Bionic Commando: Rearmed

Game Review by Dave Cook | 23 Aug 2008
Game title: Bionic Commando: Rearmed
Publisher: Capcom
Release date: Out now
Price: 800MS Points

Rearmed is insanely old-school, mixing classic platform elements with all kinds of nods to the original. Sent behind the Imperial enemy lines to rescue captive agent Super Joe, Nathan "R.A.D." Spencer is in for one tough mission.

Packing a powerful bionic arm, Spencer can grab objects, swing across chasms, climb platforms and even punch bullets out of the air. He's seriously kitted out. As you might expect, there's a catch: our hero can't jump or vault over obstacles, which may put many people off.

Once you get your head around Spencer's ape-like moves, you will be pulling off all sorts of crazy maneuvres with the greatest of ease. Eventually, you will wonder why you ever questioned the lack of jump button in the first place.

Armed primarily with a simple rifle, you must tear your way through hordes of enemy soldiers and robotic foes, through over 15 levels of non-stop action. Each level boasts an imaginative end boss, each of which takes some cunning to dispatch.

With tons of unlockable weapons and upgrades, there is much to discover here. There are even some fun, if a little uninspired top-down stages, which will test your bullet dodging skills. But largely, these don't come close to the excitement of the main levels.