An admirable effort at consigning the Bionic Commando legacy that falls short of its potential.
Some time has passed since Nathan "Rad" Spencer defeated General Killt in the first game, and now he's back in business to put the brakes on a proposed missile strike being carried out by a new villain named General Sabio on Papagayo Island. He must also find out what happened to fellow BSA operative General Brunbaker---the first to be sent to Papagayo to investigate Sabio's diabolical schemes. All of the classic gameplay that you remember from the first game is here to full effect with brand new stages that take advantage of Spencer's bionic abilities. You will grapple across chasms and scale steep elevations just as you were able to do the first time around, and you have a wide variety of different tools and weapons at your disposal. But perhaps the most startling gameplay feature to be introduced in Rearmed 2 is the ability to jump. That may not be such a big deal when compared to other platforming games, but it seems to have some heavy implications here. The reason being is that what people recall the most about the original Bionic Commando was the fact that the main character couldn't jump, and the levels were designed specifically with the grappling arm in mind, giving the game a unique distinction. The inclusion of jumping in Rearmed 2 removes this distinction entirely and, while it does make some platforming situations a little easier, it can also prove substantially fatal in others. You don't have much control over your jump apex, so expect to stupidly fall to your death due to utter miscalculation. Because of the newly-implemented jump mechanic, the game's control scheme becomes more trouble than it's worth, especially when you are tackling the Challenge Rooms. In instances where Spencer has to jump to get within range of a grappling opportunity, you will often miss your point of contact and end up plummeting to your demise far below. However, anybody that has fond memories of the first game can rest assured that it is entirely possible to go through the entire game without ever having to jump around, and doing so will earn you an achievement or trophy.
In retrospect, Bionic Commando Rearmed 2 offers the player a sizeable amount of content. Some of the more interesting new features include the ability to upgrade your character with a variety of different attributes (including health regeneration and greater running speed), and you can revisit levels you've cleared to pick up items you might either have missed or were unable to get to the first time around. Two people are able to play cooperatively---with Player 2 modeled after the original Nintendo game's box art; unfortunately, this is limited to local multiplayer and there is no split-screen, forcing both players to share the same play area. The erratic camera that seems to focus entirely on the first player doesn't help matters much, and it severely limits the appeal of playing with a friend. Consequently, some of the more memorable gameplay variants of the first game (i.e., top-down shooter sequences, computer-hacking minigames) didn't make the cut, leaving this sequel stripped to its bare minimum. For a game that takes pride in paying the utmost homage to the original source material, Rearmed 2's efforts seem like a blatant disservice.
At least, visually, Rearmed 2 looks good. Each of the game's environments are wonderfully diverse in nature; from lush jungles to coastal villas and a sprawling military base that dwarfs the fortresses found in the original Rearmed. The music sounds pretty good, even though it is nowhere near the quality of the first game. Framerate hiccups stifle the action a little bit, but not enough to get in the way of the experience overall. The Challenge Rooms will do well to divert your attention from the main game, but just a fair warning; they don't call them "Challenge" rooms for nothing. These bonus levels are brutally difficult---made even more so by the sluggish controls---so expect to die several times on your first couple of tries and even well beyond that.
All in all, Rearmed 2 is a sequel made purely for sequel's sake. Having enjoyed the original Rearmed a few years ago, I had my expectations coming into this one . While it is an admirable effort with an abundant cache of content, it ends up falling short of its potential.