Bionic Commando is out today...share your thoughts!

[maxlords]

So Bionic Commando came out today for 360 and PS3. I have it preordered but the reviews are pretty mixed. I'm thinking I might wait on this one. Anyone get it and have thoughts on how it is? Apparently some stuff is only unlockable if you have Rearmed....which means for me, I have to get the PS3 Bionic Commando...I just bought Rearmed for PS3.

Reviews say it's fun but linear and could be better. I want to know how it REALLY is though!

[hbkprm]

false, it's not out till june 10

[heybtbm]

Actually it ships today. It'll be in stores Wednesday. That being said, I'm going to pick this up at $60. I thought I might wait for it to go cheaper, but the reviews/videos seem across the board, positive.

Oh, and +1 for Mike Patton doing the voice work.

[chicnstu]

On a lot of boards (especially the IGN article comments sections), just about every time someone would mention this game, there would be at least one person coming in talking crap about this game because it's weird, or because it's "ripping off" Spiderman and Power Rangers.

It seems to me that if you are a fan of the original then you will really enjoy this one. Grin also did the awesome remake so it doesn't feel like this game could turn out to be something the fans won't like. It's not a game about super detailed customizable weapons and moments of movie scene-like simple gameplay (Call of Duty), so maybe that's what is turning off a lot of people.

[shopkins]

For what it's worth (and I know it ain't much), I got my Game Informer today and they kind of trashed it. Gave it a 6.25 and said it was frustrating and that the story didn't make sense. This was an automatic play for me, but now I'd like to hear from some others before I buy it too.

[frap]

Actually it ships today. It'll be in stores Wednesday.


Some stores in my area (NY) had it for sale today (5/19), so call ahead and you may be able to buy it tonight!

-frap

[titanzguard]

I know most of you dont like X Play but they gave it a 3 out of 5. I was surprised at the score because they bashed the game most of the review except at the end when they said the story was good.

[Bojay1997]

Actually it ships today. It'll be in stores Wednesday. That being said, I'm going to pick this up at $60. I thought I might wait for it to go cheaper, but the reviews/videos seem across the board, positive.

Oh, and +1 for Mike Patton doing the voice work.

Unfortunately this is not accurate. The highest reviews it got so far were 80/100, but the biggest group of more respectable magazines/reviewers like Edge gave it an average in the low 60s. Wired gave it a 50/100. The criticisms are with the extremely linear gameplay and the grappling mechanism not working so well in 3D environments. There are also complaints of some very frustrating play mechanics and poor level design. I don't always go strictly by reviews, but when a game gets a lot of below average scores like this one did, it's probably safe to assume that it's one that will be dropping to $20 within a reasonable amount of time. It's kinda sad considering how excited I was about the concept when I saw the early coverage.

[InsaneDavid]

Uh, it came in today.

[maxlords]

Yeah, my store had it in today...held it in hand...but didn't buy it.

[exit]

I was looking very forward to this game, so I'll probably still pick it up today and just trade some games in to get it.

[Lady Jaye]

Wired gave it 5/10...

[fishsandwich]

Unfortunately this is not accurate. The highest reviews it got so far were 80/100, but the biggest group of more respectable magazines/reviewers like Edge gave it an average in the low 60s. Wired gave it a 50/100. The criticisms are with the extremely linear gameplay and the grappling mechanism not working so well in 3D environments. There are also complaints of some very frustrating play mechanics and poor level design. I don't always go strictly by reviews, but when a game gets a lot of below average scores like this one did, it's probably safe to assume that it's one that will be dropping to $20 within a reasonable amount of time. It's kinda sad considering how excited I was about the concept when I saw the early coverage.

As expected, PLAY magazine has proclaimed this game is the best game ever made. It's easy to see why they got rid of their numerical grading system. How I both love and loathe PLAY magazine.

I will just have to play it myself.

!

[Rob2600]

Reviews say it's fun but linear

Why do video game reviewers think linear is bad?

[exit]

I traded a few games in to get this game today and after playing it for about two hours, I'll have to say that it's a pretty fun game so far. The swinging has a slight learning curve and may take a while to get used to, but once you get the hang of the motion it turns into a pretty fun experience. It's not going to be game of the year or anything, but I can see a bright future for the series if they're able to make a sequel and improve on the games shortcomings.

[XYXZYZ]

I haven't touched it yet, but isn't there a way to use the original Rad Spencer character design?

[exit]

Yes there is if you unlocked it in Bionic Commando Re-armed, I'm using the Spencer costume instead of the other guy because it just feels right.

[Bojay1997]

Why do video game reviewers think linear is bad?

Because game design has evolved past that limitation in the post-GTA sandbox world. While the gaming audience can certainly accept some constraints, there are some FPS shooters even today that are basically on-rails (Legendary comes to mind) when it would have taken just a little more planning to at least give the illusion of more open environments. In Bionic Commando in particular, the design was supposed to give the illusion of freedom with your grappling arm and the fact that you really do just follow a single path makes it very disappointing. Linear design also makes replay value almost zero.

[Phénix]

Because game design has evolved past that limitation in the post-GTA sandbox world. While the gaming audience can certainly accept some constraints, there are some FPS shooters even today that are basically on-rails (Legendary comes to mind) when it would have taken just a little more planning to at least give the illusion of more open environments. In Bionic Commando in particular, the design was supposed to give the illusion of freedom with your grappling arm and the fact that you really do just follow a single path makes it very disappointing. Linear design also makes replay value almost zero.

Does that mean that the original Donkey Kong doesn't have replay value, since it's completely linear ? ;) The fact that it's linear may suits to some people, like me. Linear or not, it can be funny. Metroid Fusion was great, even if it's the most linear game in the Metroid series. For me, it has the same replay value than the other games.

[Bojay1997]

Does that mean that the original Donkey Kong doesn't have replay value, since it's completely linear ? ;) The fact that it's linear may suits to some people, like me. Linear or not, it can be funny. Metroid Fusion was great, even if it's the most linear game in the Metroid series. For me, it has the same replay value than the other games.

Well, I don't know, how often do you play Donkey Kong? Do you spend hours at a time playing it? Do you play it everyday? I'm guessing the answer is no. It has limited replay value. Generally, Donkey Kong is not a game you are going to spend 20-30 hours playing or even more than maybe 10-15 minutes at a time. Certainly there is still room for retro style linear gaming, but charging $60 for a game which is supposed to be story driven and not designed as a retro style game, but plays in a very linear fashion is not appropriate.

[kupomogli]

Linearity is both good and bad in some types of games.

In a game such as Donkey Kong, the games style is in how many points you can get rather than just beating the game. In fact, Donkey Kong can't be beaten, it can only crash after the level value becomes too high, which essentialy means it's beaten.

The Castlevania, Mega Man, Ninja Gaiden, and various other games are completely linear but the style of gameplay is what makes the replay value high. Infact, Symphony of the Night being semi linear/non linear gives it less replay value than the level based ones. Mega Man Legends also doesn't have as good a replay value as the original titles, though it's definitely replayable.

So it really depends on how Bionic Commando plays to see if it's got any sortof good replay value or not as being linear won't necessarily mean zero replay value.

[Rob2600]

Because game design has evolved past that limitation in the post-GTA sandbox world. While the gaming audience can certainly accept some constraints, there are some FPS shooters even today that are basically on-rails (Legendary comes to mind) when it would have taken just a little more planning to at least give the illusion of more open environments.

Linear is a design choice, not a limitation. Also, "linear" is not the same as "on rails."

[Kid Fenris]

Linear design also makes replay value almost zero.

I've found that good game design makes its own replay value, regardless of how linear it is.

[heybtbm]

Resident Evil 4 is pretty much the definition of linear and it ended up being one of the most "replayable" games of the past few years.

[Bojay1997]

Resident Evil 4 is pretty much the definition of linear and it ended up being one of the most "replayable" games of the past few years.

I agree it's linear and that it's good. I strongly disagree that it has any replayability. I have never understood the attraction of playing the exact same game through again with a different character, higher level of difficulty, different weapons or costumes. Once I play through a story driven game and beat it once, I'm done.

[YoshiM]

I agree it's linear and that it's good. I strongly disagree that it has any replayability. I have never understood the attraction of playing the exact same game through again with a different character, higher level of difficulty, different weapons or costumes. Once I play through a story driven game and beat it once, I'm done.

It's kinda like reading a book or watching a movie again for the upteenth time. If the person liked it, why not go through it again?

[Bojay1997]

It's kinda like reading a book or watching a movie again for the upteenth time. If the person liked it, why not go through it again?

Well, I guess that's where I differ from some of the people here. I go to the movies at least once a week and have never in my life had the desire to see a movie or TV show, no matter how much I love it, a second time. I have absolutely never read a book a second time. There's just too many movies, good TV shows, books and games that I will never have time to experience a first time in my life to waste time watching, reading or playing the same thing over a second time.

[Diosoth]

Wait. People are comparing this to Power Rangers? That's like comparing Metalocalypse to Wizard of Oz. It doesn't even make sense.

[chicnstu]

Wait. People are comparing this to Power Rangers? That's like comparing Metalocalypse to Wizard of Oz. It doesn't even make sense.

Just because the multiplayer characters are colorful and have padded suits on, some people thought it would be funny to add that insulting comparison along with Spiderman.

[exit]

It seems that this game may be a miss for Capcom, because I haven't really seen anybody talking about it since it's release on Tuesday. I've been playing this game the past couple of days and it is indeed a fun game, but I agree with some of the negative things said about it. The radiation barriers can be pretty annoying when you hit into them, they're sometimes in the path you're swinging in and you're dead before you even realized what just happened. I found this to only be a problem in the earlier levels, mainly the ones in the collapsed city, so it becomes less of a problem as you progress.

When the game works, it works extremely well. I'm in the forest area and I've been zipping around the trees with great ease, it's probably some of the most fun I've had playing a game. When the game doesn't work however, it becomes pretty damn frustrating. There's one boss fight in particular where I was flung off a building and for whatever reason couldn't cling on the side of the wall and climb my way back up. There are a few other times where the death from above ability didn't work, regardless of Mr. Spencer's animation doing the movie, resulting a quick death and me being pretty annoyed.

Hopefully the game sells enough to warrant a sequel, because if they're able to fix what's broken and maybe even make some areas a little more open, then the game would sure to be excellent.

[heybtbm]

FYI: Bionic Commando (PS3 or 360) is on sale this week at Gamestop for $19.99.

This is not a price drop, it will go back to $59.99 next week. Now may be the best time to pick it up. When it does finally drop everywhere in a few weeks it sure as hell won't go back to $20. It'll be more like $39.99 or $29.99 at best.

[sidnotcrazy]

FYI: Bionic Commando (PS3 or 360) is on sale this week at Gamestop for $19.99.

Thanks for the info, I picked it up last Friday, and man this is a great game. Its not what I imagined a next generation Bionic Commando game would be, but it is really fun. The dialog is absurd, but I can't stop playing it.

I hope others can look past its odd pitfalls to find a truely fun game in my openion.

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

This was easily one of my favorite games of the year.

I'm saddened that it took such a critical beating in the press, and amongst gamers that seemed to have unrealistic expectations of what THEY THOUGHT the game SHOULD HAVE BEEN instead of appreciating the fact that the lineage of the Bionic Commando series has always contained the gameplay elements and limitations (heavy emphasis on swinging, linear non-sandbox gameplay with areas that cause rapid or instant kills, no ability to swim, etc.) that were at the center of most negative reviews.

It would be like faulting the latest Legend of Zelda game for not having a Gears of War type cover system.

[sidnotcrazy]

Frankie I agree 110%

[Lady Jaye]

Bumpity-doo! I just bought it at lunchtime at EBGames for $9 (after taxes). I figured that a so-so game can be downright disappointing when you pay full price but for ten bucks, it can be a pleasant surprise. I still haven't gotten around to buy Rearmed, incidentally, maybe next time I buy some MS points...

[rbudrick]

This was easily one of my favorite games of the year.

I'm saddened that it took such a critical beating in the press, and amongst gamers that seemed to have unrealistic expectations of what THEY THOUGHT the game SHOULD HAVE BEEN instead of appreciating the fact that the lineage of the Bionic Commando series has always contained the gameplay elements and limitations (heavy emphasis on swinging, linear non-sandbox gameplay with areas that cause rapid or instant kills, no ability to swim, etc.) that were at the center of most negative reviews.

It would be like faulting the latest Legend of Zelda game for not having a Gears of War type cover system.

120%. I absolutely loved this game, just got my platinum trophy in it last week, and was sad it was over.

I haven't the slightest friggin clue why this got such a beating in the press, and I find it sad. It was masterfully done. Oh Noes! The peoples look reals and not cartunes like teh NES! Screw that. DO NOT listen to them. Play this game to completion and you will be glad you did. If you're a real Bionic Commando fan, then you already played through Rearmed and unlocked the original outfit anyway, so no bitchin about the looks of the dude. Besides, he came out in the 80s and probably had a dyed punk hairdo. Don't bitch cuz he has dreads now. Seriously, the game is incredible. Don't deny yourself some awesomeness.

-Rob

[PC-ENGINE HELL]

I really enjoyed it for Pc. It looked and ran amazing maxed out in my Crossfire system with the Ageia card installed. The ending sequence/last battle thing was pretty nice too. The only aspect I have complaints about was the online mode. It was great at first, when a match would actually connect anyway, but after a week or so a onslaught of russian players started jumping on cheating like mad with the rapid fire shit, and insane lag so you couldn't hit them to save your life, regardless of what weapon you used.

They never fixed the online mode issues either. I went back and checked back last march, not a single match I played had anyone but russians on it, all cheating away. Too bad they didn't release it with the ability to host your own matches, that would have really made up for the other wise botched online support.

[rbudrick]

By the time I got through Commando mode, I really felt like I could have taken any enemy, even if it was a real player. I'm sure there would have been some great players, but still, I would have liked to have tried. Unfortunately, every time I logged on, no one was available to play in the whole world. Maybe they banned all the assholes?

-Rob

[Kitsune Sniper]

I've been waiting for this and Rearmed to drop down in price on Steam, but Capcom -refuses- to do so. The game's still $40 there! And copies of the PC version appear to be pricey on eBay. :(

[rbudrick]

Kit, I bought my PS3 copy of BC for $10 shipped and new from Best Buy about 3 months ago. Maybe they still have some deals on it?

-Rob

[PC-ENGINE HELL]

By the time I got through Commando mode, I really felt like I could have taken any enemy, even if it was a real player. I'm sure there would have been some great players, but still, I would have liked to have tried. Unfortunately, every time I logged on, no one was available to play in the whole world. Maybe they banned all the assholes?

-Rob
I dont know how it is on the home system releases, but on the pc release, online once your logged in and join a room or whatever waiting for players, you really have to sit there sometimes and wait. It could take up to 5 mins sometimes for players to get paired with you. It never had anything to do with the number of actual players being low either, it was a server issue. This was confirmed on the official forum, along with all the other server issues. There would always be plenty of players, the system was just managing their placement poorly.

It seemed most were avoiding the team deathmatch stuff and just going for the normal deathmatch mode so they could jump up in the leader boards. Also, when you do get players paired with you to have a match, the players can keep swapping maps until they see one they like, which delays the process of starting a match. This would be the only time you would see the Russians speak English typically, because they would usually say "STOP" once they hit a map one of them liked.

Also, another annoying thing would be a match would be loaded and get ready to start up, then time out at the countdown and boot everyone out back to the half assed lobby thing, so you'd have to sit and wait again to get paired for a match. Once I had this happen seemed like 11 times in a row. Honestly, online mode was just a giant clusterfuck, but like I said, before all the Russians, cheating, and lag issues started up, the actual matches were great.

[rbudrick]

Man, that's really too bad. I have a feeling the online mode could have been so much fun, but I just don't have the patience for that.

-Rob

[Kitsune Sniper]

Kit, I bought my PS3 copy of BC for $10 shipped and new from Best Buy about 3 months ago. Maybe they still have some deals on it?

-Rob

... Wow, they have the PS3 and 360 versions for ten bucks online. But no PC version in sight. (I don't own a PS3 or 360.)

I'll call my semi-local Best Buy later though, maybe they have copies of the PC version in store or something. Thanks for the tip! :)

[Dire 51]

Having only recently bought a 360, I'm really late to the party here. But based on what I'd heard about BC, I traded my pack-in with a friend for a copy (along with Beautiful Katamari), and I'm enjoying it immensely so far. I'm disappointed it got panned too... here's hoping maybe someday Capcom will take another chance on the series and give us a sequel.

[rbudrick]

Something tells me those who bitched never played it. Perhaps they should have released Rearmed AFTER BC. I think that would have helped it. But still, anyone that's played it knows the real truth.

-Rob

[Kitsune Sniper]

Having only recently bought a 360, I'm really late to the party here. But based on what I'd heard about BC, I traded my pack-in with a friend for a copy (along with Beautiful Katamari), and I'm enjoying it immensely so far. I'm disappointed it got panned too... here's hoping maybe someday Capcom will take another chance on the series and give us a sequel.

They won't...

http://kotaku.com/5540859/bionic-commando-dark-void-last-straws-for-capcom

[kupomogli]

Kitsune. Don't you have a US address? Amazon has Bionic Commando for $15 PS360 and PC.

[skaar]

They won't...

http://kotaku.com/5540859/bionic-commando-dark-void-last-straws-for-capcom

Sad. The fact they are passing blame for the failures on utter bullshit excuses even sadder.

For the record, I enjoyed and finished BC. And I liked it.

[Dire 51]

They won't...

http://kotaku.com/5540859/bionic-commando-dark-void-last-straws-for-capcom
I've seen that, and it's pretty damn sad. I agree with skaar 100%.

[kupomogli]

Predicted to sell in the millions, neither did better than 750,000 copies. Now, Capcom wants out.

Capcom realized that original titles like Dark Void were too risky to keep investing in. From now on, the only reason the company will employ developers from outside of Japan is to build sequels or new versions of their existing games.

Does this mean we have a chance to see a Breath of Fire 6? It's an old IP.

Also. Because Capcom didn't reach sales in the millions they're more than likely going to avoid new IPs? Dark Void itself just looked stupid. With all the third person shooters and first person shooters, especially those set in sort of futuristic envorinments, Capcom should only have themselves to blame for even to allow this project to be started. I'm sure an idea is thrown towards them and they choose if they'd like to fund it or not. I guarantee that Capcom thought that since it's a third person shooter in a futuristic environment(Gears of War) people would have thrown $60 on it for that reason alone.

[Amnion-Chorion]

This was easily one of my favorite games of the year.

I'm saddened that it took such a critical beating in the press, and amongst gamers that seemed to have unrealistic expectations of what THEY THOUGHT the game SHOULD HAVE BEEN instead of appreciating the fact that the lineage of the Bionic Commando series has always contained the gameplay elements and limitations (heavy emphasis on swinging, linear non-sandbox gameplay with areas that cause rapid or instant kills, no ability to swim, etc.) that were at the center of most negative reviews.

It would be like faulting the latest Legend of Zelda game for not having a Gears of War type cover system.

This, exactly. I feel like most people were expecting an entirely different game. As an expansion of the NES concept in 3D, it works really well. It had some flaws (those sniper sections got fairly obnoxious at times) and the story was really stupid, but it was a lot of fun, and I honestly can't help but wonder where they would've gone with it.

Either way, I'm glad the game's failure didn't cause Capcom to completely give up on BC, and that we can all look forward to Rearmed 2. :D

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

I think this one is ultimately destined for cult status ... which is kind of ironic considering that's what most of the other Bionic Commando games have.

There were a lot of people who just didn't "get it", but those that did have the combination of massive enjoyment coupled with a resentment of what the gaming press did (in part) for shaping the public perception of the game, and I think that's a recepie for a future unsung cult title for PS3 & 360.

I hope Capcom is willing to give the IP another shot in the future, maybe on a portable or something (that would be par for the course historically).

[Sothy]

Cant Wait For The Movie

[Vlcice]

I'm a little surprised seeing the sales, and that it didn't flop quite as badly as I expected. A local liquidation store has a million copies on 360 at 2 for $10, so I figured it must have done some Uncle Henry's Playhouse level of sales.

[Battlesmurf]

It really makes me happy to read some opinions that don't utterly trash the game. I enjoyed the heck out of 90% of it (10% lost due to some insta "you went too high radiation, frustration, and the abrupt ending that is SCREAMING for a sequel).

I really wish more people would give it a chance. I can probably point a few fingers at some of the gaming press at large- I'm willing to bet a solid few of them phoned it in. That being said- there's always a legion of gamers out there that pay attention solely to reviews and can't really read between the lines. (not saying to ignore reviews- but sometimes good games get burned only to come out several years later and nobody can really figure out why they got trashed so badly :P)

Edit- let it be known that I was really fond of most of the other Bionic Commandos as well, so I do have some fanboyism flowing here unfortunately. I know I also can't be the only one that did the following, either. I took my original NES Bionic Commando and had it reflashed to Bionic Commando 99' (the unedited one with the Nazi Symbols and such). Then the Wonderful BC ReArmed came out and kinda made that pointless haha.

[rbudrick]

There were a few points where the story was kinda dumb (why does he survive falling out of a plane at one point, but a dude punching him two or three times kills him?), and the ending was quite a cliffhanger, sure, but it's friggin Bionic Commando...a game originally about reviving Hitler...the original was pretty off the wall too (though edgy for its era)! I can only hope BCR2 picks up where BC left off, and not pull a Highlander 2 on it like it never happened.

Screw the press. This game is beautiful and fun as hell, period.

-Rob

[b0ub0u]

Just came back from a brief trip south of the border and snatched a new copy of that game on PS3 for 9.99$

Reading the thread, it seems I may have my money worth of fun! Looks like a solid game, even though the reviews were not that great.