Bionic Commando Xbox 360/PS3/PC game

Bionic Commando is a franchise that wears its heart on its sleeve, or up it, in the form of a clever bionic arm attached to a soldier. The original game was released in the arcades in 1987 before being ported to home consoles.

Most people familiar with the current generation of consoles will have heard of Bionic Commando Rearmed, a remake of the original classic, which appeared as a downloadable game last year.

Now, publisher Capcom is bringing a full, original game to the table. Once again, game play revolves around your character’s bionic arm, which is used to swing him around levels and dispose of enemies.

Said hero of the hour is Nathan Spencer, a cast-off from the government’s Tactical Arms and Security Committee who is predictably out to right a number of wrongs using the arm and several big guns. Spencer was betrayed and falsely imprisoned, but now he has been released to save the day.

After completing a tutorial, you set out swinging, jumping and blasting across the broken, bomb-ravaged Ascension city, guided by your commanding officer. The standard enemies are fairly easy to overcome on their own but the platforming element of the game, which requires dexterous swinging and leaping, adds an interesting and satisfying twist in getting from point A to B.

Nathan has to hack into computers as he goes, unlocking new areas, and he learns new abilities as he progresses, which add to the moves he can pull off. He also comes up against a number of ‘boss’ enemies that are entertaining to take on and will test your ever-improving skills.

While the story is nothing original, it serves its purpose. The art is nice enough and the front end of the game has a great menu system. But we can’t help but be slightly disappointed in the lack of free-roaming allowed in Bionic Commando.

The levels are linear – there are usually a couple of paths to take but the environment felt a little a restrictive. Spencer is confined through the use of toxic clouds, walls of fire or deep water.

There are some collectables to pick up in each level but there is no replay option, so everything must be done in one go – an old-school approach to play, perhaps a deliberate one, but still slightly frustrating for more casual players.

The campaign is a good length, with three difficulty settings and lots of challenges to give some replay value. For those who want to test their skills online there are lots of multiplayer maps to explore. Game modes consist of capture the flag, deathmatch and team deathmatch for up to eight players.

It’s the multiplayer elements that will keep many coming back, with imaginatively designed maps that really make use of the hero’s bionic arm.

Bionic Commando is essentially a straightforward platform shooter in a nice suit. It revolves totally around the physics of the swinging arm, so players will tire quickly if they don’t enjoy that aspect.