Bionic Commando (Xbox 360) review "I liked it when Bionic Commando was simply a game. You control a guy with shades and red hair, you fight Nazis (or their equivalent), and you save a guy named Super Joe. The bionic arm you used was one of those brilliant game mechanics that would have revolutionized the industry if it didn’t feel so singular and unique. Maybe I’m still too young to reminisce about “the good old days,” but this is what gaming used to be about. Exposition in games was once used to set the groundwork for ..."

I liked it when Bionic Commando was simply a game. You control a guy with shades and red hair, you fight Nazis (or their equivalent), and you save a guy named Super Joe. The bionic arm you used was one of those brilliant game mechanics that would have revolutionized the industry if it didn’t feel so singular and unique. Maybe I’m still too young to reminisce about “the good old days,” but this is what gaming used to be about. Exposition in games was once used to set the groundwork for big fun (for lack of a more pretentious way of putting it); nowadays, equally simplistic narratives are expressed in many more words, and in exchange, “innovation” isn’t a word I find myself using very often.

Developer Grin did their best to yank the nostalgia lever when rebooting the series; the fantastic soundtrack screams neo retro, and a short tutorial mission teases us with a red-haired Ladd recreated in Diesel engine glory. By the time we’re brought up to date with his current predicament, he’s grown black dreadlocks, changed his name to Nathan Spencer, and started saying “fuck” all the time. He’s been betrayed by the people he worked for, including Superintendent Joseph (see what they did there?), and voice actor Mike Patton wrings every ounce of angst he can out of our protagonist, angrily shouting and growling and snarling all of his lines as if channeling the Prince of Persia channeling Clint Eastwood circa Warrior Within. Not since that catastrophe has a game tried so hard to be dark and edgy where said darkness and edginess felt so out of place.

It’s all surprisingly well-scripted given how stupid it is, though I suppose you won’t feel insulted until the game’s finale. The writers hit you with a surprise twist that’s supposed to be the game’s emotional climax, but it’s so aggressively dumb that it inspires laughs rather than tears. It concerns the whereabouts of Nathan’s missing wife, and while I can’t ruin it for you, I’ll invite you to think of the dumbest possible explanation for what happened to her in the context of the Bionic Commando universe, and whatever you're thinking, that's probably what it is. It took me by surprise, though not in such a way that the developers probably intended.

This new Bionic Commando still had enormous potential, and when it throws the plot-related bullcrap out the window and merely focuses on being a game like its predecessor was, it is fun in the purest of ways. I just wish it hadn’t tried so hard to be something more.

The bulk of the game still has you playing around with Nathan’s retractable biotic arm, which he can use to grapple onto distant objects and swing from them or yank himself forward. Despite the city setting, Grin sidestepped the temptation of making Bionic Commando an open-world game; the vast outdoor environments evoke a true sense of scope, but the radiation left behind by a nuclear blast keeps players focused in the objectives. It’s hardly a thorn in the player’s side, as the levels are still large enough to encourage exploration, and once you clear the first fifteen minutes or so (easily the weakest segment of the game), Nathan’s arm can latch onto nearly anything in the environment.

I note with just a tinge of regret that the swinging mechanic isn’t quite as graceful as it could have been, though it merely takes some getting used to before you’ll feel comfortable flinging yourself across the vast cityscapes. I’ll grant that the burst of speed Nathan exerts at the peak of each swing was intentional, but Bionic Commando blatantly ignores the established physics of our own world and smugly invents its own rules. Nathan doesn’t move momentously from one objects to another, and his motions often seem influenced by some unseen ethereal force. He’s a pinball on a rope, and everything in the environment is a flipper, including the air.

You do get it down, eventually, and Bionic Commando benefits from eventually opening up its level design a bit and letting players go wild. But you’ll have fun (and progress more quickly) if you ditch the Spider-Man act and make use of the bionic arm’s retractable wire instead. The process goes something like this:

1. Nathan aims at object.
2. Nathan fires grapple.
3. Nathan latches onto object.
4. Nathan retracts grapple.
5. Nathan arrives at object.

Needless to say, it doesn’t feel like five steps when you’re doing this twice a second. It’s like someone took the hookshot from Zelda and based an entire game around it, where every physical object is made of vines. Enormous levels that other characters would take ages to trek through are cleared in moments flat thanks to Bionic Commando’s lightning pace; Nathan is occasionally prompted to yell “Ah-ooooooooo!” after a particularly exhilarating leap, and I echo his sentiments. While the physics could certainly use some touching up, the controls are tight enough to counteract any gripes I might have. It’s fun enough that Grin occasionally tossed the combat aside for large portions of time just so players could admire the scenery and then promptly fling themselves across it.

I take issue with that, though, because the combat is arguably the best thing about Bionic Commando, and I’m surprised to see myself writing that. You can use guns, but you rarely will; Grin narrowly avoided succumbing to peer pressure and didn’t implement a cover system, and it’s all for the better, because they want you out there using your bionic arm. Grapple onto an enemy from afar and fling yourself iron boots-first into his ribcage, then bounce off of him and take out the rest of his squad in the same manner, without ever touching the ground. Snatch an enemy off of his feet and fling him into his buddy, killing both. Kite an enemy into the air and slingshot yourself into him. Hide behind cover and wait for enemies to approach, then punch the object that was obscuring you into the air, leap up, and slam it into the squad of soldiers below you. It’s incredibly versatile; this all sounds fun, but I assure you I’ve barely scratched the surface of what’s possible here.

I imagine that the game’s up-close-and-personal approach to combat frustrates on higher difficulties, and even on the normal setting, some of the major battles (and especially bosses) are more tedious than enjoyable. On the other hand, there’s no real final boss, and the last few minutes are nothing short of breathtaking, ending the game on a surprisingly beautiful note in spite of the ludicrous twist that had been presented only moments before. For everything that initially feels off-putting, Bionic Commando offers enough reward for the patient to make it more than worth budget price, where it currently sits. I can’t defend Nathan’s dreads, nor do I want to, but the purists who dismiss this new entry may be missing more than they think.

Community review by Suskie (February 06, 2010) Mike Suskie is a freelance writer who has contributed to GamesRadar and has a blog. He can usually be found on Twitter at @MikeSuskie.