Swing Heil!

Bionic Commando: Rearmed

(360, PS3; 800MS Points ~ $10; Rated M for Blood/Gore/Language/Violence; www.bioniccomando.com)



In 1988, playing video games was an exercise in patience more than it was a pastime.  Platformer-based titles were all about the pixel-perfect jumps across bottomless chasms, often resulting in frequent deaths and replaying levels time and time again.  And the original “Bionic Commando” was no different, one wrong move and players would plummet to their deaths again, and again, and again, and again.

For some reason, we loved it.

The original “Bionic Commando” holds a special place in this reviewers’ heart, and has been at the top of his most-desired list for remakes.  It may have taken 20 years, but Capcom is obliging its patient fans with a 3-D, current-gen sequel of “Bionic Commando” due later this year.  In the meantime, and maybe more importantly, it released a high-definition remake of the original classic onto Xbox Live Arcade and the PlayStation Network in the form of “Bionic Commando Rearmed.”

With “Rearmed,” gamers will get a game so chock-full of content, that Capcom would have been justified in asking $30-$40 for this title.  The time and care taken to bringing this classic back in a High-Def format, while remaining true to the essence of the original, is impressive: the color pallet of the original title- with the enemies still in pink uniforms- is in tact, the evil villain still bears a striking resemblance to a resurrected fascist dictator, and our hero, Radd Spencer- sporting his red flat-top and Ray Ban sunglasses, has never looked more 80’s.

Of course, resurrecting this classic also resurrects the old-school frustrations of not having a ‘jump’ button for an action-platformer.  Instead players have to learn the art of using the Bionic Commando’s arm-mounted grappling hook to traverse levels.  The bionic arm is, of course, the reason why “Bionic Commando” is such a beloved classic game; but when a missed grapple on a vertical-based level results in Radd falling all the way to the bottom of the level and having to start over again, that controller-throwing urge you may feel is the all-too familiar sting of nostalgia to fans of the original.

Still, the sting is easier to bear with local, co-op multiplayer and over 100 timed, swing-based puzzles that make perfecting the art of the swing feel like a true badge of gaming honor.  All of this for $10? For masochists, and video gaming historians, it is a must-have.