 "Spider-Man with a rocket launcher" Links / Fixes / Saves |
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| Release Date: May 19, 2009 Platforms: PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 Played On: PlayStation 3 Genre: Third-Person Shooter, Platformer Developer: Grin Publisher: Capcom Rating: 8/10 Consensus: Play it before you die |
Bionic Commando is a reboot of a Capcom series from the 80's arcade era but was more famously known
for it's NES port. The series was not completely dormant before this release as this release proceeds
Bionic Commando Rearmed which launched one year prior; however, the last entry in the series before
Rearmed was a GBA game from 2000. Bionic Commando was panned at the time for it's linear structure,
edgy makeover of the protagonist and overall short length. These criticisms don't entirely stand up
to scrutiny in hindsight; yet, the internet and history as a whole have not re-evaluated this game
with a modern mindset leaving it as a maligned hidden gem. Gameplay: Bionic Commando revolves around the bionic arm of the protagonist Nathan Rad Spencer. The bionic arm serves many purposes throughout the game including but not limited to: traversal of the area, grabbing items from a distance, grabbing enemies and throwing them, reeling yourself into enemies to drop kick them, grabbing objects and hurling them at enemies and launching enemies into the air to juggle them with your firearms. Movement is very fluid, assuming you have sufficiently mastered the mechanics of swinging which mainly consists of timing when you let go of your current grapple point for maximum momentum conservation. The gunplay is less unique and more of what you would expect from a third person shooter from this gaming generation but it is responsive and feels good to play. There are a few lite-puzzle segments throughout the game but they are few and far between, most of what you will be doing throughout this game is eliminating groups of enemies, swinging towards the next setpiece and doing it again. The environments are varied and cater to the unique movement of the game very well.  Story: The story of Bionic Commando was often a victim of criticism from players at the time and that is not entirely an exageration. Bionic Commando has a very simple story which revolves around terrorists plotting to destroy the city. The story has a few unique twists and turns that fit it within the universe of Bionic Commando and the infamous ending nearly reaches Fallout 3-level laughability, but it's more than servicable for a game where action has always been the drawing factor. Hell, this series started in the arcade, it was rare that arcade games even had stories. Level Design: The environments in this game are well designed with lots of detail put into the immediate surroundings that the player can observe. One major criticism I have about the environments are the excessive and restrictive use of the radiation mechanic. Essentially, radiation is used as an excuse to have level boundaries. That is fine, but there were many instances in my playthrough where these boundaries are not precisely outlined (escpecially boundaries in the air) which lead to me taking a route that I expected to traverse without any trouble, only to be killed in mere seconds due to radiation. Graphics / Performance: Graphically, Bionic Commando still looks good. I played through on a PlayStation 3 so I cannot give any definitive critiques on how well it can look on PC but the game makes good use of lighting and since the game is linear and the levels are relatively small, there is no problem with having a nearly uncapped draw distance. On PlayStation 3, the framerate was very solid. Most of the time the game felt like it was hovering in the 40-50 range, sometimes it would reach 60 and other times it would dip to the 20s when there were many enemies on the screen. Not ideal for the movement heavy gameplay of Bionic Commando, but it was not unplayable. Sound Design: Bionic Commando is a really fun game to just listen to sometimes. Spencer is a likeable protagonist with his almost comedically sociopathic voicelines playing after killing an enemy. The enemies themselves have many different voicelines that react to your presence and change throughout the game as events unfold. The weapons are hit or miss, the pistol quite literally sounds like a pea shooter but is powerful. The Hiker shotgun sounds awesome and the other weapons more or less sound good but are not remarkable. The wind wooshing past you as you swing throughout the level is also extremely satisfying to hear. This game also has a great soundtrack. Some of the tracks remix loops from the original Bionic Commando and it is amazing. The track Enhanced Tunnel Vision is seriously one of the best video game songs ever, it always makes the combat exciting. Other notable tracks such as Flooded and Preparations are very good at matching the environment and what you are currently seeing with the whole terrorists blowing up the city setting and all. Replayability / Value: I can understand criticism towards this game for being too short but I can honestly only see that from the lens of the past. Yes, this game can be completed in under five hours. Yes, this game was $60 on launch day in America. Would I pay $60 for this game? Most likely not, but to say this is disengenuous since I rarely buy brand new video games for their full prices anyways. Currently the game is available via Steam for $9.99. I think that is a very good price for a AAA video game that is a fun weekend playthrough and is short enough and unique enough that replays in the future are definitely viable. This game also has a multiplayer component that is still playable on consoles due to it using peer 2 peer connections; however, it is a ghost town nowadays. The mechanics do lend themselves to competitive multiplayer but I don't think many people were giving games other than COD4 a chance back then. Review written by xekesz on 12/15/25 Box art retrieved from the Steam store page Screenshots are taken from my personal gameplay |
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