Bionic Commando Rearmed

Bionic Commando Rearmed (バイオニック コマンドー マスターD復活計画, Bionic Commando: Master D Resurrection Project in Japan) is an enhanced remake of the 1988 Nintendo Entertainment System version of Bionic Commando. It was developed by GRIN and published by Capcom for Windows, PlayStation Network, and Xbox Live Arcade and was released on August 13, 2008. The remake serves as a prelude to the 2009 video game Bionic Commando. A sequel, Bionic Commando Rearmed 2, is currently in development.

Rearmed follows Nathan "Rad" Spencer, a commando with a Bionic left arm that can extend and be used as a weapon, or to swing from various objects. Spencer is sent to destroy a weapon known as the "Albatros" [sic] project under construction by the "Badds". It was developed using GRIN's Diesel engine and features in-game art by Shinkiro. During development former Capcom employees who worked on the Nintendo version of Bionic Commando served as consultants to the developers.

Rearmed was well received, averaging 86% across all three platforms at gaming aggregator Metacritic. Reviewers praised the fact that the game was true to the original, but lauded the updated gameplay and graphics. It was described by IGN as "the best downloadable game to date on XBLA and PSN." 1UP stated Rearmed "should go down in history as one of gaming's best deals."
Contents
[hide]

* 1 Plot
* 2 Gameplay
o 2.1 Multiplayer
* 3 Development and marketing
* 4 Soundtrack
* 5 Reception
* 6 Sequel
* 7 References
* 8 External links

[edit] Plot
See also: Bionic Commando (NES) plot

Bionic Commando Rearmed borrows its plot largely from the NES version of the game, with minor modification. In keeping with the western release of the original Bionic Commando, the references to the Nazi party which were prevalent in the original Japanese title are not featured in Rearmed. However, as is also the case is the original, the final boss of the game still clearly resembles Adolf Hitler, and is referred to as "The Leader".[3]

Rearmed centers around two warring factions: the Federation and the Empire. It begins with the Imperial forces discovering classified documents regarding the development of a new weapon known as the "Albatros" [sic] project, originally started by an organization known as the "Badds", but never completed. Killt, Generalissimo of the Imperial Forces, decides to complete the project himself. When the Federation learns of the Empire's plot, they send in their national hero, Super Joe (the protagonist from the Capcom game Commando) to infiltrate the Empire, however Joe is captured by Imperial Forces during his mission. The Federation sends in a second operative named Nathan "Rad" Spencer to rescue him and assist him in completing his mission.[3]

Spencer traverses through several areas, eliminating many Imperial leaders along his way. As he progresses he finds new technology and travels deeper behind enemy lines. The plot culminates when Super Joe is rescued, and both Spencer and Joe set out to destroy the Albatros project. During the mission Spencer encounters "The Leader", the resurrected head of the Imperial forces. Spencer defeats The Leader, and together with Super Joe destroys the Albatros. The game ends with both heroes hanging onto a helicopter, flying off as the Albatros explodes.
[edit] Gameplay

In Bionic Commando Rearmed, the player plays as Nathan "Rad" Spencer, a soldier who has been enhanced by being given a bionic arm that includes a grappling hook, which can be used to reach distant objects. In each game level, the player must navigate to reach an end goal, facilitated by using the bionic arm to swing across gaps or climb to higher ledges. Often, the player must make a series of grappling actions in a row to successfully traverse the level; for example a wide gap that may be crossed by repeatedly using the arm to grapple and swing from the roof above it.[3][4]

Spencer earns a variety of additional weaponry by defeating level bosses. There are also objects that must be found before certain areas can be entered; for example, the player must locate flares that can then be used by Spencer to allow passage through dark areas. Throughout the areas are communications rooms where the player can contact friendly headquarters, or hack into the enemy computer system to learn more information about the level.[3] The levels are presented to the player as a tactical map showing each friendly and enemy area. The player controls a helicopter to move between areas, and can then select to land in that level. Simultaneously enemy convoys will also move between areas; if the player lands on a space occupied by a convey, they will need to fight their way through the convoy before proceeding.[3][4]
Bionic Commando Rearmed retains the two-dimensional gameplay of the original while receiving enhanced three-dimensional graphics.

While Bionic Commando Rearmed remains mostly true to its Nintendo counterpart, a number of gameplay enhancements were made to the game. A health bar replaces the original health system, meaning players can collect health items from enemies to restore health, as opposed to the original system which involved earning more hit points. Players can shoot their arm to grab barrels and throw them at enemies, or use them as temporary shields. Weapons can be now changed during gameplay instead of only prior to the start of a mission, with each weapon having stronger or weaker impact depending on the enemy type.[4][5]

Boss battles have also had a makeover. Each boss battle now makes unique use of Spencer's weaponry and bionic arm. Additionally, the final boss battle has been extended to a complete level.[6] Hacking into enemy communications now involves navigating a three-dimensional puzzle.[4] Extra points are awarded upon completion if the player's health bar is full, otherwise a smaller bonus is awarded dependant on how much health the player has remaining. New to the remake are "Challenge" rooms which involve using the bionic arm traverse a course as quickly as possible.[4] Force feedback has been implemented when using the bionic arm, firing weapons, and other events.[5]
[edit] Multiplayer

Rearmed's campaign can be played locally with another player. Although the overall gameplay is identical, the enemy and boss AI adapt to accommodate the extra player. Character lives are shared between players, meaning that each player life lost hurts both players. Once all extra lives are lost and one player dies, the AI reverts to its single player configuration for the remaining player until the player completes the level or an extra life is found.[7] Additionally the cooperative campaign is saved separately from the solo campaign, meaning that weapons, equipment, and powerups do not carry over from one campaign into the other. During local cooperative play, the game's camera will zoom in and out to accommodate both players, and will split the screen dynamically should the camera not be able to zoom any further.[4] Competitive multiplayer modes have also been added, and can be played locally or over a network. Game modes include the standard versus and last man standing modes, and "Don't Touch the Floor", in which characters attempt to knock other players to a hazard at the bottom of the level for points.[5]
[edit] Development and marketing

Developer Grin made it a priority to preserve as much of the original gameplay and visuals as possible. Screenshots were taken as a reference, with designers keeping the same color schemes when creating the 3D worlds in order to preserve visual style and readability of the game.[8] Programmers had to reverse engineer the original gameplay to accurately reproduce it. Developers had to "measure how fast the arm goes out, how fast you swing back and forth, how fast you run across the ground, at what speed you fall down and everything" said Vilkund.[9] The level editor was integrated in the engine, which allowed developers to view creations in real time. Lead Gameplay Programmer Håkan Rasmussen expanded on this concept, stating "Since BCR is built on the same engine as the next-gen BC we can also reuse the editor [which] lowers the time before we can start using levels."[9]

Developers found that adjusting the original gameplay to a 3D engine required dismissal of conventional physics. For example, the player cannot walk past a barrel placed in their way, however they are able to swing through the object. "The swing mechanic [is] based on the original [and so is] totally physically incorrect" noted Gameplay Programmer Bertil Hõrberg.[10] Hõrberg stated that the character always swings at the same speed and releases at the same and releases at the same angle regardless of player input. Weapons were also redesigned, with each weapon being rebalanced. "In the original [you get] the rocket launcher and you use that for the rest of the game" stated Simon Vilkund. All of the weapons were redesigned to be useful in some form, and can now all be taken into combat, whereas previously only one weapons could be selected per area.[10] Boss characters received not only a visual redesign, but the fights received an overhaul as well to make use of Spencer's abilities. "You need to use the arm to beat the boss" stated Creative Director Simon Vilkund.[8]

Challenge rooms were born of a desire to enhance the game's neutral zones. "The neutral zones in the original game weren't that interesting, so I starting thinking we could add an obstacle course in each one", Vilkund said.[9] "The bionic arm is such an unconventional mechanic that we really wanted to explore everything that it could offer" added, Level Designer Victor Vilkund. Victor Vilkund cited inspiration from several Nintendo Entertainment System games, including Solomon's Key, Wrecking Crew, and Ice Climber, adding that the concept was "very basic, very short stages."[9] The game's soundtrack consists of remix versions of the original Nintendo tracks, arranged by Simon Vilkund.[9] He described the arrangements as "the same melodies and harmonies but with a more modern sound."[9]
Character art for the game was illustrated by Shinkiro.

In redesigning the game's protagonist, Nathan Spencer, Grin cited Iceman from the movie Top Gun and Marty McFly from the Back to the Future series as visual influences in the update. For the character Super Joe characters looked to the cowboy of the American Old West, citing actor Sam Elliot as an additional source of inspiration.[8] 3D artists noticed early in development that due to characters being much further away from the camera than modern titles that certain details in textures would not be noticeable. "We had to think 'less detail and more color, [and] bigger shapes'" stated 3D Artists Wendy Young and Peter Stråhle.[9] All of the 2D character art was designed by Shinkiro, an illustrator and conceptual artist, famous for his work with the Art of Fighting and The King of Fighters series.[5]

On February 19, 2008 the official Bionic Commando website ran a poll asking gamers to decide between two possible prices for Rearmed - ten or fifteen dollars. Producer Ben Judd stated, "Personally, since the goal is to make this game for the fans and to get the world to see what makes Bionic Commando so special, I want to sell it for about US$10."[11] However, more senior Capcom employees believed that the game has enough features and polish to sell well enough at $15 to warrant that price. Final pricing was settled on $10 for the Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network versions, and $15 for the Windows version.[12] The PSN version supports Remote Play on PlayStation Portable and trophies.[13][14] The PC version features additional PC-only challenge rooms added with a patch to compensate for its higher price.[15] Former Capcom employees who worked on the original NES version served as consultants for the new release.[16]
[edit] Soundtrack

Bionic Commando Rearmed - The Soundtrack is the soundtrack of video game music from Bionic Commando Rearmed. It was released on May 27, 2008 by Sumthing Else Music Works. The music was composed by Simon Viklund, who later provided the arranged soundtrack for Final Fight: Double Impact.[17] A Japanese trailer for the game was revealed at San Diego Comic-con 2008, done in the style of an anime opening with a theme song sung by Ichirou Mizuki, titled "Go Go Bionic". The song is not featured on all versions of the soundtrack.[18]
No. Title Length
1. "Bionic Commando Rearmed (Main Theme)" 3:32
2. "Heat Wave" 3:50
3. "Power Plant" 3:38
4. "Leap of Faith" 2:42
5. "Rise of the Albatross" 4:59
6. "BCR Menu Theme" 3:22
7. "Prologue & Epilogue" 3:02
8. "OK, We'll Move" 2:29
9. "Meet the Enemy and Descend" 2:00
10. "Killt's Hidden Treasures" 2:30
11. "Amongst Allies" 1:20
12. "Intruder Alert" 3:28
13. "Suzuki's Heroes" 2:00
14. "One Man, One Bionic Arm" 1:40
15. "Go Go Bionic" 0:18
[edit] Reception
[hide] Reception
Aggregate scores
Aggregator Score
Metacritic 86% (average of all platforms)[19]
Review scores
Publication Score
1UP.com A[20]
Eurogamer 8/10[21]
GameSpot 7.5/10 (360)[22]
8.0/10 (PS3)[23]
IGN 9.4/10[24]
Giant Bomb 5/5 stars[25]

Bionic Commando Rearmed has been very well received by game critics. It averaged 86% across all three release platforms at gaming aggregator Metacritic[19] and average 87% across platforms at GameRankings.[26] Rearmed sold over 130,000 copies across all three platforms during the first week of its release.[27] As of July 2010, Bionic Commando Rearmed has sold over 110,000 copies on Xbox Live alone.[28] In a September 2010 ranking, IGN listed Bionic Commando Rearmed fourth in their top twenty-five Xbox Live Arcade titles of all time.[29] Overall impressions of the game gleaned comments of praise. IGN called Rearmed "the best downloadable game to date on XBLA and PSN."[24] and ranked it second on their top 10 list of Xbox Live Arcade games.[30] Giant Bomb called it "terrific in almost every way"[25] and GameTrailers stated it was "one of those games that feels organic to play."[31]

Reviewers praised the title's ability to remain true to the Nintendo version but provide enhancements to update the title.[24][25][30] The game's graphics were described as "gorgeous",[24] praising the colors palette, backgrounds and lighting.[25] Similar comments were made towards the game's soundtrack, with 1UP.com's Jeremy Parish calling it "exceptional" and "a mix good enough to enjoy outside the context of the game".[20] Reviewers were split on opinions of the game's AI, with IGN describing it as "the best seen in a side-scrolling game",[24] but GameSpot saying the enemies were "simply too limited to pose much of a treat".[22] Reviewers were almost universally disappointed in the game controls, citing the lack of updating to analog features and remaining too true to the original.[22][24]

Rearmed's multiplayer received generally high acclaim, with GameSpot calling it "an unexpected treat".[22] Both the game's cooperative and competitive modes were lauded, however several reviewers cited a lack of online functionality.[21][22] Reviewers also praised the game's challenge maps and in-game database, stating "Rearmed is a game that could easily sell for full retail price and seem like a good deal."[20]
[edit] Sequel
Main article: Bionic Commando Rearmed 2

Bionic Commando Rearmed 2 was revealed at Capcom's Captivate 2010 event. It is currently in development by Fatshark for Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network. The debut trailer reveals that the player will now be able to jump, an ability first introduced to the series in 2009's Bionic Commando.[32] It has a tentative release date for the first quarter of 2011.

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