The Gamer's Quarter

[aderack]

So. I trust people have seen the CES swinging video and the Re-Armed trailer?

It's kind of weird. Every time I see something more about this game, I expect my earlier, way-too-positive impressions to be shattered. I mean, I've been to E3. I've seen games like Sonic Heroes and Lament of Innocence start off amazing, then turn into... not-amazing by the time they were released. There's a lot that can go wrong with even the best ideas, and there's a lot against a project like this. Yet every new announcement just reaffirms my earlier optimism. These guys really do seem to know what they're doing.

This Re-Armed business is splendid. It reminds me a little of the way that Fusion was released at the same time as Metroid Prime, to reassure people who were wondering why Nintendo was handing the series over to an American developer and making it 3D. Then there was interconnectivity stuff so you could use the Fusion suit in Prime. Which was kind of pointless, but, well, it was there. Here, though, you can replace the Internet's least favorite hot dog salesman with a model of the NES's own Rad Spencer.

And hell, two-player co-op? And such nice swinging! It looks more like a Konami game now, which isn't a bad thing. Makes me think of Rush 'N Attack crossed with Flashback crossed with Rolling Thunder, except it's Bionic Commando.

Weird that Player 2 is a red Rad, with a blond crewcut. Shouldn't he be Super Joe or something? Maybe the guy from the Game Boy game? (EDIT: Who was Rad again, apparently.)

My enthusiasm is growing all the more confident! I wish to pass it on, like smallpox!
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[Dracko]

Re-Armed looks far more interesting to me than the new game at the moment. It looks like its adding all that should be added.
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"This is the most fun I've ever had without being drenched in the blood of my enemies!"

[Winged Assassins (1984)]

[aderack]

Update: Nathan "Rad" Spencer is to be voiced by Mike Patton.
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[Shapermc]

[WarpZone]

A nice surprise. It doesn't have so much of that pop-up book appearance of something like the Rondo remake; I like the straight-on perspective, and some of the coloring, like the blue-lit rooms and silhouettes.

The rolling barrel makes me think Elevator Action Returns, but I don't remember if that was in the original.

What was the deal with the GBC Bionic Commando, published by Nintendo? I never heard much about that, why it exists or what it did.

[aderack]

That was done by NST. (You know, Digipen guys.) It was... okay, if completely without personality. There's a nice addition where you can climb down from platforms. And the animation is rotoscopey. There's a huge impassable game-halting bug in it, for added flavor. I stopped playing at that point, because... I couldn't play any further.

It's got nothing to do with the rest of the series. Otherwise, things are pretty consistent. The original arcade game has Super Joe, and is kind of not fun. The sequel, for the NES, has Ladd/Rad rescuing Super Joe. The third game, for the Game Boy, is the further and futuristic adventures of Rad. Then there's the new thing, which calls him "Nathan 'Rad' Spencer", and is set ten years after the NES game.

Re-Armed is, well, the NES Game again. The barrel business is new, yeah; they were static before. Elevator Action Returns is basically Rolling Thunder! So. Yeah. Got the same impression, myself.
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[Slonie]

[Cycle]

I ahve the GBC commando! I never played past the first few levels because it keeps crashing on my GBA It looked awesome though!

I have a friend who insists the original GB Bionic Commando is better than the NES one. I should play it on my DS and see if he's full of it or not...
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[Shapermc]

[Slonie]

[aderack]

[JasonMoses]

[aderack]

Yeah, Rolling Thunder 3 for the Genesis. I think it's something like limited lives and no continues, and there's a lot more stuff going on at once. I remember it being way more punitive than the earlier games. It's been a while since I've tried it, though, as a result of that.

I just played it again, and now I remember why it's way harder: because it's way more action-based. Yeah, there's stuff all over that can kill you, but you're not supposed to hide and dodge and play carefully, as in the first two games. You're expected to charge ahead, guns blazing. And if you don't... well, the first two games have a generous timer, keeping you from sitting around forever. It's never a problem, though. Here, the game just barely gives you time to finish a level even if you ARE charging ahead before it pulls out a sniper sight, so you have to constantly dodge shots while you're dealing with the increased enemy count. It's retarded. Basically, unless you're really good and really fast, the game just kills you after a certain time. And of course it still controls like Rolling Thunder, even with the ability to shoot in mid-air or at an angle, so one must be very patient with dying.

Whereas with the first two games, it was mostly about being observant and cautious and waiting for your moment. And if you screwed up and died, you'd know why and how to avoid it next time.
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[JasonMoses]

Weird! I double checked, and Rolling Thunder 3 has infinite continues, passwords, no restart points in stages and a choice of weapons to make things easier. So uh, hm. Are you sure that's what you played?

[aderack]

See above. And added to that, the game doesn't have a visual indicator to tell you how long you've got left. Just, suddenly, hey, surprise, sniper!

So the entire time you play you have to be scampering (though uninspiring levels), hoping you get to the end before the sniper.

And the sniper STILL comes out when you're fighting a boss, if you take too long! Which is, like, no time at all.

There are a few concessions, like an extra hit point and the extra weapon and the instant respawn, that encourage you to blow forward and be less cautious, but they don't really help. The game just feels like it's actively trying to drive people away.

And it's also blander-looking, tinnier sounding, and doesn't have the choice of characters or co-op of its predecessor. Which all helps that impression.
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[bleak]

GOD I AM SO EXCITED ABOUT THIS REARMED BUSINESS. SO EXCITED. ARRRRR.

Seriously though, Bionic Commando was one of the games that I grew up with as a child, and I have very fond memories of blowing up Hitler with a fucking rocket launcher to the face. It's like all the action movies I ever wanted to see have been captured and distilled and inserted into an NES cartridge for my personal enjoyment. I feel a very strong personal attachment to this game so I'll definitely be consuming BCR immediately after it comes out.
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[SuperWes]

I never had Bionic Commando for the NES, but I played it several times at a friend's house. I really liked it, but as a kid I never had the money for it.

Later I did get it for the GB Brick, which I assumed was just the same game as the NES version but with a password save option. I really did like that game a lot.

Then the NST one came out and I was all excited about it, then it came out and I remembered why I don't like NST games. Everything, from the art, to the design, to the programming has a slight air of incompetence that just bothers me. It's really strange how their games always end up with so much wasted potential.

A few years ago I picked up the NES version and I'm really not sure I like it. As far as I could tell it's the same as the GB Brick one (does it have a password save system?), but it's just a little bit too hard for a game as long as it is.

The new ones look great, I haven't watched the recent videos yet, but I like what I've seen!

-Wes
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[Dracko]

Stop pissing all over Rolling Thunder, Shaper. That game is brilliant and ballsy.
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"This is the most fun I've ever had without being drenched in the blood of my enemies!"

[silentmatt]

[Mr. Mechanical]

[dessgeega]

elevator action returns is taito's response to rolling thunder 2. rolling thunder is namco's response to elevator action. so, yes, a lot of the ideas of both games are hard to extricate from one another.

if capcom releases a game similiar to these i will be excited.
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[JasonMoses]

[daphaknee]

my god i cannot wait for this videogame i should go kill hitler right now in anticipation

[extrabastardformula]

[Six]

[Slonie]

I would have played it more (the GB version) except my friend who had it brought it with him on a ski (well, toboggan) trip that we went on god knows how many years ago, and it was quickly lost before much playing could occur. I was really looking forward to playing it, too!

At least I have the Worlds of Power: Bionic Commando novel as a consolation prize.
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-Slonie

[aderack]

The illustrator working on ReArmed is... Shinkiro. You know, Mr. SNK Mannequin. He of the 1980s cereal box aesthetic. Which, I guess, is not inappropriate.
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[dessgeega]

[aderack]

It's basically a direct rip-off of Rolling Thunder, plus William S. Sessions.

This is from the front page of Capcom's official Bionic Commando site:

[Pijaibros]

[Harveyjames]

I never particularly liked Bionic Commando or Rolling Thunder :O

[dessgeega]

codename: viper is rolling thunder letter for letter. except maybe for worse controls. but i don't like the original rolling thunder that much.
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[Cycle]

so i've been playing the GB bionic commando and yeah, i'm inclined to agree it's better than the NES one.
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[kirkjerk]

Yeah, great description of the GB BC by Six. Few other thoughts:

Added a very welcomed save game system.

Dropped the original 2D Commando levels, which is how you retrieved extra lives in the NES.

I think they took out some of the infamous Hitler-y bits. But having to swing on the underside of a giant aircraft was pretty sweet.

Rad was more Anime-ish in general. I was also sad that they removed the story framing device, where the prelude is "let me tell you a story" and in the end it's Super Joe telling it who Rad rescues in the end.

So overall, it has a bit of an edge, though the palette is grindingly retro.

(Speaking of that I just rescued a classic GB from my Aunt's, along with a ridiculous magnifying light thing, like steam punk got puked up by the 80s. Is there any value, nostalgic or financial or otherwise in that?)

So in case it's not obvious, loved the NES game. It was funny MAMEing up the arcade original, the only advantage it has over the NES is a nice chunky clear graphical look.

GBC was kind of promising-- looked a bit like the GBA Metroid games, art style-wise, but crash-tastic so I didn't go far with it.

If this new game ends up more like, say, Crackdown, and less like, say, Maximo, I'll be very happy.
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=/ \(<D)_/
==/\/ >_ kirkjerk.com

[Cycle]

I had one of those magnifying light things too. Came with my second hand GB. I used it like twice and decided it was stupid!
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[Swimmy]

One of my friends is excited for this game because he hated Spiderman 2.

Which is a thought.
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"Ayn Rand fans are the old school version of Xenogears fanboys."
-seryogin

[daphaknee]

i was in the theatre watching spiderman 2 and making fun of it with my friends while drunka nd some guy in a wheelchair in front of me yelled at me

and then i yelled at him YOU'RE JUST MAD BECAUSE SPIDERMAN CAN WALK

which is a really mean thing to do, just saying

[Cycle]

daph that was an unkind thing to say
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[daphaknee]

he thought the movie was good though, so im sure i wouldnt have liked him, wheelchair or not

[Dracko]

I don't know; I laughed.
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"This is the most fun I've ever had without being drenched in the blood of my enemies!"

[Cycle]

daph just because you don't like spider-man doesn't mean you have the right to ruin the movie for other patrons of the cinema.
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[D-A-I-S]

I can't watch any footage of the 3D Bionic Commando without thinking about a white hedgehog who jumps around and uses ESP to throw boxes at robots. The ruins seem so familiar, and I didn't even play that damn game.

[Cycle]

Uh, what game are you describing? Some sonic game I never played, I guess.
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[FortNinety]

[Harveyjames]

i played the demo, it was fucking terrible. Remember when people used to argue over which was better, Mario or Sonic? Well Mario won.

[boojiboy7]

the actual game is like 20 times more awesomely horrible. Best drinking game ever.

[dmauro]

[FortNinety]

[kirkjerk]