Difference between revisions of "Bionic Commando"

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[[Image:Bionic Commando - ARC - USA.jpg|thumb|256x256px|North American arcade cabinet.]]
 
[[Image:Bionic Commando - ARC - USA.jpg|thumb|256x256px|North American arcade cabinet.]]
  
'''''Bionic Commando''''', known in Japan as '''''トップシークレット [Toppu Shikuretto], "Top Secret"''''' is an action platformer developed by [[Capcom]], originally released for the arcade in 1987, but then ported to many other platforms. This was the first title in the [[Bionic Commando (Universe)|series]] which has spawned several more games including remakes, reboots, and sequels.
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'''''Bionic Commando''''' is an adventure-action platformer developed by [[Capcom]], originally released for the arcade in 1987, but then ported to many other platforms. This was the first title in the [[Bionic Commando (universe)|series]] which has spawned several more games including remakes, reboots, and sequels.
  
 
In the game, you play a soldier with a bionic arm who is infiltrating an enemy army. You can throw your arm and connect it to various platforms to swing your way around the maps, but it can also be employed as a defensive shield by punching away enemies. You have to make your way through five stages before confronting the enemy general.
 
In the game, you play a soldier with a bionic arm who is infiltrating an enemy army. You can throw your arm and connect it to various platforms to swing your way around the maps, but it can also be employed as a defensive shield by punching away enemies. You have to make your way through five stages before confronting the enemy general.
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==Review==
 
==Review==
* '''Overall:''' 3/10
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{{Video Game Review|3|3|5|5|2|36%|Arcade}}
* '''Best Version:''' Arcade
 
  
 
===Good===
 
===Good===
* The graphics and music are both top notch of the time.
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* The game is technically impressive for its time with nice graphics and sound.
 +
* [[Harumi Fujita]]'s soundtrack sounds properly militant.
 
* Each stage is pretty unique introducing new enemies, hazards, and mechanics.
 
* Each stage is pretty unique introducing new enemies, hazards, and mechanics.
 
* The swing mechanic was certainly a creative concept.
 
* The swing mechanic was certainly a creative concept.
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==Media==
 
==Media==
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===Box Art===
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<gallery>
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Bionic Commando - ARC - Japan - Marquee.png|This is the marquee of the Japanese arcade cabinet. It merely feature's the game's logo.
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Bionic Commando - ARC - USA.jpg|North American arcade cabinet.
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Bionic Commando - ARC - USA - Marquee.png|The marquee features the logo flanked by characters from the game in a typical comic book cartoon style.
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Bionic Commando - ARC - USA - Side.jpg|The side art has a swinging hero surrounded by enemies from the game. This is similar to the Japanese art, but with an American cartoon style.
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Bionic Commando - ARC - USA - Bezel.png|The bezel uses more of the game's content in the same comic book style.
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Bionic Commando - ARC - USA - Controls.png|The control panel.
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Bionic Commando - C64 - USA.jpg|North American releases for the Amiga, Commodore 64, and DOS (as well as the very different [[Bionic Commando (NES)|NES port]]) use this art. The painting is modified from the side art of the arcade cabinet. It's very nicely painted, and features many of the various enemies you meet in the game. It also uses the arcade cabinet logo. My only problem with it is that the main character doesn't look right. My favorite box.
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Bionic Commando - C64 - UK.jpg|European releases for the Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Commodore 64, DOS, and ZX Spectrum use this art. It's based off the Japanese arcade flyer, only with a more European cartoon style. The painting is pretty good, but the player's faces is pretty jacked. This uses the superior in-game arcade logo.
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</gallery>
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===Documentation===
 
===Documentation===
 
<gallery>
 
<gallery>
 
Bionic Commando - ARC - Manual.pdf|Manual (Arcade).
 
Bionic Commando - ARC - Manual.pdf|Manual (Arcade).
Bionic Commando - C64 - Manual.pdf|Manual (Commodore 64).
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Bionic Commando - C64 - Manual.pdf|Manual (Home computers).
Bionic Commando - CPC - Manual - Front.jpg|Manual (Amstrad CPC) - Front.
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Bionic Commando - CPC - Manual - Front.jpg|Manual (Home computers - alternate) - Front.
Bionic Commando - CPC - Manual - Back.jpg|Manual (Amstrad CPC) - Back.
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Bionic Commando - CPC - Manual - Back.jpg|Manual (Home computers - alternate) - Back.
 
Bionic Commando - ARC - Flyer - Japan.jpg|Japanese Flyer.
 
Bionic Commando - ARC - Flyer - Japan.jpg|Japanese Flyer.
 
Bionic Commando - ARC - Flyer - USA - Front.jpg|US Flyer - Front.
 
Bionic Commando - ARC - Flyer - USA - Front.jpg|US Flyer - Front.
 
Bionic Commando - ARC - Flyer - USA - Back.jpg|US Flyer - Back.
 
Bionic Commando - ARC - Flyer - USA - Back.jpg|US Flyer - Back.
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Bionic Commando - ARC - UK - Ad.png|UK Advertisement.
 
Bionic Commando - ARC - Poster - USA.jpg|US Poster.
 
Bionic Commando - ARC - Poster - USA.jpg|US Poster.
 
</gallery>
 
</gallery>
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Bionic Commando - ARC - Map - Stage 4.png|Arcade - Stage 4.
 
Bionic Commando - ARC - Map - Stage 4.png|Arcade - Stage 4.
 
Bionic Commando - ARC - Map - Stage 5.png|Arcade - Stage 5.
 
Bionic Commando - ARC - Map - Stage 5.png|Arcade - Stage 5.
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Bionic Commando - C64 - Map - Stage 1.png|Commodore 64 - Stage 1.
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Bionic Commando - C64 - Map - Stage 2.png|Commodore 64 - Stage 2.
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Bionic Commando - C64 - Map - Stage 3.png|Commodore 64 - Stage 3.
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Bionic Commando - C64 - Map - Stage 4.png|Commodore 64 - Stage 4.
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Bionic Commando - C64 - Map - Stage 5.png|Commodore 64 - Stage 5.
 
Bionic Commando - ZXS - Map - Stage 1.png|ZX Spectrum - Stage 1.
 
Bionic Commando - ZXS - Map - Stage 1.png|ZX Spectrum - Stage 1.
 
Bionic Commando - ZXS - Map - Stage 2.png|ZX Spectrum - Stage 2.
 
Bionic Commando - ZXS - Map - Stage 2.png|ZX Spectrum - Stage 2.
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===Screenshots===
 
===Screenshots===
 
<gallery>
 
<gallery>
Bionic Commando - ARC - Screenshot - Title.png|US title screen.
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Bionic Commando - ARC - Screenshot - Title (Japan).png|Arcade title screen (Japan).
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Bionic Commando - ARC - Screenshot - Title.png|Arcade title screen (US).
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Bionic Commando - AMI - Screenshot - Title.png|Amiga title screen.
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Bionic Commando - AST - Screenshot - Title.png|Atari ST title screen.
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Bionic Commando - CPC - Screenshot - Title.png|Amstrad CPC title screen.
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Bionic Commando - C64 - Screenshot - Title.png|Commodore 64 title screen.
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Bionic Commando - DOS - Screenshot - Title - EGA.png|MS-DOS title screen (EGA).
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Bionic Commando - DOS - Screenshot - Title - CGA.png|MS-DOS title screen (CGA).
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Bionic Commando - ZXS - Screenshot - Title.png|ZX Spectrum title screen.
 
</gallery>
 
</gallery>
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===Videos===
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* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zG620nr7vko youtube.com/watch?v=zG620nr7vko] - Longplay, arcade.
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===Logos===
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There are four separate logos used for the various Bionic Commando arcade versions. The original Japanese Top Secret logo, the arcade cabinet logo, the arcade game logo, and  a plural "Bionic Commandos" logo based on the in-game arcade logo.
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==Titles==
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{| class="wikitable"
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! Language !! Native !! Transliteration !! Translation
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|-
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| English || Bionic Commando || ||
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|-
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| Japanese || トップシークレット || Toppu Shikuretto || Top Secret
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|}
  
 
==Links==
 
==Links==
* [http://www.mobygames.com/game/bionic-commando mobygames.com/game/bionic-commando] - MobyGames.
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{{Link|MobyGames|http://www.mobygames.com/game/bionic-commando}}
* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bionic_Commando en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bionic_Commando] - Wikipedia.
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{{Link|Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bionic_Commando}}
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{{Link|StrategyWiki|https://strategywiki.org/wiki/Bionic_Commando}}
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{{Link|VGMPF|2=http://www.vgmpf.com/Wiki/index.php?title=Bionic_Commando_(ARC)}}
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{{Link|TCRF|https://tcrf.net/Bionic_Commando_(Arcade)}}
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* [http://www.thealmightyguru.com/Reviews/BionicCommando/Wiki/index.php thealmightyguru.com/Reviews/BionicCommando/Wiki/index.php] - Bionic Commando Database.
 
* [http://www.thealmightyguru.com/Reviews/BionicCommando/Wiki/index.php thealmightyguru.com/Reviews/BionicCommando/Wiki/index.php] - Bionic Commando Database.
  
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[[Category: ZX Spectrum Games]]
 
[[Category: ZX Spectrum Games]]
 
[[Category: Action]]
 
[[Category: Action]]
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[[Category: Adventure]]
 
[[Category: Platformer]]
 
[[Category: Platformer]]
 
[[Category: Multi-Player]]
 
[[Category: Multi-Player]]

Revision as of 15:53, 14 March 2019

North American arcade cabinet.

Bionic Commando is an adventure-action platformer developed by Capcom, originally released for the arcade in 1987, but then ported to many other platforms. This was the first title in the series which has spawned several more games including remakes, reboots, and sequels.

In the game, you play a soldier with a bionic arm who is infiltrating an enemy army. You can throw your arm and connect it to various platforms to swing your way around the maps, but it can also be employed as a defensive shield by punching away enemies. You have to make your way through five stages before confronting the enemy general.

I first learned about Bionic Commando long after playing the NES remake. I wanted to create a web page shrine for the game, and learned about the original arcade game and its various ports. Having never even seen the game in an arcade, I played it on MAME, and was quite disappointed by it. The NES remake was markedly better.

Status

I do not own any version of this game and have not beaten it.

Review

Video Game Review Icon - Enjoyment.png Video Game Review Icon - Control.png Video Game Review Icon - Appearance.png Video Game Review Icon - Sound.png Video Game Review Icon - Replayability.png
3 3 5 5 2

Best Version: 36%

Good

  • The game is technically impressive for its time with nice graphics and sound.
  • Harumi Fujita's soundtrack sounds properly militant.
  • Each stage is pretty unique introducing new enemies, hazards, and mechanics.
  • The swing mechanic was certainly a creative concept.

Bad

  • It takes a lot of practice to get used to the bionic arm mechanic.

Ugly

  • The game is way too hard, even when you set it into easy mode. This is mostly due to a frustratingly slow bionic arm and obnoxiously fast enemies. But there are also sections of the game where you have no choice but to move up to a platform swarming with enemies, which is extremely difficult

Media

Box Art

Documentation

Maps

Screenshots

Videos

Logos

There are four separate logos used for the various Bionic Commando arcade versions. The original Japanese Top Secret logo, the arcade cabinet logo, the arcade game logo, and a plural "Bionic Commandos" logo based on the in-game arcade logo.

Titles

Language Native Transliteration Translation
English Bionic Commando
Japanese トップシークレット Toppu Shikuretto Top Secret

Links

Link-MobyGames.png  Link-Wikipedia.png  Link-StrategyWiki.png  Link-VGMPF.png  Link-TCRF.png