Bionic Commando

The late 1980s are considered the golden years of the NES.  This era produced some of the system's most memorable classics, such as Mega Man II, Zelda II, and of course, Bionic Commando.  To this day, I consider Bionic Commando one of the most innovative platformers ever made.  It took a very brave step in a new direction by eliminating a traditional platforming move - the jump.  Instead, the game revolves around using a grappling hook (aka: bionic arm) to attach and swing to ledges.  As a result, Bionic Commando offers a memorable and unique gaming experience.

For an NES game, Bionic Commando's storyline is actually pretty original.  As soldier Ladd Spencer, your mission is to find Super Joe, the legendary hero from Capcom's arcade classic, Commando.  Although details of his whereabouts are vague at first, you'll soon learn that Joe was capture by "the enemy."  Okay, I lied - it's your typical "save this person" plot... BUT, how many NES games have Nazi references?  How many NES games allow you to wire-tap into "the enemy's" conversations to learn more about their secret plans?  I rest my case.

When designing the visuals, It's apparent that the creators were going for a style similar to Mega Man.  No Capcom game would be complete without a bright, vibrant color scheme.  In addition, the backdrops are gorgeous, and several small effects (such as the fire in Area 11) are also impressive.  There's nothing to complain about regarding the sprite animation, as everything from walking to swinging animates fluently.  My only complaint about the graphics is the world map, which could have been a little more detailed.

Bionic Commando has a phenomenal soundtrack.  There is not a dull tune in the game.  The standout tracks are the Area 5 theme, which is perhaps the most poignant music in an NES game, and the dangerously addictive Area 8 theme, which features a swift bass line and rhythm.  Because this is primarily an army-based game, most of the tracks consist of a traditional marching rhythm which create a perfect atmosphere for the game.  Nice touch!

The inability to jump may cause first time players to scoff at the game's controls.  I'm not going to lie to you - learning Bionic Commando's controls takes time, especially if you're coming right from a traditional action game.  However, once you become familiar with the bionic arm, the controls are like second nature.  Using the arm can be done with the A button.  If you press A while pressing either up, left, or right on the d-pad, you can extend your bionic arm in the desired direction.  Pressing the A button by itself will extend the bionic arm in a diagonal direction.  This allows you to swing yourself from ledges, lamps, etc.  The rest of the controls are pretty standard: B shoots, select pauses, and start uses your special item.  Even though the game suffers from occasional slowdown, the controls are always responsive.

Like most NES games, Bionic Commando gets easier the more you play it.  That's not to say the game is cake after you mastered the bionic arm.  There are plenty of tricky moments that will test both your skill and your patience.  Unfortunately, there are no save or password features.  As it turns out, this is my biggest complaint about the game.  On average, it takes about 2-4 hours for a well-prepared gamer to finish.  So, as you can imagine, completing it in one sitting can be a bit time consuming.

Because Bionic Commando breaks the golden rule of platformers, not everyone will enjoy it.  Luckily, I'm not one of those people.  As an attempt to persuade some of you purists out there, I feel obligated to explain the thrill of playing Bionic Commando.  First of all, the bionic arm adds a huge amount of depth to the game.  The levels are designed so that you get the most use out of this feature (i.e. swinging across a pit of lava, spikes, etc.).  Also, following the tradition of Mega Man, several stages can be played out of order, making it a somewhat non-linear adventure.  Believe it or not, Bionic Commando actually has RPG elements such as equipping armor/accessories, using healing potions, and gaining experience points to increase health.  Oh, and who can forget the enemy attack sequences, which act as a homage to the original Commando?  I can go on forever!

You know, for a system that has been obsolete for well over a decade, it's hard to find a game on the NES that has stood well against the test of time.  Luckily, Bionic Commando hasn't aged a bit.  It's as enjoyable now as it was when it first came out.  If you don't mind the absence of a password feature and/or jumping, Bionic Commando is definitely a must-own game.

Score: 3.5 (A-)