Bionic Commando Has Control Issues

"Wow I suck," I thought to myself as I sweated through a demo of GRIN and Capcom's upcoming sequel to the beloved Bionic Commando. The nice gentleman from GRIN guiding me through the level was being extremely patient with me, but I sensed he was a bit frustrated as his simple instructions - run, jump, press A to shoot out your arm and then release when the blue hourglass shape appears on the HUD to signify the optimal angle - were consistently met by me falling into a pit, or off the side of a bridge, or any number of places that you could fall.

"The controls are skill-based," he explained with a smile, taking the controller and easily navigating the part I was having issues with. He made it look so simple, but then I suppose he's logged a few more hours on the game. He tells me that once you master the controls you'll be able to do amazing things. Unfortunately fifteen minutes isn't long enough.

The hot dogs may be gone, but the swingy-swingy lives on, as we take a look at how Capcom's Bionic Commando reboot is shaping up. And it's shaping up nicely. Especially the continuation of a pleasant trend we've seen emerge during E3 this year, with companies presenting us with real screenshots.

Bionic Commando Rearmed's PS3-Only Features (Remote Play Is Go)

Bionic Commando Rearmed might be coming to both Xbox Live Arcade and the PlayStation Network, but that's not to say both versions are identical. Capcom's Ben Judd has teased that they have a "VERY cool surprise for those of you who purchase the PSN version". So not cool, then, but VERY cool. Guess that'll be revealed next week. Something revealed today, however, is the fact the game will also support Remote Play via your PSP, which really, is as VERY cool a surprise as we need.

Bionic Commando: Rearmed, PSN Features: Revealed [PlayStation.Blog]

Bionic Commando Devs Fear The Japanese

Swedish developer GRIN, working on Capcom's new Bionic Commando title as well as the PSN/XBLA update of the original one, were entertainingly forthcoming during an industry conference in the Netherlands where they talked about the tough path for an independent developer.

Managing director Bo had some blunt language for the harsh reality of game development as a business, something the audience may occasionally lose track of when levying certain accusations at development studios:

“Really, to get started, you’re not making a game for a gamer, you’re making a game for a publisher," he said. "And that’s how it is. They know the product, they are paying for the product, and they want you to pull through... on time.”

Also, apparently working with the Japanese is scary:

Bionic Commando Action Figure Spotted

Broad answer: they "evaluate the fanbase and see if there’s a market for it". More specific answer: "Sometimes we see games on eBay, and that’s how you see what games people are willing to spend $80 on". That's Capcom's John Diamonon. Course, he's quick to stress that's not the only way they check, and it's probably not even near the top three mthods they employ. But it sure is an interesting one. Probably more effective than the blood-stained letters I've been sending them for the last ten years, threatening/pleading for a new Captain Commando game.

Capcom Checking eBay To See Which Games To Port [MTV]

It's sequel week in the musty old Xbox Live Arcade, with two classic arcade games making their relatively triumphant returns. First off we have Capcom's Wolf of the Battlefield: Commando 3, which features all of the scrolling, shooting, POW rescuing action of the original, along with online multiplay and a free beta version of Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix, all for 800 Microsoft points.

Also coming this Wednesday is Frogger 2, which includes 15 levels of action, boss battles, two new online multiplayer modes, and no free beta version of Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix, all for 800 Microsoft points.

I am sensing a clear winner here.

This week on Arcade: Wolf of the Battlefield: Commando 3 and Frogger 2 [Xbox Live's Major Nelson]

Capcom had its full suite of Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network titles on hand at Captivate 08, including Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix, Plunder, and Bionic Commando: Rearmed as well as two games I was looking forward to getting time with, 1942: Joint Strike and Wolf of the Battlefield: Commando 3. As a fan of both the 194X series—I started with 1943—and Mercs—Commando passed me by—I was pleasantly surprised to see both pop up on Capcom's release list. Given that we had ample time to play, I spent a respectable time with both.

In fact, I came this close to beating Commando 3 on my third attempt, making it to the final boss solo. While the game supports up to three players at a time, it's not much of a challenge to take down the game's five levels on your own. That's mostly due to potentially too powerful guns, plus copious power ups and screen-clearing attack ammo.

If Commando 3 has a fault, it's that there's not much of a challenge to it, making for occasionally dull play. With familiar Smash TV-style controls and constant flow of bullets (or flamethrowers or rockets), mowing down scores of rebels is easy for any arcade vet.

Bionic Commando Multiplayer In Action

Capcom's big-budget revitalization of its Bionic Commando intellectual property has the potential be outshone by its classic remake, Bionic Commando Rearmed, as far as hardcore fans are concerned, but the new-gen update, the one starring Nathan Spencer, shouldn't be overlooked. Both are graphically gorgeous in their own ways, with Rearmed presenting a tight, clean and colorful 2.5D re-skin, with the all-new Bionic Commando appearing to be an impressive visual achievement, stuffed with attention to detail and smart level design.

Bionic Commando's move into the third dimension looks to potentially present challenges on par with the original NES classic, bringing a rather complex mechanical arm-swinging mechanic (plus jumping!) into a more freely navigable 3D space. Add to that camera control that's totally up to the player and Bionic Commando could be seen as overly complex, a potentially rough 2D to 3D transition.

We're still hopeful despite that, for reasons we'll hopefully make clear.

Capcom To Announce "Or Something Like That" Soon?

Bionic Commando Wii? Unannounced. Lost Planet Wii? Ditto. "Or Something Like This?" Will be announced soon. Via a Q&A with Capcom's Christian Svensson. Read on:

Question: Are we going to see Bionic Commando, Lost Planet or something like this on the Wii?

Svensson: Possible... the "or something like this" part we could talk about in a couple weeks perhaps.

We cannot wait to learn about "Or Something Like This." It sounds like a fantastic game.

Capcom To Announce New Wii Game [N-Europe via Infendo]

You Can Buy The Bionic Commando Rearmed Soundtrack

Even though Bionic Commando: Rearmed has been delayed, the soundtrack hasn't! The music is available for purchase on places like iTunes and Sumthing Digital. Money-hating Bionic Commando producer Ben Judd, who allowed gamers to chose a cheaper price point for BCR, once again explains why he hates money:

Bionic Commando Rearmed Misses May Launch

This is MA-1. Sir, we know you've been waiting to get your hands on the finished Bionic Commando Rearmed, but it appears we've run into a few problems in the closing stages. I regret to inform you that we have received confirmation that the game won't be making its scheduled May release.

Capcom Looks Into Crystal Ball, Makes Resident Evil 5 Sales Prediction

The future! According to insiders, Capcom is forecasting 2.3 million global sales for Resident Evil 5 this year. Keep in mind, Devil May Cry 4 has moved around 2.3 units — "record" sales for that franchise. But, seeing how RE is a bigger series, Capcom's estimate for Resident Evil 5 does seem rather conservative. Maybe the company is just lowballing it! Like if the game says better than it originally predicted, well, Capcom would look pretty good. What I wonder: has Capcom forecasted how many people the game will piss off?

In other crystal ball news, the published is gaging Bionic Commando to move 1.5 million copies worldwide.

[Pic]

Bionic Commando, Lost Planet Comic Books Comin'

Capcom has partnered with Devil's Due Publishing—apparently I'm out of the comic book publisher loop—to introduce a series of comic book titles based on properties like Bionic Commando and Lost Planet. The video game publisher already has a line of comics based on the Street Fighter universe published by Udon, who in turn is providing artwork for Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix.

The press release, via the official Capcom blog, hints that additional and unannounced Capcom books will be revealed at the San Diego Comic Con this July. It does not, however, indicate if we'll get backstory that explains why Bionic Commando has sausage-filled limbs. My own theory is that he was bitten by a radioactive hot dog while on a field trip, giving him the proportionate strength and speed of a frank that plumps when you cook it. That's totally speculative, though.

Press release follows.

New Commando 3: Wolf of the Battlefield Footage Is Shootalicious

The best thing about Commando 3: Wolf of the Battlefield isn't the demo for Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix—god those are some verbose game titles—it's the ability to shoot lots and lots and lots of things. The sequel to Commando and Mercs is coming to Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network soon (we hope). Let's revisit Forgotten Worlds soon too, Capcom. Please?

How To Bring The West to Japan

Fact: There are differences between Western and Japanese games. Intrinsic differences that sometimes make it hard to bring Western games to Japan. The words, the phrases, the idioms — they're familiar to you. It's English, and chances are if you are reading this, the language is either your mother tongue or a second tongue or neither and you've happened on this page by accident. But for a segment of Japanese gamers, Western games are just not playable no thanks to the language barrier. But some of those differences arise from the background of developers.

The vast majority of Japanese devs have an arcade background, and if an arcade game is going to be a hit, it needs to work, it needs to be tight and snap. If you put in a coin in a buggy game that locks up or freaks out, you'll complain to the arcade manager, who will then complain to his boss, who will then complain to his boss, who will complain to that game's publisher. Shit's gotta work. While the arcade scene is very much alive in Japan, it's not in the States, and most developers are coming in with a strong PC gaming background. If shit's broken, patch, patch, patch! "Japanese games have very few collision problems — hands, arms going through walls, etc," says Capcom producer and former localization head Ben Judd. "When western gamers see in-game collision issues, they don't care as long as they're having a good time. That's just not acceptable for the Japanese." Things like A.I. and programming is where Western devs really shine, while Japan picks up the slack on things like textures.

Other things that separate Western and Japanese games, points out Judd, include such seemingly small things like "Japanese player typically don't like controlling two thumbsticks are once — they get sick" and "Japanese players like a strong tutorial." Japanese players, says Judd, prefer that characters are skewed slightly younger and have more anime-style qualities, while Western gamers favor 30 year-old bald men. "RPGs are popular," says Judd. "Players don't typically like the first person point of view and want to see their character. It makes it easier for them to support that character." No wonder Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto has found a welcome audience in Japan.