In 1987, Capcom released their first dedicated arcade cabinet, a rather middling platformer called Bionic Commando. Touted as a sequel to their popular Commando in the US, Bionic Commando was a somewhat unique, if unspectacular, platformer whose biggest gimmick was that the player character could not jump, but instead had to use his bionic arm as a grappling hook and swing across chasms.
One year later, Capcom redesigned the game from the ground up for release on the Nintendo Entertainment System. This new Bionic Commando bore little resemblance to its arcade progenitor, and it was all the better for it. Read on to find out why Bionic Commando remains one of the NES's most endearing games, while the arcade version is little more than a footnote in Capcom's illustrious history.
Though it was common for developers to significantly alter or tone done gameplay elements of arcade titles due to the constraints of the NES hardware (see: Double Dragon), this was not the case with
Bionic Commando. Capcom intentionally reworked the entire game for the home console, combining elements of platforming, adventure, and even very light RPG elements. The result is a challenging but utterly memorable game, unlike its rather forgettable coin-op counterpart.
Though the game's gimmick remains the same, the NES version of Bionic Commando is not only a significantly longer, bigger game, it's also considerably deeper. Whereas the arcade version contained four linear levels, the NES version contained 19 areas - 12 of which were fully playable action stages, while the remaining seven were neutral zones that often contained helpful power-ups and information. Also unlike the arcade version where power-ups dropped from the sky via parachute, equipment was collected and selected for use before each mission, allowing you to select weapons, assist items, and a communicator that best suited each mission. This lent a somewhat non-linear progression to the game as you could technically go anywhere at any time, though certain missions practically required specific items to progress (such as one that takes place in complete darkness unless you have and use flares).
Oddly enough, the NES version has no connection with Capcom's earlier Commando, despite the fact that it's the only one of the two main versions that features top-down shooting sequences akin to the classic shooter. Enemy trucks patrol the game's map screen and should your helicopter make contact with them, the player will have to fight his way through short vertically scrolling, top-down sections. They're interesting diversions, though nowhere near as exciting as the death-defying action of the game's masterfully designed levels.
Indeed, while the levels in the arcade version are serviceable, the ones found in the home version are superb and take full advantage of Ladd Spencer's unique appendage. Few games offered the same kind of thrills as Bionic Commando when you had to make multiple grapples to cross over a pit of spikes, holding your breath as you freefall briefly between swings and hoping you didn't fall to your doom. It required the split-second timing and precise reflexes of all the best platformers and made the lack of a jump button irrelevant. It took what could have been a silly gimmick or an oversight and turned it into a core gameplay dynamic - and it worked.
Combat was exciting too, especially when you were surrounded by enemy troopers parachuting in from all sides with only a small barrel to duck behind for cover. Shooting enemies often yields bullets which, when you've collected enough, will add an additional life point. Along with the equipment selection, this is what gives the game a very mild RPG sensibility.
Perhaps what is most unique about the NES version of Bionic Commando is its history. In Japan, the villains were a neo-Nazi group, hellbent on resurrecting Adolf Hitler. For the US release, per Nintendo's strict censorship policy in those days, most of the overt Nazi references - including the use of swastikas - were removed. Strangely, the game's final confrontation with Hitler was left mostly unchanged. Though referred to as "Killt", the graphic resemblance to Hitler remains, as does his excessively violent death and his utterance of "Damn!".
To the arcade version's credit, it is graphically impressive, with very colorful, fairly large, and vaguely Anime-inspired sprites. The NES version takes a slightly more realistic approach, but naturally the hardware isn't able to match the color pallette of the arcade game.
Perhaps if the NES had received a straight-up port of the arcade game, as many home computer systems did, Capcom's original 1987 Bionic Commando coin-op would be remembered more favorably. It is by no means a bad game, but when compared to the stellar NES version it's positively inferior, in spite of the NES's weaker hardware. The NES Bionic Commando was so fondly remembered that it was remade as Bionic Commando Rearmed, a high definition, expanded version, while the arcade original is relegated to Capcom's emulated arcade game collections alongside other far more noteworthy games like Final Fight, Ghosts 'n' Goblins, and of course, Street Fighter II.
It seemed like a growing trend with the NES - arcade games were reworked and often better than the titles they were based on. It was true with Double Dragon II, Rygar, and arguably Gauntlet - and it was most definitely true with Bionic Commando. The arcade game was fun, if forgettable, but the NES version is a retrogaming masterpiece.
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Posted by: game - Recent Games - Games Action - game Adventure | November 09, 2013 at 02:04 PM