Capcom dropped its multiplayer demo for Bionic Commando today, exclusively on Xbox LIVE Marketplace. I have to admit, I couldn't spend more than 10 minutes with the thing.
That mostly had to do with the fact that the game simply doesn't allow you to create a private room, join a friend, or invite one to an existing game. Considering demos are meant to sell an experience (i.e. "Here's a taste. You like it. Buy our full product!), this is a complete failure on Capcom's part. Multiplayer games are best when enjoyed with friends or acquaintances, period.
For many people (myself included), trading blows with faceless opponents or foul-mouthed children is not on the daily to-do list. While the final game most certainly will include the ability to join friend's games or create private sessions, leaving it out of a demo seems like a bad move.
A good move: the game's intro, which includes a Capcom logo and sound effect that will immediately be recognizable to anyone who was playing Capcom's games during the 16-bit era. It's an awesome nod to Capcom's past -- maybe some of its best days -- indicative of the publisher's current dedication to making new and cool products that connect with long-time fans.
Also neat is Bionic Commando's menu, which seems to be inspired by thatgamecompany's flOw. Set to a classical piano remix of a retro Bionic Commando theme, the music gets muffled and drowned out as you go deeper into the game's menus. Very cool. And no, I'm not sure what that odd mechanical-snake-penis thing is. I suppose we'll get more answers when the game ships in late May.
Check out the video of the intro and the menu after the jump.
when i started up i was just like "FUCK IS THIS STREET FIGHTER 2 ARCADE?!!?!?" then CAPCOM went all 3D and i was like, "i love you Capcom. thank you for making me remember the good times."
it's odd because the other day i was thinking about that chime before Street Fighter 2 and how that'd be so awesome if it was the sound my phone made when i had a new text message.
It's classy, but it doesn't really seem to fit the game. I mean a dude with dreadlocks shooting people in the head while swinging around with a robot arm.
I didn't catch the muffled music as you progress through the game's menus, but I did squeal a bit when I heard the old Capcom intro. I've heard that little chime so many times in the SNES days and it's something I'll never forget!
The level they chose is dark as fuck. This was also a shitty idea, I think. It looks so bland.
As for the gameplay, it was OK. Based off of this demo alone, I could imagine the single player game being lots of fun if the developers did things right.
With the right level design, the bionic arm could be fucking sweet to use.
It was quite fun I thought, for a multiplayer experience it was quite muted. They really should let you choose some things but it gave me a taste of the game and the swinging mechanic is nice.
I thought it was amusing when I loaded it up yesterday. At the start of the level everyone was obviously trying to work out the controls and just ran around shooting each other then as people worked out the arm things spread out and got a lot wilder. Finding a match took me forever though. I'm not really interested in multiplayer but the game controlled much better than I was expecting (especially after all the talk about swinging having a steep learning curve) and that's all I really wanted to know.
Two things I thought sucked: Choice of level for the demo. It was dark as fuck. Not a good level to learn on. Also the sound just seems really weak especially in regards to the bionic arm which with some chunkier sound work could really help with the rhythm of swinging.
The game tells you the controls on the loading screen... which really wasn't enough time. I had a fun game, then the connections to other players kept failing and when I finally got back in, the game was horribly laggy.
It was alright, just a generic slapped on online mode, kind of reminded me of lost planet but with shit graphics. I just hope that in the single player you can't jump.
I played the demo, it wasnt half bad. Private games or no private games, I liked the acrobatic combat, besides some serious bugs with punching(I got smacked to death from a mile away)and iffy controls and aiming.
I really liked the demo. The swinging was a lot of fun and it's really satisfying to kick someone off of a building. That being said, out of 15 or so tries it only found me a game about 4. Sort of a bummer.
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Contest:
2:40 PM on 04.29.2009
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I thought i'd like it more.
i hope the single player campaign is far better
it's odd because the other day i was thinking about that chime before Street Fighter 2 and how that'd be so awesome if it was the sound my phone made when i had a new text message.
at least, that's what the gameplay walkthrough video guy said.
This game ain't exactly Braid.
As for the gameplay, it was OK. Based off of this demo alone, I could imagine the single player game being lots of fun if the developers did things right.
With the right level design, the bionic arm could be fucking sweet to use.
I really want to play the demo, but fuck, Microsoft loves making people pay for XBL Gold accounts, so I can't.
Two things I thought sucked: Choice of level for the demo. It was dark as fuck. Not a good level to learn on. Also the sound just seems really weak especially in regards to the bionic arm which with some chunkier sound work could really help with the rhythm of swinging.
And it made me miss Spiderman 2.
Also,
PENIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIISSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
Yeah, I got pretty terrible connection on it too. :/