Reviving old classics is about as common these days as basing something off of a comic book. Be it in Hollywood or the games industry, the world of entertainment is becoming littered with remakes, sequels and even prequels to old favorites from the 80’s. Bionic Commando was Capcom’s attempt at reviving an old franchise that, rare enough for the company, did not spawn an assortment of numbered sequels for the next two decades.

Despite how beloved the original game was to many players and how well received the remake on Live Arcade had been, the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 remake/sequel did not enjoy such success. The title only sold 27,000 units in its first month, with reviews primarily ranging from the sub-par to average grade.

The greatest criticism the game had encountered upon release was the simple fact that the gameplay was very linear. Players were expecting the environments to be much more open and expansive, allowing them to tackle problems in different orders and ways. Instead, players with the urge to explore a ruined city encountered high levels of radiation, and many times without much warning beforehand. Once you get into “the swing” of things (I’m sorry), it’s easy to speed from one lamp-post or highway sign to another, and suddenly find the screen filling with red hues as Nathan Spencer enters a section determined by designers to be off-limits.

The limitation would not be so bad if it were not for the fact that there is no warning as to when a section of the city is toxic. A building may seem fine as you begin climbing the side of it, but reach the top and suddenly a biohazard symbol is flashing on the screen, and before there is time to react Spencer drops dead.

“Wheee! Higher daddy! Higher!”

This is a major oversight in design, and it is a wonder no one at the Grin studios thought in development that it might present a problem. Even though a much more open environment would have been preferred, it was not in the designer’s goals. It is not a tarnish upon the game, just a note as to what most players would have wanted more of. Yet to create such a restricted form of level design without providing clear visual barriers aside from a flashing symbol, which may or may not appear in time to provide the player fair warning, is just poor game design.

That said, it is flaw that is easy to learn and work around. It will creep up throughout the entire game here and there, but it will be the worst in the first hour. It is just one aspect of the learning curve, in addition to becoming a master of the bionic arm.

Despite the faulty choices in clear level barriers, Grin studios has done a great job bringing the bionic arm into a new era of video games. Nearly everything can be grabbed onto, providing the player endless options for attack, escape and maneuverability. Abilities unlock as the game progresses, and by halfway through the game the player will be throwing cars at groups of foes, shooting enemies while they are being held into the air or even using them as projectiles. Whereas the original Bionic Commando creates enjoyable gameplay through limited movement options, this three-dimensional succession takes the opposite approach by increasing the player’s combat capabilities. The end result is successful, as no matter how many of the same enemies you fight there’s always several possible ways to take them out.

In addition to providing these abilities, the game also contains a series of challenges, many of which are the game’s primary source of achievements/trophies. Each one requests the player to perform a certain task once or many times, and upon completion either unlocks an additional challenge, rewards an achievement/trophy or provides the player with an additional power-up, such as extra ammunition, firing capability or added health. This checklist encourages the player to use the different weapons and abilities in different ways, and certainly flavors the action by providing cause to think differently. A player may lob foes with grenades, drop in with a death-from-above strike, use their adrenaline to whip foes in half or throw a truck from one hundred feet away.

“Hey, I got a terrible itch on my back. You mind getting it? Thanks.”

Of course, these same challenges may prove to become a frustration during play. If the player dies after completing a challenge, the reloaded checkpoint will not cross it off the list. It will simply have to be completed again, which can prove rather difficult. Attempting to grab some of the more difficult challenges can also lead to death itself, particularly in trying to perform a finishing move on flying machinery.

In addition, the game does not allow the player to go back and play beaten levels in order to help find all the collectibles or complete certain challenges in ideal locations. If the player misses a single collectible in a level, then they have to go back and start all over again. This is extremely frustrating for anyone trying to complete all challenges or achievements, as it means either a lot of time spent replaying the entire game or using a FAQ. While levels can go back and be replayed, they do not count towards achievements. At best they allow a player to go back and locate collectibles before playing through a mission in story-mode, but it still adds in way too much time than ought to be required.

At the end of the day, however, all that really matters is the amount of fun had playing a game. While Bionic Commando is certainly full of small nicks in the paint that build up long enough to tarnish the whole, there are plenty of successful ideas as well. The combat is entertaining enough throughout the game as to provide endless fun and plenty of replayability, while several boss-fights exhibit plenty of creativity, including some God of War style moments without resorting to Quick Time Events as often. In fact, what few events there were did not at all feel like they were, yet provided the same cinematic depth as provided in similar action games.

On the whole, Bionic Commando’s flaws are not enough to keep it from being called a good game. It does enough well that it is certainly worth a purchase. The issue is that $60 is too high of an asking price. However, if it can be found for around $20-$40, then it is a title worth adding to the collection, or at the very least worth a rental. It would be a shame if this game weren’t given the chance to provide a sequel that fixes its flaws and improves its strengths.

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