Bionic Commando is an action-adventure game, in which the player controls player character Nathan Spencer. The game uses several mechanics (primarily radiation) which act as barriers. These barriers are used to keep the players within the confines of the linear level design. Nathan Spencer is able to target enemies while hanging, climbing a building or even in mid-swing, while using an implement called the 'Bionic Arm' which can also be used to attack enemies at close range. The bionic arm can be used to grab and launch objects such as boulders and cars at enemies.[3] In addition, he is equipped with boots that enable him to survive extremely long falls. Spencer is equipped with Tungsten gun, which is shot quickly but does minimum damage to the enemies, and Prototype gun, which fires fast and does maximum damage and he can use throwables such as grenades. The weapon reload mechanism is missing in the game and players must try to find the ammunition to use them. Players can also use special weapons such as sniper rifle, machine gun, shotgun, grenade launcher and missile launcher with limited amount of ammo. The ammunition can be found from the dead bodies and other parts of the game as well, with exception of the special weapon ammunitions which can be found rarely. The ammunition can be categorised by its color i.e. orange ammo for primary weapon, blue ammo for grenades and red ammo for special weapons. Spencer can also attack from a greater height by stomping the ground with his Bionic Arm, causing to kill multiple enemies at once, plus he can also hack drones and other systems with the attached arm. However, due to the heavy weight of the Bionic Arm, Spencer can not swim (although he could swim before he lost his arm)[2] and as a result the players must find a way to get him grappled to a safe zone before he drowns.
The events of the game take place ten years after the original game.[4] The game follows Major Nathan "Rad" Spencer (voiced by Mike Patton),[5] a government operative working in the fictional Ascension City and an Operative named Joseph Gibson aka "Super Joe" (voiced by Steven Blum) for the Tactical Arms and Security Committee (T.A.S.C) that trains bionic operatives like Spencer. After he is betrayed by his own government and falsely imprisoned, the Great Bionic Purge begins. Before his execution, an experimental weapon detonates in Ascension City, unleashing an earthquake along with a radioactive shock wave that leaves the city destroyed and wiping out its populace. The terrorist force known as the "BioReign" claims responsibility, threatening invasion.[3] Spencer is freed to redeem his name along with the T.A.S.C's and is reunited with the bionic arm of which he was stripped.[6]
During flashbacks the player learns that two years prior Spencer and his bionic partner Lt. Jayne Magdalene failed to eliminate two rogue bionics who had allegedly murdered a handful of people. Spencer resolved to help the two bionics escape when he and his partner discovered that the FSA were actively rounding up and forcibly rehabilitating bionics; something that both Spencer and Magdalene were themselves. Soon after the two rogue bionics and a wounded Lt. Magdalene escaped, Spencer was arrested by the FSA and sentenced to be executed for his treason.
Joe reveals that Spencer's wife never left, and alludes to the concept that she is actually part of Spencer's bionic arm. According to Super Joe, in order for bionics to work perfectly, they have to sync with their host on both an emotional and physical level. In this case, Spencer's wife was the perfect candidate. After this revelation, Spencer hastens his pursuit after Joe who activates Project Vulture before Spencer reaches him. Magdalene tries to stall Super Joe, now in a Bio-Mech suit, but she is killed while Spencer is forced to helplessly watch. In a fierce mid-air battle, Spencer kills Joe and ultimately stops Project Vulture. He falls back into the hole of The Vault from which he, Joe and the vultures had ascended earlier.
Bionic Commando is a video game franchise consisting of an original arcade video game released in 1987 and several later versions and sequels. The games are platform games in which, with two exceptions, the player cannot jump. A bionic arm is used to cross gaps and climb ledges. The player character, Nathan "Rad" Spencer, uses this as a grappling gun/hook to swing, climb and descend through levels. Seven games have been released, from the original 1987 Bionic Commando to 2011's Bionic Commando Rearmed 2. The series is based in an alternate timeline in which Nazism is not completely eradicated following World War II.
Each of the Bionic Commando titles have core gameplay elements that center on the use of protagonist Nathan "Rad" Spencer's bionic arm. This is used as a grappling gun/hook to swing, climb and descend through levels. It is further used in combat to pull towards or push away enemies. Until 2009's Bionic Commando Spencer could not jump as a gameplay mechanic, however this and the follow-up title Bionic Commando Rearmed 2 gave Spencer a simple jump mechanic that works in conjunction with the bionic arm gameplay.
The original Japanese arcade game and its Famicom counterpart (Hitler's Resurrection) are called Top Secret (Japanese: トップシークレット,, Hepburn: Toppu Shīkuretto). The original arcade game was advertised in the United States as a sequel to Commando, going as far to refer to the game's main character as Super Joe (the protagonist of Commando) in the promotional brochure,[7] who was originally an unnamed member of a "special commando unit" in the Japanese and World versions.[8][9] In 1988, Capcom produced a home version for the Nintendo Entertainment System, also titled Bionic Commando, that was drastically different from the original arcade game. A version much truer to the coin-op original was released for the Amiga (OCS) in 1988;[10] it was also ported to the other leading micros: the Atari ST, Commodore 64,[11] Amstrad CPC and ZX Spectrum. They were "wire action" games created by Tokuro Fujiwara, based on his earlier 1983 arcade game Roc'n Rope. He originally intended Bionic Commando to be an expanded version of its predecessor Roc'n Rope.[12] The music for the original arcade game was developed by Harumi Fujita, a member of the then all-female Capcom Sound Team. Fellow female video game composer Junko Tamiya adapted two of the original arcade tracks (The "Bionic Commando Theme" and "The Powerplant") and expanded the soundtrack by adding several new songs in the console versions for the Japanese Famicom and the NES ports of the game.[1]
An adaptation of Bionic Commando for the Game Boy was released in 1992. There was also an MSdos/386 version of the game available circa 1991. A sequel, Bionic Commando: Elite Forces, was released in 1999 for the Game Boy Color. Though it borrows some elements from its predecessors, Elite Forces has a different plot from the rest of the series. Also, the characters (an unnamed male or female commando) have a few more moves, such as the ability to climb down from platforms, and can also utilize a sniper rifle in some segments to eliminate distant enemies.
All protagonists in the series are soldiers equipped with a bionic arm featuring a grappling gun, allowing the protagonist to pull himself forward or swing from the ceiling. The series is notable for being one of few instances of a platform game in which the player cannot jump. To cross gaps or climb ledges, the hero must use his bionic arm.
The arm is really useful as it lets you destroy soldiers at long distances. As you can't jump in this game, you will also use it to grab onto ledges and pull yourself up. We might see a bionic arm being developed in the future. It would be useful to add to a human if they have lost heir arm. It might also be used to punch someone at a fair distance, then get away before the recipient decides to punch you back. You can control the arm in all directions, except downwards.
Controls are easy to get used to in the game. You simply move your character left, right, up, and down using the joystick, and its fire button to either fire your weapon or extend or contract your bionic arm.
The Bad
Nothing.
The Bottom Line
In Bionic Commando, you can only use your bionic arm to either destroy soldiers or grab onto a platform. No jumping is allowed in the game. There are five levels, and the environments in those levels look good as you pass through them. It is faithful to the coin-op version, because of the similar gameplay and graphics, but the music is much different and much better than the music that the coin-op version has.
Bionic Commando tells the story of FF Battalion Captain Ladd Spencer, a man with stiff knees and a bionic arm who finds himself the star of a platform game despite being unable to jump. His mission: rescue Super Joe from the Empire, successor to the Nazis Badds, and put an end to Hitler Master-D's insane plans for world domination.
Remnants of a different version of the encounter in the first room of Area 17, where a captured enemy soldier informs you about the secret underground paths. In the Japanese version, he is interrogated by whacking him with the bionic arm repeatedly. He can also be shot and killed, which elicits a remark from the nearby friendly soldier (who is also unused in English versions).
And although it takes a while to comprehend, Bionic Commando's swing mechanic is very stylish. As you fall from the rooftops you make a grab for lampposts, jutting girders and carved-up monorail by compressing the left trigger as they flash past, firing out a grappling hook from your bionic arm and slingshotting smoothly beneath at a matching pace, before releasing to send yourself in a preferred direction. Maximum respect goes to the programmers behind the context-sensitive icon that shows where you can hook on, because the distances are intuitively consistent, and with a bit of application the learning curve flattens out and you're able to manoeuvre swiftly and impressively, and catch yourself when you brush up against the limitations of your own dexterity.
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