"A Masterpiece"

Lots of times sequels to games aren't as good as the originals. This isn't the case for Bionic Commando. Bionic Commando is one of the most innovative and funnest games ever. Here's why

Story 10/10
One of the best stories for any game EVER It mixes some World War II with some fiction. Super Joe is sent out a mission and captured by the badds a.k.a. the Nazis. You are the “captain” and your mission is to rescue super joe. The game's name is Bionic Commando because you are equipped with a bionic arm to aid in your quest for super joe. This was and still is one of the greatest ideas for a game ever. Instead of your typical jumping to get from place to place you must use a bionic arm. Very creative. There are many twists and turns in the story line as you play the game. This wasn't typical for an NES game at the time.

Graphics 10/10
The graphics for this game are amazing. Nothing is too bright and nothing is too dreary. You actually feel like you're in a war. Every thing is drawn well and doesn't look thrown together. This game looks good as Genesis games. The graphics are typical Capcom graphics for the time, what I mean by that is. For Capcom's early games for the NES like the Megamans, 1942,1943, Trojan, without knowing who designed them you could tell it was Capcom because they maintain that graphical style. The same colors, character animations. Is this a bad thing? No because Capcom is still around today so they knew what they were doing.

Sound 10/10
Best sound for an NES game ever. The music is perfect for this game, it sounds like music that would be in a war movie. Area 5, 8, and 12 have the best music ever. Those songs will be in your head whether you are at school,work, falling asleep or on a date. There is no music in this game that would make you put your tv on mute while playing.The Bionic Arm sounds like the real thing, the sound is unforgettable. The gun shots, explosions, etc sound perfect. The game's sounds seem to be way ahead of it's time. There is no bad music or sound in this game.

Control 8/10
Nothing is perfect and that's why I gave the control 8/10. The B button fires your gun, the A button shoots your bionic arm. Up, down, left, and right moves you and your bionic arm in those directions. Sounds all simple enough, right? Now there is where Capcom goofed up. For most NES games, the start button pauses the game. Well, not in this case. The select button pauses instead.During the game you get medicine and fire bombs (used to light a darkened room) and when you equip those they can only be used by pressing the start button. This is where the problem begins. The medicine and fire bombs can only be used once during a stage (area) so if you have to pause the game and accidentally press start you'll use your medicine or fire bombs. This can be really frustrating because you are so used to pressing start for pausing games and have to get used to pressing select for this game. You can end up wasting your medicine and getting killed because of it. Now all Capcom had to do was switch start and select around. Have select be the button for your medicine etc and start pause the game like all the other games. Capcom made a huge mistake here and whether it was intentional or not. If it was intentional then it's kind of cheap shot to the player. If not it was an unfortunate overlook.

Challenge/Replay Value 10/10
The game has the right mix to it. The game isn't extremely difficult but no one could walk over it the first time they play it. It takes some time to get good with the bionic arm, once you get comfortable with it you'll have the time of your life showing your skills to your friends. You will definitely be playing this game again once you beat it to see how fast you can beat it and because it's so fun. This game has an unforgettable ending and you will wanna see it over and over again. Once again the game has the right blend too it, where it's not too much of a challenge so it won't be a pain to beat it again but enough challenge to keep you on your toes.

Buy it or Don't Buy?
This should be in every gamer's collection. This game goes cheap, and you will definitely get your money's worth out of it. So you got nothing to lose. Go out and make a purchase that you will never regret.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 10/06/04