Bionic Commando

"You are NOT the hero in this game...Super Joe is."

Game Type: Platform
Players: 1
Pause Option: Yes
Continues: Yes....once you discover an item somewhere.
Company: Capcom USA Inc.

Manual: 2
Game Elements: 9
Visual Effects: 10
Sound: 9
Challenge: 10

If you want some shoot em up action on the NES, Bionic Commando is one of the best options in town. This game is exciting, needs you to learn many techniques and it have some of the best visual effects on the console.

Armed with a gun, a transmitter and a bionic arm, your duty is to go behind the enemy's lines and save Super Joe, the real hero of this story. (Yeah, this is stupid. Joe is the real hero of this game. You are just that guy with a 12 feets long arm). To call your mission a success, you will have to pass thru 20 zones. In most zones, you will find many enemys to fight : soldiers with guns, bazookas, bombs and laser cannons. In the neutral zones, you will meet with allies that will offer you essential hints and special weapons.

When you enter a transfer zone, it is possible that you could meet an enemy truck. If that happens, you will fight enemy soldiers off using your bionic arm as a whip. The gun is the best choice for a face to face fight while the arm can be used to stop bombs thrown at you.

Manual

Even if you can understand what is in that mess, it will take you some time to get a few of the games' basics. The booklet doesn't tell you many of these basics.

Game Elements

Bionic Commando has many different special weapons and many interesting battles.

Sound & Visual Effects

Well detailed, the visual effects show what the NES is capable of. The sound effects are very good also. The gun, for exemple, makes a surprisingly realistic sound.

Challenge

You start the game with 3 lifes. Some people won't be able to pass the first zone even after 2-3 hours of play ! Bionic Commando is not an easy game. It is only after many hours that I discovered there was a continue option in this game. But, you need to discover an item somewhere that will allow you to do so. Knowing that this function exists should push you to keep playing, but many will give up before reaching that item.

Final Word

Bionic Commando is a game with a fast rythm. Its visual effects are impressive (The Characters are well drawn and never look chunky). Unfortunately, the manual is amongst the worse I ever saw. It is a shame to have put many hours to a game programmation without having put a similar effort for the booklet. It is a very pleasant game, but you will need some time to discover what is the plot and what the game awaits from you.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 03/04/01, Updated 03/04/01