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.
Comments [4]
Do you love Blackjack enough to pay seven dollars to play it? Given the choice, I'd decline before I even knew any further details. While Blackjack can be fun in small doses or as part of a larger collection of casino games, it's still a fairly simplistic card game that won't hold your interest for long. There's some element of strategy involved -- carefully weighing your hand against the dealer's opening card is key to winning -- but after a few hands, you'll be ready to head off to the craps table.
Thunder in Mr. Paradise
Honestly, I didn't count on the possibility that this would be a good game. I figured I'd play it for a few minutes, write a scathing and dismissive review, and be done with it. But no! As unlikely as it seems, this bubble-popping simulator's got some depth to it, and I'd even go so far as to say that it's worth your money.
Pop-o-matic
This is it, guys. This is the breakout, must-buy hit that WiiWare needed to justify its existence. LostWinds is a beautiful and unique exploration-based platformer that takes full and natural advantage of the Wii's control setup. Due to its short length, it would be hard to justify a retail release without costly additions and the expected amount of gameplay bloat, but thanks to WiiWare, LostWinds has the potential to thrive at a low price point of $10.
And you'd better damn well buy it, if you know what's good for you.
Lost for Words
My absolute favorite thing about LostWinds is the fact that when you choose to start the game, you start the game. There is no intro or tutorial. You're instantly given control of your character, and you're free to learn the basic mechanics on your own, mercifully free of insulting and obvious directions like "Use the control stick to move!" The game eventually opens up and offers brief hints and story sequences after a few minutes of play, but incredibly, they're well-paced and unobtrusive. It's really kind of amazing, given the fact that even the best games are often top-heavy with droning instructions that go on forever.
In singleplayer mode, Defend Your Castle is sedate and somewhat disappointing (even if you play on advanced Heroic difficulty). Stickmen rush to attack your helpless castle. You defend your turf by moving your cursor over an invader, pressing A or B to grab hold of him, and then flinging him to his doom with a flick of the Wii Remote. Do that until the level ends. You get points based on how many guys you killed, and can spend them to repair and upgrade your castle.
Defend Your Castle's difficulty is dynamic, though. It makes things slow at first for a solo player, but the game never really ends until you die, and you can save your progress. What makes Defend Your Castle worth your 500 Wii Points happens if you can get up to three people to play it with you.
Head 'Em Up
Gameplay in Critter Round-Up resembles a mix of the arcade classics Zoo Keeper and Qix. Fence construction happens in real-time, and your animals will be wandering around as you try to fence them in. Touching any animal -- whether it be a marauding polar bear or a tiny bunny -- always results in instant death, so careful planning and construction is a must. When each species of animal is trapped within its own enclosure (or multiple enclosures consisting of one species each), the level is complete.
In its first few stages, Critter Round-Up is so slow and simplistic that you'll soon be begging for more complexity and challenge. You'll get both soon enough. Within minutes of starting the game, Critter Round-Up challenges you with so many different animal types that your slow farmer will rarely be able to keep up. Planning and strategy soon become irrelevant, since many creatures move erratically or will simply hop over any fences you build.
Prior to accepting your Wii Points, the Wii Shop Channel warns that Star Soldier R is not a complete shooter experience. Rather, it's a collection of timed challenges. Think of Star Soldier R as a vertically scrolling shooter take on Pac-Man Championship Edition's competitive formula -- gameplay comes in two- or five-minute bursts, and focuses on score and technique, rather than the genre's usual premise of survival against extreme odds. The result, while fun, may not provide the kind of longevity that shooter fans expect.
Shooters, Take 2
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