Bionic Commando

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My first day of playing this game yielded anger and frustration. I had a hard time attaching the wire and swinging where it didn't feel like I was just beating around, not to mention the screen gets all red when you start dying which makes it harder to see whats going on. I played the second day and was much better swinging by working the right stick better. Now I feel like I have a pretty good handle on the mechanics and have beaten it through once. All games have problems you will get tired of as does this game, but once you can control him you get a much better experience than initially. It has a learning curve without question, and now I am glad cause I appreciate it much more. Bottom line great game, entertaining, top-notch graphics. I highly recommend this game just don't expect to pick up the controller for the first time and be a pro. Stick with it and you'll get it down cold. Also the arm has plenty of beat down moves, I only use bullets to complete in game challenges so be ready to get your mechanical hand dirty. If you liked any of the BC series this one will definitely blow your hair back. (Don't let the nay sayers who can't adapt discourage you from this game)

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The critical reception to Bionic Commando was anything but kind. The PS3 version of the game is sitting on GameRankings with an aggregate score of 72%. I've seen games get the short shrift before, but never so much as Bionic Commando. I have a small confession to make; I'm only halfway through the game, but I'm so enamored with it that I couldn't wait to write a review. Here's the breakdown:

Graphics: Stunning throughout. Animations seem realistic (considering the subject matter at least) and environments are breathtaking. Not much to say because there's nothing to complain about.

Story: I've heard that this aspect takes some criticism; apparently the ending is love it or hate it. I'm enjoying the story partly because of the effective voice-acting. Steve Blum always puts on a good performance, and he's effective here as Super-Joe. I'm not familiar with the VA for the main character, but he certainly does a good job of making me believe he's enjoying the swinging as much as I amwhich brings us to...

Gameplay: There's nothing else on the market like BC. It's not an FPS or even a standard 3rd person shooter. The main focus is on effective use of the bionic arm. The result has been compared to the Spider-man games, but such a comparison leaves out the nuances that BC brings to the table. First of all, the level design is superb. Whereas the Spider-man levels games are typically limited to swinging around the same old skyscrapers, BC's levels are filled with all kinds of broken buildings, suspended railways, caverns, and more. Even if the mechanics of the swinging were identical, the game would play much differently. But the swinging requires more precision than SM. Some players make the mistake of giving the game five minutes and deciding it sucks. It takes a bit of practice to get the hang of using the arm, but once you've got it, you're in for some gameplay gold. The reason the game "works", in my opinion, is that it doesn't focus on split-second reactions and near-impossible jumps. Instead, the emphasis is on tactics. How does one effectively navigate the war-torn landscape and attack ones' foes while evading their gun-fire? Answering this question is the job of the player. Using the arm, for instance, to swing into battle and then swing out to recover is a rewarding experience. The boss battles, in particular, do a fantastic job of highlighting the difference between this game and your vanilla third person game.

Sound: WOW! If you're familiar with the themes from past BC games, you'll recognize some remixed themes. This soundtrack, however, is simply outstanding. From the elegant piano theme in the main menu to the thundering symphonic arrangements during battle, these pieces do much to elevate the gameplay to something truly special. On a related note, I intend to do some serious searching for the sheet music to the menu music; I would love to play that on the piano.

Let's talk downsides for two seconds. I've heard a lot of criticisms, and these are the two that I deem to be accurate:

1) Radioactive out-of-bounds. Linear games have the difficult task of creating some means to provide limits to the environments. The standard but laughable solution of times past has been the familiar "invisible wall". BC tries something new by simply killing the player if they stray out-of-bounds for too long. It is explained that much of the city is irradiated and that our protagonist must avoid this stuff like the plague. Most of the time, this radiation is clear enough to see. But those few times it surprises you can get pretty annoying. This solution to an old problem might even be elegant if well-implemented, but there are some weird choices here. Sometimes, the UPPER HALF of a building will be irradiated. Usually, level limits are lateral in natural, so coming across this can be vexing.

2) Collectables. See, you're gonna die a lot; this isn't an easy game (on Normal, at least). Most games don't make you re-collect collectables if you die before reaching the next checkpoint. Well, BC does. Get used to it.

These cons are really quite minor in comparison to the fantastic gameplay on offer. Every major aspect of BC screams high production values, and the gameplay offers something truly novel and rewarding. The price of BC has plummeted in most places. I found it new for 20 dollars. Don't believe the critics; Bionic Commando is an astonishing accomplishment.

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First of all, the story.

It's kind of cool. The hero is sent to jail for life, then bad guys attack the city with a lot hell nuclear power, then the hero is released from jail and suddenly he is the only hope, the original, the BIONIC COMMANDO.

Controls are hard at the beginning, mastering the swing is hard but in my case, after I worked it for a while I got it pretty nice.

I find the picture quality very nice at 720P. The concept of a destroyed city, very big place to explore (careful with the radiation and the SNIPERS) is awesome.

The things that you can do with the Bionic Arm are awesome, attack skills that you will get as you progress through the game.I just bought the game and I'm still playing the single player missions and all I can say is that it's fun, I recommend it.

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It is a great game. I don't know why it got such reviews. It's difficult? Yeah. You're going to die a lot? Yeah. But the idea is NOT TO GET KILLED. If you fall and die, it was your fault. The controls are responsive, the production values are really high, and probably the biggest concern would the the story. But what would you expect from the concept of a guy who has a bionic arm who is fighting bio-terrorists? There's not much you can dig on that.

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I did my research on this before getting it and all you ever see is people complaining about how this game is "too hard!" oh noes!

Look, it's not that bad. The only thing I can deduce from these people is that they are simply too lazy to practice and get better at this game. If that is the case then please go back to playing Call of Duty.Sometimes that is completely the problem with games today; they hardly feel as challenging as they used to. As much as I enjoy playing fps there are too many of them nowadays. Bionic Commando breaks out of that same pattern.

That being said this game is a lot of fun with some practice. After you get the hang of things, probably after playing through it once, then you can go back and have a whole lot more fun getting the collectibles and beating it on a harder difficulty.

I found out about this because of Mike Patton (voice of Bionic Commando, Nathan 'Rad' Spencer) as I am a big fan of the Darkness I&II as he was also the voice of the Darkness. I was cracking up at his voiceover all the way through the game so if you like Mike Patton (Faith No More, Mr Bungle, etc) then def get it.

If you want a different kind of game than the usual then def get it. It can be frustrating at times but once you get used to the controls you won't have a problem.

-Stephanie, 20 (obsessive gamer and Patton fiend)