Genre: 3D Action
Publisher: Capcom
Developer: GRIN
Release Date: May 19, 2009

Whenever resurrecting old 2-D classics like Bionic Commando, it's important to stay true to the series' roots but also update the franchise so that it meets today's expectations of what a game should be. I think the latter is more important.

Bionic Commando includes the familiar robotic-armed warrior but struggles to meet the general standards of a contemporary video game. Everything is here: platforming, action and multiplayer, but developer GRIN has only supplied us with the bare minimum, and not even good old nostalgia can fix that.

The story takes place 10 years after the 1988 NES title, where we are introduced to former commando Nathan Spencer. Nathan's head is currently on the chopping block because of a botched mission years ago that resulted in the death of fellow members of the Tactical Arms Security Force. Just before his final moments, the terrorist organization BioReign detonates a nuclear device in the heart of Ascension City, forcing Nathan's superiors to call him back to duty and stop BioReign.

Whether the plot of Bionic Commando appeals to you will depend on your love for cheesy '80s action movies, so get ready for predictable double-crosses, a subplot that never gets fully explored, an evil German guy with a bad comb-over, and a meaningless ending. The dialogue gets even better with gruff stereotypical army talk that's so generic it's hard not to laugh. If you've seen any war movie ever made, it's here in Bionic Commando.

Nathan is first inserted into the heart of ground zero sans bionic appendage, making for a poor introduction to the game, since the arm is the only entertaining part. Once the arm is acquired, Nathan is then able to latch onto enemies and reel himself in for a zip kick or toss heavy objects into the air. Once the adrenaline meter is filled from taking down baddies, he can perform a special move that involves spinning the arm's wire cable 360 degrees.

Given that Nathan's hulking left arm is bigger than Barry Bonds' (not to mention more organic), it would be reasonable to assume great melee moves could be performed, but there are only three actions: the uppercut, regular punch and body slam. The lack of moves causes the melee fighting to have no real flow, which is too bad considering the very standard assortment of ranged weapons (assault rifles, rockets, etc.).

Other than typical foot soldiers, Nathan will also encounter biomechs, who wear robotic suits that are capable of flight, shooting missiles or powerful melee moves. The problem is that each of these mechs can be defeated using the same simple strategy, and they're present throughout the entire game. Due to the lack of variety in enemies, the gameplay in Bionic Commando starts off slow and never amps up.

Besides the straight-up action, there are also platforming sections where Nathan can attach his grappling device to almost any surface within range and swing away. Although the swinging feels clunky and awkward, it does work, and after a little practice, it's a breeze to launch Nathan great distances and scale tall buildings. Nathan can't actually die from a fall due to his special boots, but this is balanced by water hazards, which will drown him due to the weight of the robotic arm.

The sense of scale is actually something Bionic Commando does well but never capitalizes upon. Exploring ruined cityscapes or enormous caverns in the game really does give you a sense of altitude, and I must admit that when I was sending Nathan plummeting to the ground and swinging through the air, I felt like a supercharged soldier.

Sadly, the environments aren't very open-ended due to radioactive hazards that lock the player into one set area. The game's scale is also not realized in the four boss battles, with only one being a truly mammoth beast and the final fight amounting to nothing more than Quick Time Event button presses. Yes the finale of Bionic Commando is a QTE, and a very easy one at that.

After the roughly eight-hour campaign, there's also a multiplayer mode, but I didn't find it to be worth anyone's time. There's a healthy offering of 12 maps, all of which maintain the very high altitude feel, but there are only three game modes: Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch and Capture the Flag.

To make things worse, the multiplayer cuts out most of the bionic arm abilities, keeping only the swinging and zip-kick. Since all eight players are gifted with the same traits, there's no feeling of being unique from the rest. Including other bionic abilities not found in the campaign might have helped the multiplayer seem like less of an afterthought. Like the single-player portion, Bionic Commando's online-only multiplayer is morbidly behind what even the average video game offers in this day and age.

The title also manages to disappoint in the graphical department. The intense bloom lighting isn't enough to breathe life into the cold, dead environments that have no interactivity. Character-wise, I'm quite fond of the modern rendition of the protagonist, especially the arm, but the actual details on the models is a letdown. I've already described the horrid script, which is just as badly acted. Some of the title's music is quite elegant, but that isn't enough to help the flat presentation.

Try as I might, I can't think of anything that Bionic Commando offers that one would expect from a modern full-priced game. As an entry in the BC franchise, the game allows players to live out some key elements, like the swinging and grappling, but these abilities get tiring since they're so limited. The franchise could probably reintegrate itself with the current market, but not with the skeletal gameplay and monotonous story in this iteration. As a reviewer, I always feel responsible to put myself in the shoes of the consumer, and when I imagine paying money for this game, I start wishing I had my own bionic arm to smash something.

Score: 5.5/10