Bionic Commando
- Bionic Commando (1988 on NES)
- Bionic Commando (1992 on Game Boy, 2011 on Nintendo 3DS)
- Bionic Commando (2009 on Windows, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3)
Description official descriptions
In Bionic Commando the player takes control of a soldier with a bionic arm that extends and contracts. The bionic arm allows the soldier to grab onto fixed objects and swing around and climb up levels — no jumping allowed! The arm also grabs opponents and pulls them towards the protagonist.
The player's mission is to storm the enemy's fortress and destroy the launch computer to prevent the enemy from using their doomsday weapon.
Spellings
- トップ・シークレット - Japanese spelling
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Credits (Arcade version)
5 People
Game Designer (uncredited) | |
Programmed by |
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Reviews
Critics
Average score: 75% (based on 19 ratings)
Players
Average score: 3.0 out of 5 (based on 54 ratings with 2 reviews)
It's amazing what you can do with a bionic arm
The Good
In a hidden underground laboratory, scientists have perfected new fighting equipment. One of them is a bionic arm that can extend and contract, providing unheard-of strength and maneuverability. The bionic arm is placed on a soldier, nicknamed “Bionic Commando”, in an attempt to defeat the invading forces that killed your people for many years, reducing them to about half.
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.
You can also make use of your default weapon, which is the crappiest weapon that you can use in Bionic Commando, but you have the opportunity to get a better weapon, but you have to shoot its parachute before you can get it, otherwise it will continue going downwards into the screen.
The graphics of the Amiga/ST versions of Bionic Commando are better than its 8-bit cousins, giving them the same detail as in the coin-op version. Each character is drawn nicely, particularly the large enemies. I like the huge enemies that ride around in helicopters and mechs in the last two levels.
The environments in each of the game's five levels are interesting to pass through. The animations are quite good. The way that you parachute down to the surface after losing a life is cool, and the animation of you swinging left or right with your arm is very good. The music in the game suits the gameplay and is easy to listen to. It is quite different to that of the coin-op version.
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.
Amiga · by Katakis | カタキス (43086) · 2006
A cool platformer from the arcades
The Good
The hero got a gun in one hand, and the other is a bionic arm that can extend very far. It can kill enemies, pick up collectibles, and acts as a grappling hook. Instead of jumping, you use the grappling hook to climb higher. The swinging mechanic is fun!
The levels are very diverse, from tall forests, trough giant fortresses, to underground bases. It's good to look at, and each got unique gimmicks.
The game engine works flawlessly, there is 8-way scrolling that is butter smooth, unlike in any other home computer conversions.
Tim Follin handled the sound. There are no sound effects, but the soundtrack is so intense that I can't even mind it! The tunes are coming from the arcade original, but with unique twists. Tim really rocked off the SID chip here, wow!
The Bad
The sprites are small and somewhat ugly.
There are no boss fights, not even a proper ending.
This is not like the Japanese NES version where the main boss is a regenerated Hitler, and at the end his face shown in close blowing up. That is ridiculously awesome. It should have been included in every version!
There are two separate C64 ports of this game. The UK got this good one. The USA got the lame one. Poor americans.
The Bottom Line
Just wanted to point some of the wins out of the usual crud of arcade conversions.
Commodore 64 · by 1xWertzui (1134) · 2024
Discussion
Subject | By | Date |
---|---|---|
Bionic Commando(arc.) released for Windows(via Steam) on Capcom Arcade Stadium | Andrew Fisher (700) | Aug 25, 2022 |
Trivia is wrong | ReyVGM (17) | Oct 15, 2014 |
Trivia
References
- "Super Joe", who you are sent to rescue is the character from Capcom's original Commando game. Apparently without someone to insert credits to continue, he was easily captured.
- Generalissimo Killt's name might be a reference to Spanish dictator Francisco Franco, since Generalissimo was to Franco what Führer was to Hitler. Besides, Franco and Hitler collaborated together several times, first Hitler aiding Franco in the Spanish Civil War and later Franco aiding Hitler in the World War II. Another interesting fact, although in that case might be just a coincidence, is that the most representative image of Franco during the post-war is the one with him wearing a cloak, just like G. Killt.
Awards
- ACE
- October 1988 (issue #13) - Included in the Top-100 list of 1987/1988 (editorial staff selection)* Computer and Video Games
- Issue 06/1989 - Winner Golden Joystick Award 1989 for Best 8-Bit Soundtrack (reader's vote)* Game Informer
- August 2001 (Issue #100) -#66 in the "Top 100 Games of All Time" poll
Information also contributed by Captain Canuck, Kohler 86 and PCGamer77
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Contributors to this Entry
Game added by KnockStump.
Amiga added by EboMike. Commodore 64 added by Exolon. DOS, ZX Spectrum, Atari ST added by Martin Smith. Arcade added by Pseudo_Intellectual. Amstrad CPC added by Katakis | カタキス.
Additional contributors: Daniel Saner, Shoddyan, Alaka, lights out party, Patrick Bregger, piltdown_man, Rik Hideto, Jo ST.
Game added April 4, 2003. Last modified December 2, 2024.