A classic is reborn in Bionic Commando Rearmed!

Sponsor Links

Check out Roogoo at:
www.Roogoo.com

Aug. 13 2:09 PM by Tae Kim

EDITOR'S NOTE: Reviewer Tae K. Kim played both the Xbox Live and PSN versions of the game and found no discernible differences in the core gameplay. The PSN version does have remote play enabled so you can play it on your PSP, which is pretty sweet. But regardless of which platform you play it on, it's awesome.

The original Bionic Commando on the NES remains one of my favorite games of all time, so I was pretty geeked for Rearmed. After playing it, I'm happy to report that Capcom did me proud by delivering an awesome update to the classic game that's worth every penny of the purchase price.

I really hope other publishers who own classic franchises are paying attention: this is how you revitalize classic games to meet today's standards. Capcom basically went in and gave Bionic Commando the "Six Million Dollar Man" treatment: they rebuilt it with bigger and better technology. The graphics got a very noticeable facelift and the gameplay received all sorts of amazing tweaks. You still have to use your grappling hook to get places--I guess asking Capcom to incorporate a jump button and redesign all of the environmental puzzles was too much to ask for--but you now have access to a whole bunch of new tricks like being able to toss grenades and pick up objects with your claw to hurl them around.

The levels were also redesigned to include secret areas; if you played the original, you'll feel right at home but do a little exploring and you'll definitely be rewarded. The addition of timed challenges was also a nice touch and I can't wait to see the user videos showcasing expert claw techniques that are sure to crop up after the game's launch. Oh, and that's not even mentioning the cool 2-player co-op version, which I hope more classic games incorporate: co-op Mega Man, maybe?

Capcom really did a great job of walking the fine line between paying homage to the classic and moving in a new direction. Of course, Rearmed isn't perfect: the controls take some getting used to, the hacking mini-game's sort of lame, and the game is still brutally tough--curse you spiked floors!--but it's a great update that I heartily recommend to old school NES fans and new gamers alike.

Fun Factor: 4.00

PROS: An excellent update to a classic game. New graphics and gameplay tweaks are spot on.
CONS: The controls take some getting used to; difficulty is still fairly high.