Difficulty:

Hard

Time Spent:

10 Hours or Less

The Bottom Line:

"Boring"

Straight from the beginning you get a sense that the game is failing. And that is from its awful gunplay. You can hardly tell if you shoot an enemy from a distance as there is no blood, or reaction. The only indication you get, is the health bar of that enemy showing up, which shows it decreasing.
The weapon variation isn't that good either, nor is the enemies.
Some enemies can also prove rather troublesome, such as a flying Bio-Mech. The easiest (and nearly only) way to take these out is with rocket launchers or grenade launchers. However, if you run out, then there isn't much more to do, as they rarely come down to the ground, or rarely leave their vulnerable back exposed. Then its up to you to dodge infinite amounts of powerful blue orbs, which isn't fun when your taking on 3!

Occassional fun comes with the main aspect of the game, the Bionic Arm. This can throw enemies and objects, and helps you swing through the city. Later, more abilities come available.
The only thing that kept me going, was the many challenges that show up, with trophies awarded when completed. This mixes things up, and tries to keep you involved.
At first the bionic arm is fiddly to control but eventually (supposing you play it long enough), you'll get the hang of it.
The human enemies also prove a pain, as they are extremely accurate, even from a distance. There isn't much to do from a distance either, unless you have a sniper rifle. But all the weapons are boring to use. No crouch mechanic also prevents you from taking cover, which at times, is needed.
The characters are mostly unlikeable, however the story may bring around your interest. There is often things you hack which also contain intel.

The environments and graphics are fine. Some areas look really nice, especially a level where your in a green and beautiful part of the city.
The city is all ruins. Unfortunately, exploring is prohibited though, because of blue radiation.There are also collectibles to find, not that they do much, but completeing challenges does upgrade armor and gun abilities.
Sadly, the most important gameplay elements are poorly done, and overall, make Bionic Commando, nothing more than fair.

Story - 3/5
Characters - 2/5
Gameplay - 2/5
Controls - 2/5
Graphics - 3/5
Sound - 4/5
Length - 3/5
Replayability - 1/5
Atmosphere - 2/5
Enemy AI - 1/5

Good Points: Bionic arm can provide some thrills, Good level design, Graphics are fine, Challenges to keep you going, Interesting story.

Bad Points: Gunplay is terrible, Enemy AI is rubbish and annoying, Not much enemy or gun variation, Controls are poor, No crouch or cover mechanic, Dull and repetitive gameplay, Unlikeable characters.