Customer Reviews

Bionic Commando

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If I remember right, Bionic Commando first appeared for the 8-bit NES in 1988. I hadn't played this game since 1990 since it was borrowed by a friend of my brother's and returned back in a week, but what I remember was it a truly addictive game. The graphics were nothing short of amazing, by 1988 standards. I remember having a ton of fun trying to operate the claw and try to swing across while killing bad guys. Throughout the game you have to collect different weapons which you need different ones if you were to kill the boss at the end of each level. You also have to be careful about this one level that's blocked off, because if you accidentally enter this level and you don't have the proper weapon to blast the obstacle away, you'll have to hit the "reset" button and start all over. I am usually no fan of those shoot-em-up games, but this one is a truly fun and challenging game. I also won the game about on the second try, but unlike many games this easy to play, the graphics here are amazing (by Nintendo 8-bit standards, of course) and all the fun things you can do keeps you going back for more. I almost forgot that you can also use the claw to obtain hard to reach items as well. So if you still have that old Nintendo 8-bit, the controllers work fine, I suggest you track down a copy of this. And if you already have this game and the original NES, this will give you truly fond memories of how games were like before Sony Playstation and Nintendo 64 (or even Super NES and Sega Genesis, for that matter).

Forget the 2009 remake of Bionic Commando, this is the real deal. Bionic Commando for the NES is an excellent game with some inventive 8-bit gameplay mechanics. The story is simple - it follows Radd Spencer as he goes to rescue Super Joe, another commando who was captured by bad guys. Radd is equipped with numerous weapons and a bionic arm to help him rescue Joe and defeat the bad guys. A short and sweet NES backstory in the vein of good ol' Contra.

The game is unique in the fact that you cannot jump. Huh? You have to be able to jump to get around the levels right? Not necessarily. In Bionic Commando, your bionic arm acts like a grappling hook and you use it to climb platforms, swing across spike and fire pits, and to pull down out of reach enemies. It's an interesting game dynamic, and at a time when every other game character could jump, it was almost revolutionary. The available weapons are standard; you've got a rifle, a wide gun, a 3-way gun, a rocket launcher, and a bazooka. I think the rocket launcher is the best choice for almost every level. There are also a bunch of items you can find, but none of them are that effective except for the bullet proof vest.

The map screen is also interesting. Instead of progressing linearly to the next level, you're in a helicopter and can choose what area you want to go to next, occasionally running into enemy forces and battling them in between levels. It is an original concept that was refreshing at a time when most games went straight from point A to point B. The game is bright and colorful as well, with each level having a different color scheme and enemies. The enemies vary from soldiers with guns and enemy bionic commandos to sentient slime and giant supercomputers. The human enemies you kill drop bullets, which when enough are collected, your life bar extends one point. You start with three energy points and can work your way to a total of eight.

The controls are tight and work surprisingly well. Using the arm takes some getting used to, but the game takes that into consideration by making each level depend more on the bionic arm as you progress. By the time you get to Levels 11 and 12, you'll be a master at swinging, grappling, and landing.

All in all, a really good addition to the NES library that has some unique 8-bit innovations and is a lot of fun to play. A must own for anyone with a Nintendo.

If I were to rate every video game I have ever played in terms of how advanced it was for ITS OWN TIME, this one certainly would rank in the top 10, maybe even the top 5. These days, I have a PS3, along with several old systems like the original NES, Sega Genesis, and N64. Sure, the PS3 games obviously crush all the games from the other systems in terms of graphics and depth. But still, the one game I still enjoy playing just as much as all the new games, is the old NES version of Bionic Commando. For 1988, this was one heck of an advanced game. I just remember being 12 years old and spending hours and hours with my friend who owned this game back then, trying so hard to solve it. We eventually did, but it took alot of work, and all in one sitting, because you could not save and start at a later time at the same point in the game (like Zelda and a few others of the day). Nope, you had to go start to finish, but you could however collect an unlimited number of continues along the way if you knew what to do...and boy will you need them, especially when trying to get past areas 6, 11, and 12!

Obviously, it has great graphics for its time, but there is so much more. For one, the game is non-linear, you can hop around to different levels and play them (to a degree) in whatever order you like, so long as you have found the proper radio communicator for that level (there are 4 different ones). There are tons of special weapons and items to collect along the way, and you have to learn when to use which ones on which levels (you can only bring one gun, one communicator, one special item, and one protective item with you). There is the rifle, rocket launcher, wide cannon, three-way gun, and machine gun...there are 4 different communicators, alpha (red), beta (green), gamma (blue), and delta (yellow)...there is the pendant, the helmet, and the bullet proof vest to help protect you...there are special items like the flares, energy restoring pills, the rapid fire device, and the iron boots. Quite complex features for 1988.

The game is also great for its backstory, cool looking scenes, complexity of levels, and cool background music. You are a highly trained commando, sent to rescue Super Joe, another commando who has been captured by the enemy! This enemy (who is supposed to resemble the Nazis) is out to take over the world with their superweapon and you must stop them! They are also trying to resurrect from the dead, their former leader (Master-D) to help them activate this weapon (and he has a coincidentally similar appearance to none other than Adolf Hitler). You have to navigate through enemy bases, forests, seaside ports, neutral areas where you may not fire your weapons, underground sewers, bunkers, and factories to make your way there. You will fight everything from common soldiers with rifles, to grenadiers, to one man mini-helecopters and tanks, to platoons of attacking soldiers, to enemy bionic commandos, to huge robot warriors, and much more. And best of all is the bionic arm...you cannot jump, so instead you use this arm to grapple and swing your way over obstacles and deadly terrain. Sounds hard, right? Well it is! But you will get used to it, and actually will come to appreciate what you can accomplish with it!

If you had this game as a kid, buy it and bring back some great memories. If you did not, buy it and try out one of the great all time classics! Hours upon hours of highly addictive fun!

When you think of great games for the 8 bit nes, people think of Super Mario Bros, Contra, Metroid, Punch out, Rygar etc. Bionic Commando probably isn't on everyone's list but that would be attributed to not having played the game!

I actually got this game by default for my birthday b/c Punch Out was sold out at three separate stores. Seeing that my dad probably didn't want to drive all over town to find Punch-Out, I got bionic commando as a kid merely basing my choice on the cool looking cover (a guy with a bionic hand while holding a bad ass gun in his other).

The gameplay is interesting. You can select certain levels instead of being forced to in a sequence. One noticeable difference and good change of pace from all games is that your character cannot jump (only walk back and forth). You utilize, yes you guessed it, your bionic hand to swing from wall to wall to get around. It's a very clever idea to say the least.

Overall, it's a great game.

Bionic Commando is one of the greatest NES games.The graphics and sound are good. The gameplay is unique because you do not jump. Instead, you use your arm to grapple and move across a place. There are enemies that move about on the map. Overall, this game is pretty hard. However, that is a small flaw to this great game.

this, coupled with iron tank (which only exists in my memory and on ebay), are two of the greatest war games ever, and certainly the two best on nintendo.
this game has everything. i mean, EVERYTHING. it's got excellent graphics. it's got excellent music (the one i'm thinking of in particular is the one where the commando climbs this really high tower, i think it's area 5. "duh nuh nuuuuuuh, na-na-na nuuhhhhhh"... very stirring, if you ever get to hear it). also, this game is hard as hell. most of it's not so bad, but there are parts that can leave you screaming if you don't remember it's only a game.
in my earlier point, i said this game has everything. it really does. it's got bowling balls, soldiers (no doubt those [...]; they're all in red), military commanders, robots, a guy behind a shield, a freaky computer with cannons, and hitler. yes, that's right, i said ADOLF HITLER. he's got some corny name like master d or something. but it's sooo hitler. either that, or it's charlie chaplin gone mad.
my only complaint is that this game has no save function. and it WILL take you a while to beat it. therefore, don't think you have to beat it in one sitting. play a little bit, go do something else, come back. if you've got a sturdy nintendo, you can do it over the course of a day without having to stay glued to the little son of a gun.
plus, what other game can you play where you can ice a dude with a freakin' rocket launcher?
my eternal gratitude to my parents for buying me this game and castlevania II in christmas of '91. the ussr fell, and i got two of the greatest games ever. it's still one of my favorite christmas memories.