some criticize it for letting you jump and others for not offering the same tiered difficulty of the first Rearmed game.  I enjoyed my time with BC Rearmed 2 and went through and completed some of the optional challenges.  There's definitely less to it than its predecessor, but it is still fun (and easier to get running in 2024).  I'd give it a 7 out of 10.

[mbd39 | 2,020]

4/10

I just don't think it's fun at all.

 

Edited March 8 by mbd39

[docile tapeworm | 4,198]

Never could get into it.

[guitarzombie | 924]

Great music, one of the best end credit music on the NES and the greatest NES ending of all time.  Plus awesome engrish.  One I didn't grow up with but loved afterwards.  Re-armed was a really well done remake, that gives you a bit more at the very end to make it not a completely 1:1 game.

[JamesRobot | 5,800]

10/9

Bionic Commando is def one of the thirty games or so on my top 10 Nintendo list.  Might even be a legit top 10.  For anyone that can't get into it, I'd encourage you to spend some real time with it.  Learning the mechanic is legitimately satisfying and will give you that pro-gamer feeling by the time you are swinging across the later levels.

Rearmed is fantastic too.  Pretty much a modern skinned version of the game with some general improvements.  Really fun.  Gotta dock it a point since I can't really play it anywhere.

Spoiler

 

[rdrunner | 422]

Original 10/10 - So many memories of this game.  Never owned it until later in life, but I rented it a ton.  Started out by getting confused about the stage numbering and skipped the neutral areas in favor of doing area 2 just after 1 (should have read the manual).  Took turns with friends trying to do the hardest swing combos and together we slowly reached the final 3 stages, though I ended up beating the game myself from there.  The final stage is one of the best on the NES!

I also loved this game enough to speedrun it.  I wasn't the best at it, but I could still reach the ending in under 19 minutes.

Rearmed 9/10 - I have this on X360 and really enjoyed it.  As people have said, it's a nice remaster that does a lot of things well.  I also beat all of the challenge rooms, which while they were not the highlight, they are definitely great extra content for people who like that sort of thing.

Haven't played Rearmed 2 yet, but based on what I've heard, I'm not in a hurry.

[NostalgicMachine | 235]

OG is an 8/10 for me.

I've never played the new one, but I'd like to try it!

[AirVillain | 489]

8 for me.

Once you "learn" how to use grapple as a jump then the game becomes fun. It's a bit of a learning curve but once you master that the game becomes enjoyable.

 

On 3/8/2024 at 3:47 PM, G-type said:

this is on my backlog... minus 1 point for not being able to jump.

I used to think that as well, until I wrapped my brain around the fact that the grapple mechanism IS your jump.

Like I said above, once you get over the initial awkwardness of the control, and can learn to use the grapple as more of a non-traditional "jump", then the game becomes much more enjoyable.

[Sumez | 2,951]

It's definitely one of those games you just can't possibly judge at a glance. You need to get into it and get comfortable with it before it's able to click at all. Each stage is also so massively different, you haven't really gotten a good impression of what the game has to offer until you have played every single one of them.

As far as criticisms go, I think the game's overall structure feels rushed. They wanted to go for a light-RPG experience with the map that allows you to pick areas and acquire equipment to proceed in other areas, but it doesn't really have too much of an effect, and usually feels more like a hassle.

The game is pretty ruthless regarding deaths, as well. You start the game with no continues at all, and as you're learning the ropes you will die a lot. If you game over it's back to the very start, which makes it kinda hard to get any headway initially. But once you make it to those top-down Commando throwback stages, you'll get a continue every time you play them - and they are extremely easy and can be replayed as much as you want, for practically infinite continues, so at this point running out of lives just becomes a non-issue instead. It's a really odd mechanic, and however it was intended to work - that's not how it works.

 

I think that's one point in Rearmed's favor. It definitely does a much better job at easing the player into the game. Anyone who bounced off on the original the NES game, should consider giving the remake a try.

Edited March 11 by Sumez

[CMR | 520]

On 3/10/2024 at 3:49 PM, NostalgicMachine said:

OG is an 8/10 for me.

I've never played the new one, but I'd like to try it!

Same.  I got mine at Toys R' Us BITD.  Just another classic NES game that needed a SNES sequel.

[rdrunner | 422]

7 hours ago, CMR said:

Just another classic NES game that needed a SNES sequel.

Yeah, though I do like the two portable versions.

[RegularGuyGamer | 2,013]

On 3/11/2024 at 2:58 AM, Sumez said:

But once you make it to those top-down Commando throwback stages, you'll get a continue every time you play them - and they are extremely easy and can be replayed as much as you want, for practically infinite continues, so at this point running out of lives just becomes a non-issue instead. It's a really odd mechanic, and however it was intended to work - that's not how it works.

Great point actually. This is a 8/10 for me but, yeah you nailed it with the weird continue mechanic. 

[Dr. Morbis | 2,088]

On 3/11/2024 at 12:58 AM, Sumez said:

It's definitely one of those games you just can't possibly judge at a glance. You need to get into it and get comfortable with it before it's able to click at all. Each stage is also so massively different, you haven't really gotten a good impression of what the game has to offer until you have played every single one of them.

As far as criticisms go, I think the game's overall structure feels rushed. They wanted to go for a light-RPG experience with the map that allows you to pick areas and acquire equipment to proceed in other areas, but it doesn't really have too much of an effect, and usually feels more like a hassle.

The game is pretty ruthless regarding deaths, as well. You start the game with no continues at all, and as you're learning the ropes you will die a lot. If you game over it's back to the very start, which makes it kinda hard to get any headway initially. But once you make it to those top-down Commando throwback stages, you'll get a continue every time you play them - and they are extremely easy and can be replayed as much as you want, for practically infinite continues, so at this point running out of lives just becomes a non-issue instead. It's a really odd mechanic, and however it was intended to work - that's not how it works.

 

I think that's one point in Rearmed's favor. It definitely does a much better job at easing the player into the game. Anyone who bounced off on the original the NES game, should consider giving the remake a try.

You're analysis is spot on, but everything that is "wrong" with Bionic Commando is what makes it so interesting and unique.  That's what I love about the NES era: that willingness to just throw stuff at the wall and see if any of it would stick.  Sometimes it did, but even when it didn't the end result would often be a game that was not quite like any other.

Is there another game out there that has a continue feature that is identical to Bionic Commando's?  Probably not, but that's totally fine with me...

[CMR | 520]

13 hours ago, rdrunner said:

Yeah, though I do like the two portable versions.

I think the original GB game is awesome, but I wasn't really impressed with the GBC game.  Maybe I'll give it another go.

[Sumez | 2,951]

3 hours ago, Dr. Morbis said:

You're analysis is spot on, but everything that is "wrong" with Bionic Commando is what makes it so interesting and unique.  That's what I love about the NES era: that willingness to just throw stuff at the wall and see if any of it would stick

I agree completely with this, especially about the whole NES era in general.

I think they could have kept those unique parts and made them better though - maybe for a sequel. The Game Boy game which is halfway one is weird in similar ways. 

[glazball | 169]

I gave it a 9/10.  It's in my Top 10 NES games for sure.  The game mechanics are second nature to me, having played it so much bitd, but I could totally understand why someone picking it up now may not get into it.  I also played the reboot which was one of my first PS3 games, and it wasn't so great.  Haven't checked out Rearmed.