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Critic & User Reviews
GF Rating
8
Very Good
Far exceeds it's flaws
posted by Syzygy (WOODINVILLE, WA) May 22, 2009
Member since Oct 2008
49 out of 63 gamers (78%) found this review helpful
Perfection is always the goal, never the result, so let's get that straight.
I'd like to state that before BC: Rearmed I had never heard of Bionic Commando, so I was quite impartial about my first feelings for this game. That being said, here's the breakdown:
Graphics: 10/10
Not once did the framerate drop on me, and I didn't notice any jaggies (anti-aliasing)
Music/sound: 8/10
Some of the guns are a little underwhelming, especially the pistol. There's a reason the online community calls it the "peashooter". The background music is simply wonderful though, it makes the whole experience very theatrical and powerful. You can even turn it on during multiplayer matches and it won't get in the way of voicechat via a dimming effect!
Story/dialogue: 7/10
The story actually threw a curveball or two at me, and meshed well with gameplay. Only reason it gets a 7 instead of a 10 is because of the sort of ridiculous reaction time of the bad guy during the latter portion of the game when he tries to pull a gun on the main character, and that some elements of the story may seem vague or confusing if you haven't played the Bionic Commando: Rearmed game.
Multiplayer: 8/10
Despite the limited number of maps and an unforseen issue with turbo button controllers (The pistol becomes a machine gun of ultimate death) I myself can never, ever go back to regular CTF games. If I can't swing away with the flag, I feel too sluggish and limited. Also handles lag very well!
END TOTAL: 8/10
I'd also like to add that the swinging mechanics are NOT like spider-mans' games, you need to AIM where you want to swing from, and judge when you release. I say totally buy this game, but some people who doubt their reflexes or my opinion should probably rent first and see if this game is for you.
ENDING NOTE: Come for the single player experience, stay for the multiplayer swing 'n slingfest!
I'd like to state that before BC: Rearmed I had never heard of Bionic Commando, so I was quite impartial about my first feelings for this game. That being said, here's the breakdown:
Graphics: 10/10
Not once did the framerate drop on me, and I didn't notice any jaggies (anti-aliasing)
Music/sound: 8/10
Some of the guns are a little underwhelming, especially the pistol. There's a reason the online community calls it the "peashooter". The background music is simply wonderful though, it makes the whole experience very theatrical and powerful. You can even turn it on during multiplayer matches and it won't get in the way of voicechat via a dimming effect!
Story/dialogue: 7/10
The story actually threw a curveball or two at me, and meshed well with gameplay. Only reason it gets a 7 instead of a 10 is because of the sort of ridiculous reaction time of the bad guy during the latter portion of the game when he tries to pull a gun on the main character, and that some elements of the story may seem vague or confusing if you haven't played the Bionic Commando: Rearmed game.
Multiplayer: 8/10
Despite the limited number of maps and an unforseen issue with turbo button controllers (The pistol becomes a machine gun of ultimate death) I myself can never, ever go back to regular CTF games. If I can't swing away with the flag, I feel too sluggish and limited. Also handles lag very well!
END TOTAL: 8/10
I'd also like to add that the swinging mechanics are NOT like spider-mans' games, you need to AIM where you want to swing from, and judge when you release. I say totally buy this game, but some people who doubt their reflexes or my opinion should probably rent first and see if this game is for you.
ENDING NOTE: Come for the single player experience, stay for the multiplayer swing 'n slingfest!
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GF Rating
7
Good
A good game, but with some poor design decisions.
posted by GamingGuru (HOBART, IN) May 25, 2009
Member since Jun 2007
24 out of 32 gamers (75%) found this review helpful
Developers Grin have stuck with the design philosophy of old school games for Bionic Commando, so if you don't enjoy a challenge you may want to look elsewhere.
If you are expecting a swing mechanic like the spider-man games, your in for a dissapointment. The swing mechanic is perhaps one of the games biggest difficulties to overcome. You cannot attach to just anything as in spider-man, you have a targeting reticle that glows blue when you are able to connect your grip with a surface. It's a challenging yet rewarding system but one I actually do enjoy. When you get into your swinging groove, the game truly shines and this is likely where you'll get the most enjoyment.
Invisible walls...games often need them but we don't have to like them and in this case, you'll likely hate them. When you travel too high or too far to the sides in many of the games levels there is a poisonous cloud that acts as your barrier. Unfortunately spend more than a few seconds in it and you die. Add in the fact that you can not survive in water for more than a few seconds or you die and you have a recipe for anger. Granted if you fall in water and are near a structure you can grapple, you can pull yourself out if your quick enough, but if you fall into open water say goodbye. All this only gets worse when enemies are added to the mix. The game gives you a false sense of freedom when traveling and the instant death barriers are infuriating. There are levels were the clouds are all but non existent and you see what the game could have truly been, a much more enjoyable experience.
There are collectibles and challenges to complete throughought the game which are fun, but if you die at any time after accomplishing these tasks without hitting a checkpoint (also a flawed system) you lose all your progress and they must all be completed again....Grrr. The multiplayer is what saves this game and is a real blast, as long as people continue to play it online that is.
If you are expecting a swing mechanic like the spider-man games, your in for a dissapointment. The swing mechanic is perhaps one of the games biggest difficulties to overcome. You cannot attach to just anything as in spider-man, you have a targeting reticle that glows blue when you are able to connect your grip with a surface. It's a challenging yet rewarding system but one I actually do enjoy. When you get into your swinging groove, the game truly shines and this is likely where you'll get the most enjoyment.
Invisible walls...games often need them but we don't have to like them and in this case, you'll likely hate them. When you travel too high or too far to the sides in many of the games levels there is a poisonous cloud that acts as your barrier. Unfortunately spend more than a few seconds in it and you die. Add in the fact that you can not survive in water for more than a few seconds or you die and you have a recipe for anger. Granted if you fall in water and are near a structure you can grapple, you can pull yourself out if your quick enough, but if you fall into open water say goodbye. All this only gets worse when enemies are added to the mix. The game gives you a false sense of freedom when traveling and the instant death barriers are infuriating. There are levels were the clouds are all but non existent and you see what the game could have truly been, a much more enjoyable experience.
There are collectibles and challenges to complete throughought the game which are fun, but if you die at any time after accomplishing these tasks without hitting a checkpoint (also a flawed system) you lose all your progress and they must all be completed again....Grrr. The multiplayer is what saves this game and is a real blast, as long as people continue to play it online that is.
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GF Rating
9
Excellent
Pure Nostalgia
posted by Aradace (LANSING, MI) May 22, 2009
Member since Feb 2009
27 out of 37 gamers (73%) found this review helpful
Let me first say that my opinion of this game is very biased. I was one of the very first people to own the original NES version of Bionic Commando when it first hit the shelves and I loved it even then. And ever since the launch of the PS1, I have always said that there should be another Bionic Commando game someday and sure enough, the Xbox 360 delivered it to me. (well, technically gamefly did lol :P)
This game is everything I had hoped and more. Even more so, the orginal "bionic commando" theme music makes its way into this installment as well.
The story: Very well done IMO. It picks up 10 years after the original during the "Bionic Purge" where our hero is currently stripped of his bionics and awaiting his execution on death row, until an old friend, "Super Joe" intervenes and that is where the story begins.
The Graphics: Simply amazing. And very "post apocalyptic" lol. In a good way though. Very few bugs to speak of that I noticed. The only one I've noticed was kind of a one shot thing I think when I used the kiting technique to kill a grunt and he got stuck in the ceiling as he was flying away, causing his arms to stretch like Stretch Armstrong before being sling shotted away like he had been thrown lol.
The control scheme: Seems very bizarre at first. And by that I mean quite literally for only the first few moments of the game. Once you get through the tutorial, things seem to become second nature. (at least they did for me anyway :) ) And flying through the air with the greatest of ease isnt near as hard as some might lead you to believe. All you need do for multiple swings is after you release from your primary swing, hold down the grapple button and aim your camera until something grabable comes into range and presto, you're good to go.
The Voice Acting: Nicely done. This is a big portion of what makes a game for me most of the time. And with Steven Blum behind Super Joe, I could already see big things for this game.
This game is everything I had hoped and more. Even more so, the orginal "bionic commando" theme music makes its way into this installment as well.
The story: Very well done IMO. It picks up 10 years after the original during the "Bionic Purge" where our hero is currently stripped of his bionics and awaiting his execution on death row, until an old friend, "Super Joe" intervenes and that is where the story begins.
The Graphics: Simply amazing. And very "post apocalyptic" lol. In a good way though. Very few bugs to speak of that I noticed. The only one I've noticed was kind of a one shot thing I think when I used the kiting technique to kill a grunt and he got stuck in the ceiling as he was flying away, causing his arms to stretch like Stretch Armstrong before being sling shotted away like he had been thrown lol.
The control scheme: Seems very bizarre at first. And by that I mean quite literally for only the first few moments of the game. Once you get through the tutorial, things seem to become second nature. (at least they did for me anyway :) ) And flying through the air with the greatest of ease isnt near as hard as some might lead you to believe. All you need do for multiple swings is after you release from your primary swing, hold down the grapple button and aim your camera until something grabable comes into range and presto, you're good to go.
The Voice Acting: Nicely done. This is a big portion of what makes a game for me most of the time. And with Steven Blum behind Super Joe, I could already see big things for this game.
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