Bionic Commando

 Xbox 360
User Score
7.2

Mixed or average reviews- based on 96 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 59 out of 96
  2. Mixed: 21 out of 96
  3. Negative: 16 out of 96
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  1. ChristianA
    Jun 5, 2009
    9
    This game is offering a alternative game experience which undoubtly is very satisfiying. I do not agree with many official reviewers score, I do understand that if the maps was less linear, It would be worth a 10, I think atleast 8 would be fair. Good: Great swinging mechanics, Skills improve fast throughout the game, Longer campaign than expected, Variated challanges. Great satisfaction This game is offering a alternative game experience which undoubtly is very satisfiying. I do not agree with many official reviewers score, I do understand that if the maps was less linear, It would be worth a 10, I think atleast 8 would be fair. Good: Great swinging mechanics, Skills improve fast throughout the game, Longer campaign than expected, Variated challanges. Great satisfaction when linking different swings / Combo's together, Good multiplayer, And a different one because of the swinging. Bad: Linear levels. No throwing and smashing objects at hegother in multiplayer, enemy soldiers "electrical pole" way too overpowered, Too few checkpoints, that results in frustrations. I give it 9, because i think this game deserves it, I originally all the time thought it was a 8, But was suprised at how many hours i spent in campaign, And that the multiplayer makes me come back to the game all the time. … Expand
  2. [Anonymous]
    May 20, 2009
    9
    I only have a few gripes with the game and they are all at the beginning, which makes me wonder if any of the reviewers even played for more than an hour. Swinging takes a while to get used to, but once I got used to it felt so agile and free. Simply moving around the world is a fun experience. The combat is fast, fierce, and requires a good awareness of your surroundings. You cannot I only have a few gripes with the game and they are all at the beginning, which makes me wonder if any of the reviewers even played for more than an hour. Swinging takes a while to get used to, but once I got used to it felt so agile and free. Simply moving around the world is a fun experience. The combat is fast, fierce, and requires a good awareness of your surroundings. You cannot approach this like a shooter. In fact I felt like all the guns were bonus power ups, which gave me a bit of a retro feel. I was initially turned off by the game because of the frequent load times in the tutorial, and early levels, but about 1/4th through the game levels became large and complex enough that I couldn't beat them in just a couple minutes. I give it a 9 because it's new, refreshing, well made, but with a few flaws.… Expand
  3. Rafalas
    Jan 11, 2010
    8
    Fantastic game. These days you can get it very cheap on many online shops, and it's totally worth it. Nice graphics and fun gameplay, with some very nice grapling moments. Very nice final bosses. If you can find this cheap, don't think twice and get it.
  4. BarryC
    May 23, 2009
    8
    Far better than I expected, the solid swing mechanic (which takes some time to get used to) saves this game. Apart from a few dodgy design decisions elsewhere (the radiation thing for instance), this game is a lot of fun.
  5. AdamN
    May 25, 2009
    8
    Bionic Commando may not be the greatest game ever made but it does its job well. As soon as the game starts you are pulled into this fast paced world and the action rarely slows down. The bionic arm takes a bit to get used to but once you have mastered it you'll be flying around like spiderman. My only gripe is that the 3D world contains invisible barriers to keep you on your course Bionic Commando may not be the greatest game ever made but it does its job well. As soon as the game starts you are pulled into this fast paced world and the action rarely slows down. The bionic arm takes a bit to get used to but once you have mastered it you'll be flying around like spiderman. My only gripe is that the 3D world contains invisible barriers to keep you on your course and hopefully next time they'll create a much more open world. The bionic arm really makes this game stand out from other similar games of this genre it gives the gamer a lot of freedom to do as they will. I recommend this game as it is trully a fun action title that adds a new twist with the very fun bionic arm.… Expand
  6. YFC
    May 27, 2009
    8
    Like many of the reviews said it's true potential went unrealized. I rather enjoyed it it's a mix of Star Wars Battle Front and Spider-man gameplay with the old flavor of bionic commando. The story was done well as were the mechanics in most places Zip jumping up walls is sometimes difficult.( when you play you'll see what I mean) The multiplayer mode is fast paced and fun Like many of the reviews said it's true potential went unrealized. I rather enjoyed it it's a mix of Star Wars Battle Front and Spider-man gameplay with the old flavor of bionic commando. The story was done well as were the mechanics in most places Zip jumping up walls is sometimes difficult.( when you play you'll see what I mean) The multiplayer mode is fast paced and fun one of the main reasons to get this game, and the multiplayer demo should still be up if you want to try it. The level, character and vehicle designs are spectacular very well thought out and the post apocalyptic land scape is a thing of twisted beauty. However you will most likely have a problem focusing on that trying to get the 156 or so collectibles you may want to collect through out the campaign. You have to do it all in one go you can't get things as you go along. Hopefully this flaw will be fixed in a patch. All in all this game is great though the sometimes less than perfect unfinished bits make it fustrating at times, and the controls take some time getting used to. Fans of, Bionic Commando , Battle front, and Third person shooters, will find this a title you won't want to put down. Though i would advise a rental first to see if you are interested in it.… Expand
  7. MasonicInc
    May 27, 2009
    10
    A game with a mechanic done like no other game before. Too bad so many of the people reviewing the game aren't real gamers anymore failing to see what a great game we have on our hands here. A game that dares to be different then all the rest - A true winner in my eyes.
  8. carloss
    May 28, 2009
    8
    The game its great because it returned to the old times,same gameplay but in third person,the bad news are,that its the only thing that offers,nothing new,and the replay value its null,so i think its just for fans of the old school.
  9. DavidD
    May 28, 2009
    8
    I have personally not played this game but I watched a friend of mine play. It seems like a lot of fun and very different. I know this is not fair to compare this game to Crackdown, but I initially got that feeling only because it reminded me of a game about a more-then-a human type person that can jump or in this case grapple around the world. I do want to say one thing again that amazes I have personally not played this game but I watched a friend of mine play. It seems like a lot of fun and very different. I know this is not fair to compare this game to Crackdown, but I initially got that feeling only because it reminded me of a game about a more-then-a human type person that can jump or in this case grapple around the world. I do want to say one thing again that amazes me with such morons as pete d. Metacritic does not rate these game you dufus!! They just take the scores of all raters and add it together. If there was another site that did the same thing, you would basically have the same scores! God! Some people are such idiots!!!… Expand
  10. Steveo
    Jun 11, 2009
    8
    This game was overall short, sweet, and to the point that it established from the beginning of the game, the swinging arc system is innovative and great to experiment with or just simply get lost in the scenery while you're swinging around this huge environment, although it has its limitations with radiation areas and the controls could take some time to get used to, the true This game was overall short, sweet, and to the point that it established from the beginning of the game, the swinging arc system is innovative and great to experiment with or just simply get lost in the scenery while you're swinging around this huge environment, although it has its limitations with radiation areas and the controls could take some time to get used to, the true greatness of this game shines through, this game is a definite rent for any action junkies, will have you hooked for one playthrough definitely, although the replay value just isn't there.… Expand
  11. BradyL
    Jun 14, 2009
    9
    Fantastic story, fantastic gameplay, fantastic score, fantastic almost everything. The little things that detract from it arn't enough to stop it from being a awesome game!
  12. Matt
    Jun 3, 2009
    9
    Once you get the mechanics, this game is super fun. I play a lot of games and rarely finish them. this one I finished and played multiplayer, which is a friggin' blast as well. My guess on the folks who didn't like it is that they didn't spend enough time to get the controls or they chose a level that was too hard. But if you spend a ltitle time ont he swing mechancis and Once you get the mechanics, this game is super fun. I play a lot of games and rarely finish them. this one I finished and played multiplayer, which is a friggin' blast as well. My guess on the folks who didn't like it is that they didn't spend enough time to get the controls or they chose a level that was too hard. But if you spend a ltitle time ont he swing mechancis and play on Normal, its aweseome. Congratulations Ben Judd!… Expand
  13. JethroR
    Jul 21, 2009
    10
    This is the best game I have played so far this year. The gameplay is thoroughly enjoyable, the story is engaging, and the finale is utterly epic.
  14. TheDude
    May 28, 2009
    9
    I really honestly don't see why the reviewers are so harsh on this game. It's a really fun action game with a great swing mechanic. I get the impression that the reviewers spent less than two hours with the game since that's about how long it takes to get a hang of the controls. Once you do get used to them the game is amazing!
  15. WhiteSpyder170
    Feb 8, 2011
    9
    I think if there's one thing about Bionic Commando that I don't understand, it would have to be why reviewers treated it so poorly. Admittedly, when I first bought the game, I had given up on it for months after only playing a few levels. When I finally did come back to BC, it only took a few minutes before I was kicking myself for ever putting the controller down.

    Bionic Commando is a    I think if there's one thing about Bionic Commando that I don't understand, it would have to be why reviewers treated it so poorly. Admittedly, when I first bought the game, I had given up on it for months after only playing a few levels. When I finally did come back to BC, it only took a few minutes before I was kicking myself for ever putting the controller down.

    Bionic Commando is a breath of fresh air for action games, in my opinion. I've had more moments of "Holy crap, that was awesome. I can't believe I just did that" than any other game I've played in recent memory. Free swinging with your bionic arm is incredibly cool once you get the hang of it. Is it more fun than using that same arm to hurl your enemies around like rag dolls? It's close. While the level structure is somewhat linear, I think it's handled well, and the bosses and mini-bosses are (for the most part) challenging and fun. The voice acting, in general, is passable. Some of it is a little clunky, but it usually does a fine enough job. The soundtrack, however, is quite awesome all-around. If I had one complaint about it, it would be that the title song, as nice as it is, should be either more epic, or more rocking.

    Honestly, I only have about two things that I think hold this game back from a 10. The first being the absolutely ridiculous plot twist at the end. I went from "into the story and ready to bust some bad-guys" to "what the-?" in a matter of seconds. But a plot issue isn't a BIG deal, really.

    Really, the only MAJOR downfall to this game (and probably a LARGE reason why this game was hung out to dry, ratings-wise), is the learning curve. Getting a good feel for swinging takes a while. I didn't really start to get good at it until AFTER my first playthrough (Hard). My second playthrough (Commando) it was more of a necessity to survive, and thankfully, I got into the swing (pun!) of things. The problem with the learning curve being steep is that people (myself included) give up on the game, saying, "it's too hard" or, "this is stupid". I came back to it and found an absolute gem of a game and I'm making this review just because somebody has to even the odds a bit. It's not fair when a great game gets swept under the rug like this one did. Bionic Commando. Check it out.    … Expand
  16. miramax123
    Jun 21, 2013
    8
    The game generally had served its 'satisfactory' criteria, the free roaming in certain levels, the swinging controls, the different moves you had to use against enemies to perform special attacks were entertaining. But the problem is that it becomes really boring at times when you have to get to your objective and slowly concentrate on the buildings just so you don't fall into radiationThe game generally had served its 'satisfactory' criteria, the free roaming in certain levels, the swinging controls, the different moves you had to use against enemies to perform special attacks were entertaining. But the problem is that it becomes really boring at times when you have to get to your objective and slowly concentrate on the buildings just so you don't fall into radiation really. The weaponry was too vague in frequency and amount of different weapons, the grenades and heavy weapons were really useful. But it still annoyed me how we didn't have much opportunity for free city roaming due to radiation restriction. Otherwise, it's an alright game.… Expand
  17. magnaboss
    May 30, 2015
    8
    For the first thirty minutes, I thought I would probably quit at any time, and never play it again. So-so action and ridiculous voice acting. But then something happened...it slowly became a fantastic game.

    The voice acting is actually hilarious...you just have to give it time. And it helps to think of Spencer as slightly retarded. As the game rolls on, the shooting action and car    For the first thirty minutes, I thought I would probably quit at any time, and never play it again. So-so action and ridiculous voice acting. But then something happened...it slowly became a fantastic game.

    The voice acting is actually hilarious...you just have to give it time. And it helps to think of Spencer as slightly retarded. As the game rolls on, the shooting action and car flinging becomes pretty damn fun. The (two?) boss fights are great. Lot of varied areas...I never got bored from the locations. Quite challenging on normal.

    I consider this is a fantastic, under the radar 360 game. Not only did I play it all the way through....I will play it again someday, for sure.    … Expand
  18. XBOXftw
    Oct 4, 2014
    8
    Although it's not very popular, and had a really cheesy story, being able to have a spider-man-ish swinging mechanic added to the gameplay and made it lots of fun to play.

Awards & Rankings

26
#26 Most Discussed Xbox 360 Game of 2009
80
#80 Most Shared Xbox 360 Game of 2009

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
70

Mixed or average reviews - based on 65 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 30 out of 65
  2. Mixed: 35 out of 65
  3. Negative: 0 out of 65
  1. Edge Magazine
    60
    The overriding impression is of a game that's physically too big for its action. [June 2009, p.88]
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  2. Game Informer
    63
    It's hard to forget the unresponsive controls, ludicrous story, and questionable combat encounters. The game is uneven and inconsistent enough to scare away even eager fans who have patiently waited 20 years for another swing. [June 2009, p.83]
    Read full review
  3. Games Master UK
    77
    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]
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