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The Official Bionic Commando Thread

AgentOtaku said:
Well it's IS kinda obvious in the fact radiated areas are pretty blueish ...Seriously, I never had a problem not knowing where the spots were.


They're not always marked like that. I remember being confused as hell getting a major radiation warning inside an enclosed stairway that I had to progress through.

The problem isn't that they're hard to spot so much as they're so immediately fatal if you swing "too deep". You die in less than a second. A lot more recovery time would make a difference.

Of course, I won't lie, building a game where you're swinging and climbing through a city but can't actually get to the roofs of many of the more interesting buildings was pretty stupid. I don't remember radioactivity blocking the tops of buildings in the more recent Spider-Man games. I know why they did it, but it was a poor trade-off to make.

I'm still happy they made the game. I'm disappointed that they put too much expectation behind a cult classic becoming a blockbuster, then tried to modernize it but simultaneously play up the camp aspects in a confusing mix.
 

kamspy

Member
Can anyone who's played and been emotionally crushed by the awful of the console version, and then decided to play the PC version comment on any improvement with the PC version?


I want to like this game.
 

MoFuzz

Member
I'm making my way through the PC version right now actually. I didn't play in on consoles, but as long as you've got a decent rig, it will run at a rock steady 60 fps, with vsync on. I'm enjoying the game immensely so far, but the game definitely has issues (which have all been pointed out by others on here).

Load times are only 3 to 4 seconds max. I understand the consoles take much longer.

While the game looks solid at high res, (running mine @ 1920 x 1200) it looks like they'v neglected all the usual high end eye candy treats that PC games usually get, especially after a lengthy delay between console and pc release. There's no option for AA or AF, can't force it in Nvidia control panel either.
 

-Winnie-

Member
How exactly do you do an adrenaline finishing move on a biomech? Every time I try, I just do the spinning attack. :/
 
-Winnie- said:
How exactly do you do an adrenaline finishing move on a biomech? Every time I try, I just do the spinning attack. :/
I think the spin move is the adreniline finishing move. At least for me that's how I got the trophy. I would beat the until they were close to being dead and do the adreneline move.
 

-Winnie-

Member
joeyjoejoeshabadoo said:
I think the spin move is the adreniline finishing move. At least for me that's how I got the trophy. I would beat the until they were close to being dead and do the adreneline move.

Oh, I was thinking he'd rip the pilot out like he does with the flying robots. Ah well, thanks, I'll try that next time.
 

Almak

Member
Ok, so after Grin was shut down I felt like I should pour one on the curb sort to speak by getting Bionic Commando at half the price. :D
Having just finished it right now I...wow, well, where to start! First the good I guess.
The milieu of an abandoned city in ruin always appealed to me and in this regard Grind delivered (still blows my freaking mind that this is the engine Flatout was built on).
Ok that covered swinging is also spectacular. It took a little while to get used to it but once I did I was in it.
Music was also on the level. Though personally I would have preferred something more along the lines of what Rearmed attempted to do with it but it most definitely had its moments.

Now on to sigh...the bad. While I did like the setting I could not say the same thing about level design. Having invisible walls is fine as long as they aren't hitting you in the face more often than not.
The walls of this building look climbable, right? Well guess what asshole the roof isn't = dead. Wait! How did you swing so far up? Dead. Swung into water? Dead.
And many, many more moments like this made the amazing swinging much more of a chore than it should ever have been.
Enemies are also not nearly as varied as one would hope. What was it 4/5 types overall?
Story. :lol I was already spoiled to its "twist" but actually seeing it did not dampen the absurdity of the moment. Not one bit. Amplifying the absurdity was the fact that I was playing using the classic skin.

All in all Bionic Commando is actually not a bad game at all. When I wasn't tearing my freaking hair out I was actually having quite a bit of fun with it. I also do plan to go back to revisit some of the more memorable levels.

In general however I feel like a lot of hate towards Grin is mostly misguided. True they made some mistakes (Wanted and Terminator are good examples) but they also could deliver quality games too. I heard nothing but good things about Ballistics and once I gave Bandits: Phoenix Rising a try it inevitably grew on me. Of course Rearmed is in this list as well. It saddens me to think that they will not have a chance to recover and make something which is theirs instead of somebody else's. But I suppose with this kind of economy no one really gets second chances.

Watching the credits felt like reading an obituary. :'(
 

Teknoman

Member
Almak said:
Ok, so after Grin was shut down I felt like I should pour one on the curb sort to speak by getting Bionic Commando at half the price. :D
Having just finished it right now I...wow, well, where to start! First the good I guess.
The milieu of an abandoned city in ruin always appealed to me and in this regard Grind delivered (still blows my freaking mind that this is the engine Flatout was built on).
Ok that covered swinging is also spectacular. It took a little while to get used to it but once I did I was in it.
Music was also on the level. Though personally I would have preferred something more along the lines of what Rearmed attempted to do with it but it most definitely had its moments.

Now on to sigh...the bad. While I did like the setting I could not say the same thing about level design. Having invisible walls is fine as long as they aren't hitting you in the face more often than not.
The walls of this building look climbable, right? Well guess what asshole the roof isn't = dead. Wait! How did you swing so far up? Dead. Swung into water? Dead.
And many, many more moments like this made the amazing swinging much more of a chore than it should ever have been.
Enemies are also not nearly as varied as one would hope. What was it 4/5 types overall?
Story. :lol I was already spoiled to its "twist" but actually seeing it did not dampen the absurdity of the moment. Not one bit. Amplifying the absurdity was the fact that I was playing using the classic skin.

All in all Bionic Commando is actually not a bad game at all. When I wasn't tearing my freaking hair out I was actually having quite a bit of fun with it. I also do plan to go back to revisit some of the more memorable levels.

In general however I feel like a lot of hate towards Grin is mostly misguided. True they made some mistakes (Wanted and Terminator are good examples) but they also could deliver quality games too. I heard nothing but good things about Ballistics and once I gave Bandits: Phoenix Rising a try it inevitably grew on me. Of course Rearmed is in this list as well. It saddens me to think that they will not have a chance to recover and make something which is theirs instead of somebody else's. But I suppose with this kind of economy no one really gets second chances.

Watching the credits felt like reading an obituary. :'(

My thoughts exactly.
 

Trevelyon

Member
Urgh! Terrible end boss, especially on Commando.
Grin pullin' out some weak ass track and field button mashing endurance, you don't even get to fight Super Joe.

Fucking bullshit.
 

wondermega

Member
I am what you'd call a retrogamer (you'll find me playing mostly old-school games rather than anything current gn - and even then I prefer the originals to any "beefed-up, enhanced remakes"). With that in mind, I wonder if this game is "for" me? Given the price reduction, it's a hard one to avoid - and a lot of the trappings people are complaining about sound pretty de rigeur for "the old days," anyway, so I am thinking I wouldn't be too pissed about being constrained in my travels, that sort of thing.

Any other old-timers out there care to weigh in from that perspective, who've played a good bit of the game then? Or is it simply "more bad then good, all around - no matter what gen you prefer"
 

LaneDS

Member
wondermega said:
I am what you'd call a retrogamer (you'll find me playing mostly old-school games rather than anything current gn - and even then I prefer the originals to any "beefed-up, enhanced remakes"). With that in mind, I wonder if this game is "for" me? Given the price reduction, it's a hard one to avoid - and a lot of the trappings people are complaining about sound pretty de rigeur for "the old days," anyway, so I am thinking I wouldn't be too pissed about being constrained in my travels, that sort of thing.

Any other old-timers out there care to weigh in from that perspective, who've played a good bit of the game then? Or is it simply "more bad then good, all around - no matter what gen you prefer"

A lot of the complaining about it being linear is valid. I've been playing games since before the NES days, if that matters, and this game is super frustrating with how much it wants to keep you on the same path. Not because being linear is a bad thing, but because it often times gives you next to no indication that the area you're about to swing into is going to insta-kill you. Whether you want to explore or not, that's just shoddy design and really frustrating.

For what's it's worth, I've only played the first 45 minutes or so of the game, since the 360 I was playing it on red-ringed the following week. But if this game has any appeal to strictly retro gamers, I'd say it was not a conscious decision on the part of Grin.
 

-Winnie-

Member
Just finished the game yesterday, and overall it was pretty good. An enjoyable experience hampered by some strange design choices.

I want to have a shot at getting the Platinum, so if I finish the game on Commando, will that give me the trophy for finishing it on Hard as well (ala Uncharted)?
 
Playing through this again currently and still feels pretty damn fun to me. Not sure why it got the extreme hate it did. Does it have issues?, yeah it does, but some people made this out to be as bad as something as Damnation or Turning Point... which is is definetly not!

One thing I can say again about the game is that there is alot of little attention to details. Subtle as well. Papers blowing in the air. Dust particles hitting your screen. Falling from high, onto a car and having the windows blow out, doors swing open, and roof dent. Fun, fun game.
 

smik

Member
Beaulieu said:
I just went through this in 2 days, and I really liked it.
The swiging is so fun !

ditto

just finished this, wow! this game is amazing!

there was just so much fun to be had in this game, im really shocked at how great this game really is, The gameplay is really... really solid and actually addictive. the motion of swinging,shooting & exploring are very well done, and the sense of freedom that spencer has to move around is a breath of fresh air for me, also as the game progressed Spencer abiltys grew larger making it all the more enjoyable


The graphics are really great and the draw distance is amazing, launching a grunt into the air watching him fall to his death is a feat that never got old for me. luckily i didn't have any attachment to the original as to me it was just another game that i never got into.

it pisses me off the bad reviews this game recieved, it sadly turned me off getting it on launch day... only til now i thought i will give it a try since it was cheap, all the shit they spoke of in the reviews are really nit picky, i never once had a problem with the radiation boundaries and any gameplay problems, but i do understand that the story wasnt all that great but i have seen far worse.

if you have not yet picked this up, i urge you to get it.
like me, you may be pleasantly surprised with this game


i cant believe that grin has closed shop BC2 would have been amazing
 

Almak

Member
I think I was on my 8th playthrough when I finally had my fill. The swinging was just too much fun. I have to agree about the last boss though. That was unexpectedly poor design choice on their part (though a spectacular one at the same time).
 
Almak said:
I think I was on my 8th playthrough when I finally had my fill. The swinging was just too much fun. I have to agree about the last boss though. That was unexpectedly poor design choice on their part (though a spectacular one at the same time).

It was the coolest yet lamest final boss ever... if thats possible.
 

smik

Member
Almak said:
I think I was on my 8th playthrough when I finally had my fill. The swinging was just too much fun. I have to agree about the last boss though. That was unexpectedly poor design choice on their part (though a spectacular one at the same time).

damn

im going through my second playthrough now, i agree with you on the swinging, i dont think i have ever played a game where the vertical exploration was done so well...its just to much fun

The final boss battle wasnt the best but after Gears 2 laughable final boss bat... sorry cutscene i really found it entertaining, none the less it they could have done alot better.
 

JdFoX187

Banned
The ending boss was a copout. And I hate the blatant sequel plugging there at the end. Too bad we'll never know who the sniper was :(

But I think the worm boss was almost as bad. It took me about 10 tries to finally beat it.
 
JdFoX187 said:
But I think the worm boss was almost as bad. It took me about 10 tries to finally beat it.


Wow ten times? I only fought the thing twice. Seemed fairly easy imo. Were you playing late at night or tired perhaps? I know I've gotten stuck on games when its late or just can't focus.
 

smik

Member
forgot to mention this

but i also found that i really enjoyed Bionic Commando's soundtrack its got some really memorable tunes, the main theme song is great.


looking for a ost link
 

Almak

Member
Another perplexing boss encounter was
or rather wasn't with Magdalene. They take a lengthy cutscene setting up her appearance as well as her obvious disagreement with Spencer's alignment. And when you reach something which was very obviously designed to be a boss arena all you get is just a short cutscene of Spencer bashing her teeth in. How very anti climactic.
Though on a positive note I rather enjoyed the encounters with
Gruber and the mecha worm.

smik said:
forgot to mention this

but i also found that i really enjoyed Bionic Commando's soundtrack its got some really memorable tunes, the main theme song is great.


looking for a ost link
Yes, yes! Ten times yes! It was awesome. Especially the piano tune in the main menu.
 
smik said:
but i also found that i really enjoyed Bionic Commando's soundtrack its got some really memorable tunes, the main theme song is great.

This cannot be stated enough. Adds so much to the game. One of the better soundtracks I've heard this year.
 

smik

Member
slasher_thrasher21 said:
Wow ten times? I only fought the thing twice. Seemed fairly easy imo. Were you playing late at night or tired perhaps? I know I've gotten stuck on games when its late or just can't focus.

same here, great & intense boss battle, i retried it twice and it was a done deal for that bastard, its mainly about timing you jumps when the shock waves come
 

Almak

Member
smik said:
same here, great & intense boss battle, i retried it twice and it was a done deal for that bastard, its mainly about timing you jumps when the shock waves come
I had a huge problem with that the first couple of times.
After a while (and shamefully enough one youtube video later) I started enjoying whooping that boss.
 
smik said:
same here, great & intense boss battle, i retried it twice and it was a done deal for that bastard, its mainly about timing you jumps when the shock waves come

Still love how the guy says you have to fight it the first time, and then if you die and he resays the line but instead of fight he says "you have to fuck it" and you just hear the main character go "ughhhh"

Random and silly? Yes, but it made me laugh hysterical at what I just heard.
 

Almak

Member
slasher_thrasher21 said:
Still love how the guy says you have to fight it the first time, and then if you die and he resays the line but instead of fight he says "you have to fuck it" and you just hear the main character go "ughhhh"

Random and silly? Yes, but it made me laugh hysterical at what I just heard.
Ha! I knew about it before hand and it still managed to catch me off guard when I actually heard it. :lol
 
Almak said:
Ha! I knew about it before hand and it still managed to catch me off guard when I actually heard it. :lol

It just hit me on a few levels. One it was random. Two, to hear the main character say exactly what I was thinking like "ughhh.. wtf" Just awesome.
 

JdFoX187

Banned
slasher_thrasher21 said:
Wow ten times? I only fought the thing twice. Seemed fairly easy imo. Were you playing late at night or tired perhaps? I know I've gotten stuck on games when its late or just can't focus.
Yeah, it was pretty late. My main problem was the timing between the shockwaves.
 

smik

Member
Almak said:
I had a huge problem with that the first couple of times.
After a while (and shamefully enough one youtube video later) I started enjoying whooping that boss.

lol :lol don't be ashamed youtube its a great way to help you out with shit like that, but im having difficulty doing that Bulldog achievement where you have kill a grunt from 120 "game" meters away.

any1 do this successfully?


@slasher_thrasher21

only to the end boss did i release there was a in game speech skip button (x) it was hilarious when id run up to him while he was giving his almighty glorious speach only to press x and for spencer to yell back angrily to "shut the fuck up" or "for fuck sakes not again" lol :lol
 
smik said:
@slasher_thrasher21

only to the end boss did i release there was a in game speech skip button (x) it was hilarious when id run up to him while he was giving his almighty glorious speach only to press x and for spencer to yell back angrily to "shut the fuck up" or "for fuck sakes not again" lol :lol

WOW I didn't know this! Ha. Something new every day!
 

Almak

Member
smik said:
lol :lol don't be ashamed youtube its a great way to help you out with shit like that, but im having difficulty doing that Bulldog achievement where you have kill a grunt from 120 "game" meters away.

any1 do this successfully?


@slasher_thrasher21

only to the end boss did i release there was a in game speech skip button (x) it was hilarious when id run up to him while he was giving his almighty glorious speach only to press x and for spencer to yell back angrily to "shut the fuck up" or "for fuck sakes not again" lol :lol
I think that is easily up there with the swinging as far as innovative mechanics go. I think every game could use a "shut the fuck up" button for the boss. I'm just surprised he actually did what Spencer told him, and didn't just charge his ass (well not every time at least). :lol
Also as far as in-game achievements go I usually just let it happen naturally. I just screw around and if achievements happen cool.
Like on my last playthrough I wanted to see the boundaries of a level, so I threw a guy in a direction of the background and he actually got stuck inside an invisible wall. So in an attempt to "free" him from it I threw another guy into the first guy...before I knew it I have thrown every guy in my immediate area into one spot turning it into just a mess of meshes all bundled up together clipping and twitching in and out of each other. It was quite a sight...:lol
 

smik

Member
Almak said:
I think that is easily up there with the swinging as far as innovative mechanics go. I think every game could use a "shut the fuck up" button for the boss. I'm just surprised he actually did what Spencer told him, and didn't just charge his ass (well not every time at least). :lol
Also as far as in-game achievements go I usually just let it happen naturally. I just screw around and if achievements happen cool.
Like on my last playthrough I wanted to see the boundaries of a level, so I threw a guy in a direction of the background and he actually got stuck inside an invisible wall. So in an attempt to "free" him from it I threw another guy into the first guy...before I knew it I have thrown every guy in my immediate area into one spot turning it into just a mess of meshes all bundled up together clipping and twitching in and out of each other. It was quite a sight...:lol


yeh i wasnt really looking for the achievements but i was getting them as i progressed, only towards the end when spencers abiltiys grew did i start chasing them. my second playthrough should be more enjoyable as i can take my time.

throwing bodies far away never to be seen was a real treat, i just couldnt stop throwing bodies around, when killing the cyber drones i would use there bodies against the grunts. watching the the pinball effect never gets old
 

Kid Marin

Member
Sorry if it has already been asked. I own BCR (NA PSN version) and have ordered a PAL version of BC (PS3). Can i unlock the retro outfit with a BCR save from a different region ?
 

Alidar

Neo Member
Just finished the game two days ago. I got it in the July GS sale since it was $20, and only because a friend raved about it. And it was good. Or more accurately, you'll either love it or hate it. I think the swinging mechanics were great - swinging around, picking up cars and tossing them, etc. was all a blast. The problem was game design, like inconsistent checkpoints, having to get every collectable in one playthrough to get the benefits since you can't get them level jumping, and so forth. There's some issue with guns, but I think it was more because they wanted you to use the arm, which makes sense as its so unique and the whole point of the game. It's going to be so hard going back to a normal shooter without being able to swing across gaps at high speeds. It's too bad the series is already dead again, as a few modifications in a sequel could have led to a great game. The potential is there.

Anyway, I got all the collectables/challenges and my normal game and started up Commando, I'm right before the first boss. I'm dreading some of the later levels on this difficulty though.
 

Wizpig

Member
I started playing this on 360 3 days ago, and... it's amazing!
It's one of the most "pure fun" action games I played in this generation, just like Resident Evil 4 last gen... those rare games I just don't want to put down.
I have to fully quote this post, especially the bolded parts.

smik said:
wow! this game is amazing!

there was just so much fun to be had in this game, im really shocked at how great this game really is, The gameplay is really... really solid and actually addictive. the motion of swinging,shooting & exploring are very well done, and the sense of freedom that spencer has to move around is a breath of fresh air for me, also as the game progressed Spencer abiltys grew larger making it all the more enjoyable


The graphics are really great and the draw distance is amazing, launching a grunt into the air watching him fall to his death is a feat that never got old for me. luckily i didn't have any attachment to the original as to me it was just another game that i never got into.

it pisses me off the bad reviews this game recieved, it sadly turned me off getting it on launch day... only til now i thought i will give it a try since it was cheap, all the shit they spoke of in the reviews are really nit picky, i never once had a problem with the radiation boundaries and any gameplay problems, but i do understand that the story wasnt all that great but i have seen far worse.

if you have not yet picked this up, i urge you to get it.
like me, you may be pleasantly surprised with this game


i cant believe that grin has closed shop BC2 would have been amazing

Every time I think how much I'm enjoying the game, it's like I'm happy and pissed off at the same time... I really want a sequel, or other GRIN games, and now it just can't happen.
I'm not really comparing the games they made, but it's like Clover Studios all over again... a talented software house rises and vanishes in no time... damn.

You know, I've been thinking and I think lots of people criticized this game because they only got as far as the first area: the city.
The city is the worst area out of the 3 I have seen, and it also made lots of people think "I can see that building over there, but I can't go there because of radiations", which is not an issue in the caves (fantastic!) and the forest (gorgeous).
Also, this game is in the same genre as Gears of War or Resident Evil 4/5, not the same as GTA, so... people shouldn't complain about that.

I also love the multiplayer, it's pure fun; I'd almost say, and don't kill me for this... it's a shame they didn't put multiplayer achievements!

Ps. I'd love to play this game at 60 FPS :(
 
elektrixxx said:
I randomly threw this on and it gave me a title update. Does anyone have any patch notes for this? If they're good enough I might finally play this.

you should play it because it's a fucking awesome game =P
 

elektrixx

Banned
AgentOtaku said:
you should play it because it's a fucking awesome game =P
I tried when I bought it but the checkpoints were terrible. I decided to wait until they patched the game to be better... and then Grin shut down.
 
elektrixxx said:
I tried when I bought it but the checkpoints were terrible. I decided to wait until they patched the game to be better... and then Grin shut down.

Ain't gonna happen, so man up and go through it.
 

dankir

Member
I owned this for almost 2 years and just beat it.

It was okay, but needs some work. Seeing that so much has happened since it was released guess this is the last 3D Bionic Commando we'll see for a while?

I loved the swinging mechanic and attacks that you can do with it. Ending seemed a little abrupt, game was pretty funny at time with Spencer cursing like a sailor lol.


Post above said the credits are like reading an obituary.. you're right man.... all these teams are dismantled, etc.
 
Sorry for the bump guys. I just saw this at U$6 on amazon.com and was wondering if it's worth my time. I was super hyped when the game was announced but all the reviews and comments kind of brought me down. I'm interested in the single player (huge BC fan), not in the multiplayer at all.

PS3 version is the one I have in mind. Thanks!
 

Princess Skittles

Prince's's 'Skittle's
FunkyPajamas said:
Sorry for the bump guys. I just saw this at U$6 on amazon.com and was wondering if it's worth my time. I was super hyped when the game was announced but all the reviews and comments kind of brought me down. I'm interested in the single player (huge BC fan), not in the multiplayer at all.

PS3 version is the one I have in mind. Thanks!
Here's a good LTTP thread for reference:
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=41084
 
Princess Skittles said:
Your link took me to: "Michigan: bill allows health care workers to refuse service to anyone on moral..."
I guess you pasted the wrong one.
[edit]
Thanks, reading it now. I added the game to my shopping cart and it seems it's just U$6 for the game but U$8 for shipping which is bollocks. Still, the impressions seem good overall despite the many flaws. It seems like an enjoyable game. I'll ponder this for a bit more and decide. Thank you.
 

krakov

Member
I think the game was alright until I tried to complete it on Commando and/or get the collectibles. Fuck this game.
 
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