| Bionic Commando | |
|---|---|
| File:BionicCommando.jpg North American boxart | |
| Developer(s) | Capcom |
| Publisher(s) | Capcom |
| Designer(s) | Tokuro Fujiwara |
| Composer(s) | Junko Tamiya |
| Engine | Proprietary |
| Platform(s) | NES/Family Computer |
| Genre(s) | Platformer |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Bionic Commando, released in Japan as Hitler no Fukkatsu: Top Secret (ヒットラーの復活 トップシークレット, The Resurrection of Hitler: Top Secret), is an action adventure game released in 1988 for the Nintendo Entertainment System. It is loosely based on the 1987 arcade game Bionic Commando.
In the game, the player has to explore each stage and obtain the necessary equipment to progress. The protagonist is Radd Spencer, a commando equipped with a bionic arm featuring a grappling gun, allowing the protagonist to pull himself forward or swing from the ceiling. As such, the series is one of few instances of a platform game in which the player cannot jump. To cross gaps or climb ledges, the hero must use his bionic arm.
Plot[]
In the 1980s, an imperialist army known as the "Badds" (referred to as Nazz in the instruction manual) developed a project called "The Albatross". The project was put to practice by their leader Generalissimo Killt.[2] Part of the plan consists of resurrecting their deceased mastermind, known only as "Master D", to lead them to world domination.
The Federation found out about the project and decided to send special commando "Super Joe" (the protagonist of Commando);[3] however, they lost contact with him when apparently he was captured by the Imperialist forces.
The main character of the game, Radd Spencer, is sent behind enemy lines to try to rescue Super Joe.[4]
Characters[]
- Radd Spencer - The hero of the game. A special commando armed with a bionic arm that must complete all the levels and rescue Super Joe.[5]
- Super Joe - A special commando sent to infiltrate the Enemy forces and ended up being captured. The purpose of this game is to rescue him. He was the player's character in Commando.
- Generalissimo Killt (Weizmann in the Japanese version) - The leader of the Imperialist Forces (Nazis/Badds). He is the one leading the Albatross Project meant to resurrect Master-D.
- Master-D (Hitler in the Japanese version) - The last boss of the game. The purpose of the Albatross Project was to resurrect him so he can help the Badds dominate the world. He is ranked sixth in Electronic Gaming Monthly’s list of the top ten video game politicians.[6]
Localization[]
Comparison of the Japanese version (above) and the American version (below) of the game. Notice the swastikas in the Japanese version.
For the release of the international version of the game, several changes were made. Due to the strict censorship policies of Nintendo of America and Nintendo of Europe at the time, all references to Nazism were removed from the English localization. This meant that the swastikas shown during cut-scenes or on the background of some levels were replaced by a new symbol resembling an Albatross, the Nazis were referred as the "Badds" in the game (though the back-story in the American manual referred to them as "Nazz")[7], and the leader of the villains was renamed Generalissimo Killt.
One of the most known changes involved the ultimate antagonist of the game, who is meant to be a revived Adolf Hitler in the Japanese version (hence the Japanese title). For the international versions, the character was renamed "Master-D", but his likeness to Hitler was kept. There is a notably gory ending sequence in which Hitler's face explodes, which was kept intact in the international version.[8]
In addition to the graphical changes, the difficulty of the game were rebalanced and some of the areas were made less difficult.[9]
Gameplay[]
Stage-selection map[]
Another original feature of Bionic Commando is that, instead of moving in a straight path through the levels, the player can, between levels, move around on a map-like screen. The player can move his helicopter one space at a time between the areas, represented by numbers.
Once above a numbered area, the player can either choose to play it or move to another area. The player has to complete the current level to move on, although he can go back to the map by pressing either Start, A, and B, or Select, A, and B (depending on the version). After descending in the selected area, the player will be prompted to select their desired equipment for the mission. Certain equipments are designed to work at certain areas. For example, communicator Alpha works only in Areas 1, 4, and 5, and so on.
There are also green enemy trucks on the map, and if the player runs into them between icons, he will be forced into an overhead battle, similar to the previous game Commando. Certain enemies can be defeated there to get extra continues.
Some of these stages are neutral areas, in which the player gets information as well as items that might be helpful. In these areas it is forbidden to fire any weapon or the player will be attacked by a squadron until he or she leaves the stage.
Bionic arm[]
Bionic arm in use (NES version)
Rad sports a gun with one hand and an extendable bionic gripper device on the other. His bionic arm can be extended and rotated in 45-degree increments, from horizontally left to directly upwards to horizontally right. Once attached to something, Rad can pull himself to wherever the arm has latched, typically leaving him swinging back and forth under the point of connection. From this position, he can swing off or hoist himself up to the point of connection.
Rad's bionic arm can also deflect some types of bullets and grab certain enemies and items.
Other features[]
A well-known feature in this game is the possibility of communication with allied forces in order to get useful information on the current stage the player is in, or some hints. Also, the player can tap into the enemy forces' communication lines for the same results, though the enemy will sometimes detect the infiltrating line and send a squadron to attack the player.
Enemies can sometimes be defeated for "bullets", which, if the player gets enough of them, will add extra units of health. This is important because the player only starts with one life point. A maximum of nine life points can be gained, after collecting a total of 300 bullets.
Music[]
The NES version of the music, produced and composed by Junko Tamiya (under the pseudonym "Gondamin"), is also very highly praised for its militaristic compositional element. Two songs from the Arcade versions are used in some areas.
Remakes[]
A Game Boy version of Bionic Commando was released in 1992. The Game Boy version features the same gameplay and level designs of the NES game, but changes the present day setting of the NES version into a sci-fi based futuristic one.
The NES version of Bionic Commando, along with the NES version of Strider and Mighty Final Fight, was included in the Game Boy Advance compilation Capcom Classics Mini-Mix.
Bionic Commando Rearmed, a remake of the NES game, was released in 2008 for the PlayStation Network, Xbox Live Arcade, and PC.
Novelization[]
A book was written in the Worlds of Power series of novels based on the NES version. The main character is identified as Jack Markson, who loses an arm when ninjas attack his hotel room and kidnap Super Joe. The Federation replaces his missing limb with a bionic arm that has a grappling hook and a number of other gadgets that are not featured in the game, like a flame thrower and a device that forces prisoners to tell the truth. Like most books in the series, violence was toned down to non-lethality in most cases (he usually shoots enemy soldiers with tranquilizers), although certain events, like the deaths of Hal and Killt, are kept. Much of the game's middle is skimmed over in order to fit it all into the book.
References[]
- ↑ "List of release dates from Nintendo.com" (PDF).<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ Reidy, Gearoid (January 22, 2008). "Bionic Commando Newswire".<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ BC.com. "Bionic Commando: Personnel - Key Figures".<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ Elite Coder. "Bionic Commando HQ - Instruction Manual".<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ BionicCommando.com. "Bionic Commando Key Figures".<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ Scott Sharkey, “EGM’s Top Ten Videogame Politicians: Election time puts us in a voting mood,” Electronic Gaming Monthly 234 (November 2008): 97.
- ↑ Bionic Commando instruction manual. p. 3. Capcom/Nintendo.
- ↑ Sandvik, Per Arne (2002-11-15) The Horror! Encyclopedia Obscura. Retrieved on 2008-07-09
- ↑ Elite Coder. "Bionic Commando Famicom Version".<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
External links[]
Template:Bionic Commando