Bionic Commando

RAD's return had a lot to live up to, and it mostly succeeds at rebooting a long-loved franchise, delivering a title fans of the original will appreciate, while introducing newcomers to an excellent action game that hopefully sees a sequel.

Did GRIN do the original game justice? Definitely. GRIN has put Bionic Commando back on the map—with both of its titles, actually. Now let’s hope that Capcom keeps the cyborgs a-comin’. Two decades is too long to wait for a follow-up from such a compelling franchise.

Yet another fantastic update to a classic franchise from Capcom.

Bionic Commando goes back and forth between moments of great, navigation-based gameplay and a lot of little touches that don't work as well as you'd like. It makes the final product a little frustrating, because you can almost see a better game trying to bust its way out of its constraints.

If you can look past the replayability issues that crop up due to the linear play, you'll find an enjoyable adventure that easily re-establishes the franchise for Capcom.

Entertaining, fun action game with a fresh concept, nice graphics and a lot of humor.

Even multiplayer is a strange blend of inspiration and worn convention.

The game was worth waiting for. The action feels like Robocop meets Rambo with a little extra. Furthermore Bionic Commando features some references to the old game that will give the veteran a nostalgic feeling. The storyline and non linear gameplay spoil the fun a little bit, but in the end the game does exactly what is expected: shoot, stomp and swing.

They already showed what they were capable of when adapting the original Bionic: Commando, and now the guys at GRIN have surpassed themselves translating the original concept to 3D, with a sequel that will please both series followers and newcomers for its approach and visual quality.

Bionic Commando embraces its new 3D surroundings and thrives within them. By making you feel more powerful as you progress and dishing out Achievement points at a steady pace, it makes it difficult to put down the controller.

Bionic Commando is a great experience for action-fans. Flying around with your bionic arm is lovely and we just love the action which comes out of that. There is a lot of stuff to discover and the soundtrack is superb. The only downfall of the game is that the story is a bit short.

Bionic Commando will frustrate many gamers, but get past the initial swinging learning curve and you'll find a highly entertaining action game that tries to do something a bit different.

A faithful update with an excellent swing mechanic, giant set pieces and a meaty challenge, Bionic Commando is an action game with a twist. [Issue#46, p.80]

A bold fusion of platforming and action that delivers a unique experience despite being marred by some poor design decisions and technical limitations.

Putting aside expectations of what some uninformed writers may think it should be, I was quite glad to take Bionic Commando for what it is—an absolutely faithful reimagining of an undisputed classic, smartly crafted and brought elegantly into the current generation.

Amongst its many merits and defects, Bionic Commando left us the memory of an entertaining and fresh play experience. If you aren't easily discouraged by a somewhat complex control system and the occasional difficulty spikes, Capcom's new game will be able to give you some memorable moments and a positively different experience from the crowd of modern third person shooters.

Action games lovers will find that Bionic Commando tastes like their favourite piece of cake, but not quite so. Fun to play, difficult enough to keep you motivated and technically valuable, it is unfortunately mined by a narrow structure, an improvable control system and a set of bonuses and objects that are a bit too difficult to obtain.

When a game is built around a single mechanic that is employed so well, so often and so entertainingly it's hard not to overlook its flaws and just enjoy yourself. [June 2009, p.70]

Those who want the real Bionic Commando experience should try the original one, or if they are in the graphic and technological mood maybe the Rearmed remake. By the way the new Bionic Commando is a nice action effort, but maybe too cyclic and little bit unresponsive at times.

After playing it, you come away wishing that it focused more on what's best about it, namely, the bionic arm's potential as a weapon and means of mobility. You have to give the game credit, though-it admirably delivers on a concept that seems very difficult to realize, and the results are usually a lot of fun.

In the end, the action is more than satisfactory and the storyline is paced well, so Bionic Commando isn’t to be overlooked by fans of the genre.

Bionic Commando is an interesting single-player experience many gamers are likely to enjoy. Disappointingly, the multiplayer experience is entirely forgettable, and not all of the wonderfully tacky elements of the series were well translated this time around.

In the end the high difficulty will drive away casual gamers so trying the demo first is a must. But between the tough bosses and fast gameplay, this is a worthy successor to the NES original.

GRIN have successfully created the right tools, but failed to provide the proper playground to make you want to play with them.

You'll have a lot of fun with this new Bionic Commando, but he ultimately plays it safe in his first adventure in twenty years.

Bionic Commando as a third person action game is pretty average and not necessarily the most accommodating of games - especially in regards to the masses of gamers who want instant gratification pick up and play experience.

It lacks the balance it would take to make it something really great, but what is there is fun, just not as phenomenal as some of Capcom's more recent franchise reboots.

Bionic Commando's come back is a tight turn toward the nowadays all popular shooters' gameplay. It's not a bad thing in itself, but the newcomers could be more pleased by this new adventure, than old school fans ,who will be probably missing some of the elements which made the first chapter an instant classic.