So I finally got a chance to play Bionic Commando… and I liked it. After so many negative comments, I was surprised that I enjoyed it as much as I did. The negative reviews drastically lowered my expectations, so I think I was able to enjoy the game for what it is, not what I was originally expecting. And what it is, is a great reincarnation of an old-school 8-bit game. Just like the 8-bit Bionic Commando, the new BC keeps you on a strict path, gives you an underpowered basic firearm, and includes some frustrating grappling sections where you’ll fly off-path and instantly die… just like the old days. There’s a lot of negatives that make this game annoying, but it’s a solid game once you accept it’s shortcomings. And in my opinion Bionic Commando’s high points far out way it’s low points.
I could ramble on and on about the details of what’s good and what’s bad about the gameplay, but there are a thousand critiques out there by people far more eloquent, so I’ll just say a few things here about the visual design - I think it’s absolutely beautiful. From concept to completion it manages to maintain some of the cheesy aesthetic quality of the 8-bit original (the enemies in brightly colored suits, the rotund robots, etc) but it uses the influence sparingly and combines it with some over-the-top yet modern sensibilities. The mass of dreadlocks, the ludicrous muscles, the blue ‘radiation’ all serve to weave the kitchy old design together with the current trend of desaturated colors and post-apocalyptic imagery. And the bionic arm design is a thing of beauty – a tip of my hat to whoever designed that stunning piece of machinery.
