The old school difficulty will turn off a lot of people, especially in the longer levels.
User Rating: 7.5 | Bionic Commando: Rearmed X360
I really want to like Bionic Commando, and for the most part, I do. It plays a lot like the first game, and that will probably only mean something to you if you liked the first game. However, if you didn't like the NES game, this remake is not going to change your mind in any way. The biggest problem with Bionic Commando Rearmed is that you only have a limited amount of lives, and so if you lose them all, you'll have to start a mission all over again. This is fine for the most part, but like all games, the missions become longer as the game progresses, requiring a lot more patience on your part, and memorization of knowing where all the spiked pits are, among other traps. In order to avoid these traps, you use the bionic arm to swing to different platforms, and if you swing incorrectly most of the time you're going to take some damage, if not die. There is a very slim margin of error, and since the last level of the game is much longer than the other missions, it will take a lot to reach the last boss. So, you'll have a lot of trouble beating the game merely navigating through levels, rather than getting killed by enemies. It seems like the easiest way to get through the harder ones is to stock on a dozen lives and try to get through a stage through trial and error, but at that point, it makes you question why not get rid of the limited live notion, especially since you can die so easily in a game like this.
Anyway, now that all that is put aside, the game does have a catchy soundtrack and an interesting visual style. There's also some cool boss fights, if you manage to stick with it long enough.
So as long as you know what you're getting into, you'll likely appreciate Bionic Commando Rearmed, just prepare for some frustration in getting used to the games swinging mechanic.
