You ever have that moment where you can't think of an intro for a review, so you decide to just reuse an intro you used from a previous one? Yeah, that.
Over the many years that they have been a company, Capcom has created many franchises, with them still making entries for a good number of them to this very day. However, there have been plenty of franchises they have made that they let slowly die over the years with a major lack of releases, such as Dino Crisis, Dead Rising, and Strider. And out of all of their dead franchises, Bionic Commando is certainly one that existed at one point.
When it comes to the original Bionic Commando made for the arcades, I can say that I didn't really like my time with it. I can see what it is trying to do, and it does have some value to it when it comes to experimentation, but it didn't win me over with how it was executed.
The story is pretty standard for an 80s action setting like this, the graphics are pretty good for the arcade, the music isn't too noteworthy, but it can be a good listen, the control is somewhat hard to get a grasp of, but you can get the hang of it after a bit, and the gameplay is pretty standard for a 2D shooter, but the gimmicks that it utilizes are unique for the time, but not really what I would prefer.
Like I mentioned, it is your standard arcade 2D side-scrolling shooter, where you move from left to right, shooting enemies, getting items to upgrade your arsenal, and defeat bosses. All of this works as you would expect, and despite the fact that the game is pretty damn hard, it is to be expected because it is an arcade game. The main problem that I have with the game, and the one that makes me not like it that much, is the main gimmick: the bionic arm.
You can't jump in this game. Instead, you use your arm to pull yourself up onto platforms, as well as swinging yourself onto other platforms that you wouldn't be able to reach otherwise. Now, on paper, this is actually a pretty cool idea, giving you a different way of maneuvering around levels that other games at the time wouldn't do. In execution, however, it is extremely awkward and frustrating. The hit detection on most surfaces is clear to where you can grapple onto them easily, but a good number of times, it won't properly detect your arm, or it will throw you not far enough when swinging. With those limitations presented, coupled again with the amount of enemies you deal with and the difficulty, it is more frustrating then anything. Thankfully, the game is really short, so you don't have to deal with it for that long.
Overall, while I do appreciate what it is trying to do, it just does not work with me, and without too much else to make it stand out, it doesn't seem like it would be worth your time. I just hope that future games in the series executes this idea better.
Game #91
Over the many years that they have been a company, Capcom has created many franchises, with them still making entries for a good number of them to this very day. However, there have been plenty of franchises they have made that they let slowly die over the years with a major lack of releases, such as Dino Crisis, Dead Rising, and Strider. And out of all of their dead franchises, Bionic Commando is certainly one that existed at one point.
When it comes to the original Bionic Commando made for the arcades, I can say that I didn't really like my time with it. I can see what it is trying to do, and it does have some value to it when it comes to experimentation, but it didn't win me over with how it was executed.
The story is pretty standard for an 80s action setting like this, the graphics are pretty good for the arcade, the music isn't too noteworthy, but it can be a good listen, the control is somewhat hard to get a grasp of, but you can get the hang of it after a bit, and the gameplay is pretty standard for a 2D shooter, but the gimmicks that it utilizes are unique for the time, but not really what I would prefer.
Like I mentioned, it is your standard arcade 2D side-scrolling shooter, where you move from left to right, shooting enemies, getting items to upgrade your arsenal, and defeat bosses. All of this works as you would expect, and despite the fact that the game is pretty damn hard, it is to be expected because it is an arcade game. The main problem that I have with the game, and the one that makes me not like it that much, is the main gimmick: the bionic arm.
You can't jump in this game. Instead, you use your arm to pull yourself up onto platforms, as well as swinging yourself onto other platforms that you wouldn't be able to reach otherwise. Now, on paper, this is actually a pretty cool idea, giving you a different way of maneuvering around levels that other games at the time wouldn't do. In execution, however, it is extremely awkward and frustrating. The hit detection on most surfaces is clear to where you can grapple onto them easily, but a good number of times, it won't properly detect your arm, or it will throw you not far enough when swinging. With those limitations presented, coupled again with the amount of enemies you deal with and the difficulty, it is more frustrating then anything. Thankfully, the game is really short, so you don't have to deal with it for that long.
Overall, while I do appreciate what it is trying to do, it just does not work with me, and without too much else to make it stand out, it doesn't seem like it would be worth your time. I just hope that future games in the series executes this idea better.
Game #91