King of the Demo: Bionic Commando multiplayer demo
May 12, 2009 at 2:25 pm by Garrett Martin in Games & Tech
Bionic Commando multiplayer demo
Rated M for Mature
Released April 29
Xbox Live Arcade
Published by Capcom
What It Is: Bionic Commando’s pretty simple: You’re an army man, you’ve got a retractable grappling hook arm, now go kill some dudes. That basic formula led to one of the greatest NES games ever back in the ’80s, at least when combined with novel gameplay (no jump button!), fantastic level design, and confidence-shattering difficulty. Last year’s remake, Bionic Commando Rearmed, proved the original holds up just fine today, while the upcoming full-blown current-gen update aims to make the franchise palatable to those unfortunate souls too young to cherish 8-bit-era genius. The new game doesn’t come out until the middle of May, but Capcom released a demo of its online multiplayer mode on Xbox Live last week. So let’s download this baby and get to swingin’.
What’s Good: The swing mechanic works fantastically in 3-D. It’s easy to latch onto ledges or the sides of buildings, and even easier to zip up to the top of whatever structure you’ve grappled onto. The physics of swinging just feel right. If motion feels this smooth in the single-player, then Bionic Commando could be excellent.
What’s Not So Good: This multiplayer demo doesn’t give a good idea of what the final multiplayer mode will offer. The demo has a standard deathmatch and one uninspired level. It’s basically a primer for the controls, which is valid, considering the game’s uniqueness. Still, the demo would make a better impression if it was less limited. Swinging might offer a fresh and exciting twist on the typical online deathmatch, but the shooting aspect isn’t as accomplished. Aiming is difficult even when you’re not in motion. The guns available in the demo are also a mixed bag. A basic machine gun is about the only viable option if you want to actually kill the other players. The sniper rifle and grenade launcher are both impractical in such a fast-paced game. Hopefully the multiplayer will be a minor complement to the solo campaign. From what this limited demo shows, Bionic Commando won’t be replacing Call of Duty, Halo, or Killzone at the top of the multiplayer charts anytime soon.
What To Do: The demo’s free, so download it. Why wouldn’t you? Further impressions will have to wait until we’ve got the full final product in our grappling hook.
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