Welcome to Video Game Roulette where I run a random number generator to pick a random game from my list of 1,000ish games that you can see here. Play that game for 3-5 hours accumulated, talk about the game’s core systems and see if it is a game I recommend!
For this weeks VGR I rolled the game Bionic Commando (2009). Bionic Commando (2009) is not the side scrolling one you may be thinking of from 1988 or even the Rearmed version from 2008. Bionic Commando is a Third Person Action Adventure squeal to the NES game.
“The first true sequel to the classic 1988 Nintendo Entertainment System original, Bionic Commando sees the return of the bionically-enhanced Nathan “R.A.D.” Spencer. Time has not been kind to Spencer: Five years after his heroic defeat of the Imperials, he has been betrayed by the government.”
-Bionic Commando Steam Page
You start the as a Bionic Solder named Nathan ” Rad” Spencer about to be put to death for betraying the government, but right before you execution a WMD goes off in the city and they need help from the half man half machine that you are. They let you know that a certain lady in your life is still alive and if you want to know where she is you will need to help. You are soon reunitied with the Bionic Arm that you use to ghost hand yourself and you’re well on your way to swing around like a badass and fix problems.
You start the game without your arm and first learn simple mechanics such as movement and shooting. Eventually you come to the tutorial and this is where you learn to use your arm and I had my first beef with this game. All the button prompts are in controller language even when playing mouse/KB. I had my controller plugged in but even when I unplugged it and relaunched the game, the buttons to hit were still controller prompts. But for modern day issues you have to have modern day solutions, so instead of memorizing which button goes with what, I took a screen shot of the controls and had them up on my second monitor. Annoying but it worked.
After the tutorial you are welcomed to a wonderland of destruction. There is radioactive stuff down below and to the sides of the linear path that will quickly dispense of you if you find your self drowning in it, but that doesn’t matter because ho – ly – crap I’m spiderman with guns. Swinging from steel beam to steel beam is a ton of fun albeit not as fluid as modern day spiderman but still very fun. Don’t fall in the water without a grapple point cause you will drown due to the developers not wanting to design around water your arm being too heavy.
The mini-bosses I came to took me a little extra time to find out how to kill. Just like in all video games ever there is always a weakness you can exploit. It took me a while after running out of bullets on how to find out how to dispatch of the beast as they have a giant shield you can not shoot passed. Once you learn the trick though, they become a cake walk.
This game really likes to give you enemies and bosses to fight that make you have to think about weak points. If you look close enough you will be able to spot the weaknesses but the exploration to find them can be frustrating. You will die and find enemies impossible but just like with anything, you just have to try again.
Conclusion
Bionic Commando may not be a perfect game, it has the charm of many games from the aughts with physic engines and stories that don’t take themselves too serious. I found myself having a lot of fun swinging around from point to point and looking for creative ways to get to the enemies. The combat is really not that good, the shooting is simple for M/KB and the story is cheesy; But god damn it’s fun to swing around feeling like a bad ass and if you smack into a wall or fall into the water it’s your fault as the game doesn’t guide you like it does in Marvel’s Spiderman. Now the only thing left to ask is; when will we get a 3D Ninja 5-0, eh Konami?
Bionic Commando (2009)
Year: 2009 (PC + Console)
Game developed by: Grin (now defunct)
Game published by: Capcom
Platforms: Windows, PS3, Xbox 360
Played on: Windows
NobleThief owns too many video games and needs an excuse to play them.
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