We are before a good effort to translate the game from the 80s to our time, which is translated in a good game.
After 10 years they release Nathan Spencer from jail just to give him a new mission "save the world from a group of terrorist who already blast Ascension City with a nuclear bomb".
And thats how Bionic Commando puts us in the destroyed and radioactive streets of a city that are coming down and of which are little more than rubbish and buildings on the verge of falling. Nathan is alone on this mission, but he will be always be accompanied by the voice of his superior, that will communicate with him to facilitate the instructions and the goals to fulfill.
This is one of the main problems of Bionic Commando at the time of extending. A videogame frankly interesting in all the senses but even with memorable moments in the beginning and near the end, but it needs much variety and amplitude to become a memorable or essential game.
Bionic Commando is not a game easy to handle. Sometimes is frustrating, and we must pay attention in the balance that can be truly demanding. The game is linear and it is always hang and swing from one point to other to complete a level or evade enemies. Sometimes is very hard to mesuare a certain distance that will only lead us to the character's death and this can be a really time amplifier for the game.
The single player mode goes up to around the 8-10 hours, depending in our ability, and offers a suitable cocktail of hand-to-hand combat, shootings with arms, and dose of platforms. All these parts work well altogether, although they are not particularly shining if we expose them separately. Especially disappointing is the fact from the guidance that is our way by the different maps in this mode. All the locations give an amplitude sensation that does not correspond with its real possibilities, since our itinerary is always delimited of invisible form by the radioactive zones that mark clearly the way. We cannot approach to them or we will die by the radiation, which is always translated in that the possibilities are ample and generous, but within levels with corridor form that we cannot leave.
The graphics are well done in all the aspects, it remind me some of the graphic work that we already seen in Lost Planet. Very detail characters and maps are a tasty meal for the eye but not all shine like gold, there are some bugs here and there and sometimes the camera isn't quite well execute.
Sound effects are ok and the music score is not a good companion for this game. The voice acting is just a little exaggerate, with Mike Patton, former Faith No More singer as Nathan, the dialogues in the cut scenes are just boring. We certainly see a better work of him in The Darkness.
One other factor that let us down is the loading time between levels, they are too long even knowing that the game needs 2GB of hard drive space to be play, this doesn't speed up things.
The multiplayer mode is another longevity fact for this game. It has Death Match, Death Match teams and Capture the Flag mode where 8 players can join together to have some fun in 12 maps that will bring some memories to old followers of the franchise.
We are before a good effort to translate the game from the 80s to our time, which is translated in a good action game. Nevertheless who wish to approach to a true experience of Bionic Commando would try the original one or, if graphics is a problem, try the formidable remake that Rearmed is. At the end, the new adventure of Nathan Spencer is somewhat uncontrollable and repetitive, but always a powerful and spectacular entertainment.