Hello all,
After having finished Bionic Command Rearmed two weeks ago I decided that it was time to finish Bionic Commando 2009, though I had some doubts about it because of the reviews and opinions posts I had read of some of the people who played it and because of the videos I have seen of it.
As I had finished BCR I could at least replace the model of the character with the retro skin which to me at least improved that as the 2009 model is like some other elements so typically 2000s (during the 2000s there was this trend among developers and the visual designers to make the characters more darker, sort of like how Miller reimaged Batman for his DKR. Friendly looking characters but also 80s action hero types had to be more... I don't know, extreme?)
In general there is already a bit of a stylistic dissonance between BCR and BC2009.
In general the gameplay of the bionic arm works really well. I did encounter however that the tutorials did not seem to explain how you could actually use it against enemies themselves.
I had to look on Youtube to find out how that worked.
So far I had the idea that when the player grabbed an enemy with the bionic arm, that they would use a taser to send an electric shock along it. Now I found out that once you have taken hold of an enemy you can actually launch yourself towards him.
This is a lot of fun with regular enemies, and essential with the heavy troopers and the mechs, the last when there really are no cars of pieces of rubble to use against them.
Using the arm to move around also works very well. There is no 'unfairness' of the arm not being able attach to a surface that shows no indication that it is not possible to do so.
Making use of momentum can sometimes be tricky and it did take me a while to get into it.
The combat outside using the arm is pretty much your average third person shooter. You are able to carry a pistol along with a secondary weapon, and grenades. However you have to exchange weapons when you want to carry another secondary weapons.
I found this rather annoying and it rather makes it clear this game was designed for consoles.
Unfortunate that it was primarily designed for consoles could also be noticed in other parts of the game.
The buttons that are shown on the HUD on what actions you can undertake are those of an Xbox 360 controller, rather than the buttons of a PC keyboard even if the user uses a PC keyboard and mouse.
The developers should really have scrapped this off.
Also, in the key binding menu it does not mention that Tab is used to open the player's list of objectives/challenges/database. That is only mentioned in the manual.
The music is pretty well done in general. The remix of the original NES track for level 1 was very nice, and feel pretty epic when the action becomes more intense.
The voice work however, oh boy. This has nothing to do with the voice actors themselves but rather with the story and the dialog.
As I mentioned, this game is really 2000s and it can not be more noticeable in the lines of the main character who seems to be constantly angry whenever he talks.
But when going through the levels or fighting enemies the guy genuinely seems to have a good time, being thrilled when he makes incredible leaps with the bionic commando.
Some of the one-liners seem a bit out of place though such as when the main character says "You will thank me for it later" when I clearly crushed some unlucky sob's rib cage. I don't think this person will be able to reflect on his previous decision of joining a terrorist organization and tell you that he has seen the error of his ways.
The story... well I will not go into detail about it though I doubt that there are still that many people interested in Bionic Commando games who have not heard or read about it already.
There is really no knowledge required about the original NES BC/BCR as during the game details about it are brought up from time to time and the player can also read about it in the archives.
I do think people will be able to enjoy BC2009's story, where possible, a bit more if they have indeed played the remake of the NES game.
It is not really that interesting and it lacks the fun of the NES/Remake which was basically an 80s action movie story. It is also pretty cliche.
I would rate this game a 7 on a scale of 10. It is not a bad game, but it is also not very good either because of the decisions the designers made regarding some of the gameplay and the content.
BTW, unlike some other people who played it in the past, I am not upset that the game is not an open world game as some seemed to have the impression of it. Sometimes the radiation boundaries seem to work a little weird though.
Even one time that because I was walking into a slightly irradiated area that I got the idea I was going the wrong way when in fact I wasn't.
When radiation alerts make it clear that you are getting of the set path, you can't just decide to change the rules.
It is kind of a shame that this title killed the interest in future Bionic Commando games for now as I would really liked to have seen more entries, though I don't think this version of the storyline should be continued.
I hope in the future to find a way to play Bionic Commando Rearmed 2 so I can complete the rebooted saga.
Addition: before I forget, I got the impression that the designers really wanted to make Bionic Commando into a sort of Metal Gear Solid esque game. Theme wise but also with the music.
Addition 2: one annoyance it shares with BCR is the save points. Should you be killed in combat, or by radiation, or falling into the water, you have to start from the beginning of the level again or from the nearest beacon.
I wish something better had been implemented, for example when you fall from a platform into the water, that you will reappear on the last platform you stood on.
