games  anime  |  toys
Destructoid is gaming news, community, videos, and sometimes love. Take the tour or jump in with Facebook:

 



It was only announced yesterday, and already opinions are highly divided on Capcom's Bionic Commando remake. So far voices tend to fall on either side of a binary split, either gushing with the misty-eyed enthusiasm of a nostalgic cockney Blitz-survivor, or becoming instantly disheartened and holding fast to the "emo game is emo" maxim as they gaze upon the update's new dark and gritty (yawn) stylings. 

That latter camp have certainly got a point. There's a small happy shard of light still left in a corner of my heart that remembers when games were like, you know, fun, and as such I'm sick to the back teeth of this current self-defeating need to appear "mature" via the use of inherently juvenile obsessions with violence and dark, grizzled anti-heroes. But who knows, maybe I'm just a big frilly ponce.

Either way, BC's trailer - which first apeared earlier today before being hastily pulled - provides us with all the necessary ticked boxes. Over-acted, gruff and despairing voice-over? Check. Scenes of gray urban destruction? Check. The same clunky, lived-in, militaristic sci-fi art style as around eight million other games out there right now? Check, check, check.

But it's not all bad. While what I assume to be the gameplay sections in the trailer's second half positively reek of a re-skinned Spider-Man game, some of the wrecked city architecture looks pretty epic in places, the forest areas on show towards the end are suitably lush, and you can't completely hate a trailer that ends with a giant robo-snake fight. Just please Capcom. let's get out of the grey city and into the countryside quick, and ideally, could you throw in a few song and dance routines and/or kittens in clown suits too? That'd be great.

[Golden Donut, you're invited to Christmas dinner at my house this year]


Continue: More Capcom stories





prev
next 50 comments

61 comments | showing # 1 to 50

Kyousuke Nanbu's Avatar
Kyousuke Nanbu at 10/17/2007 18:03
I was afraid of this, I really this doesn't turn out like Final Fight Streetwise.
Professor Pew's Avatar
Professor Pew at 10/17/2007 18:06
Whoopieee! It's the ps2/xbox Gauntlet remake meets Spider-Man 3 meets childhood rapie!

Do not want, until proven otherwise.
braulio09's Avatar
braulio09 at 10/17/2007 18:10
all i see is Tarzan
Blue Collar Heresy's Avatar
Blue Collar Heresy at 10/17/2007 18:11
If they make that intro any more emo they'll have to show the guy shitting bats.
bluemeep's Avatar
bluemeep at 10/17/2007 18:11
Dollars to donuts says that the Spiderman games were the proof of concept the bigwigs wanted before greenlighting this. And I hope to God they're going with a better VA than that. You want a voice that sounds like Solid Snake, go get freakin' Hayter and not an intern with a chest cold.

Still, hearing the strains of the original theme song ran chills up my spine... If anything, I approve of the music.
kwaselow's Avatar
kwaselow at 10/17/2007 18:11
Hmm, that's odd? Where's his red and blue suit, and why are his webs so dark?

I can has true successor to Bionic Commando, pleez?
Jim Sterling's Avatar
Jim Sterling at 10/17/2007 18:12
Bionics of War.
whiteboy0869's Avatar
whiteboy0869 at 10/17/2007 18:15
It's not as exciting as I expected it would be, but let's not give up hope just yet. Capcom's next gen track record has been great so far, so I have high hopes they can pull this one off without ruining my childhood memories of the the original. And you're right about the dark anti-hero thing. Everybody is modeled after Solid Snake or Kratos these days. Can't blame the developers, as these types of characters are big hits with the gaming populace. It only makes me appreciate games like BioShock even more. The silent protagonist approach can be used to great effect if done properly.
kwaselow's Avatar
kwaselow at 10/17/2007 18:16
Is it just me, or does this thing seem a lot more dystopian than the original?
Diomeneus's Avatar
Diomeneus at 10/17/2007 18:18
I was a huge fan of the original... but I'm going to have to sit on the fence until this one is out to pass judgment on it.
VampireChrist's Avatar
VampireChrist at 10/17/2007 18:21
mike patton??
Danger Shark's Avatar
Danger Shark at 10/17/2007 18:21
I've said it before, dredlocked ponytail = fail.
Excremento's Avatar
Excremento at 10/17/2007 18:22
OMG yes! I figured something like this was coming after the success of Lost Planet, the whole grapple hook apparatus in that game reeked of Bionic Commando. I don't care about what the haters say, I'm down for this game like Britney Spears's Ham Sandwich.
Danger Shark's Avatar
Danger Shark at 10/17/2007 18:22
Also, probably not Mike Patton.
Dunned's Avatar
Dunned at 10/17/2007 18:24
The swinging actually looks pretty cool.
kawitchate's Avatar
kawitchate at 10/17/2007 18:26
well i liked it.
HideousKojima's Avatar
HideousKojima at 10/17/2007 18:30
Is it me or his bionic arm looks like it's joints are held together with Hotdogs!Love the music,the hero needs a new haircut and cooler duds.
Tron Knotts's Avatar
Tron Knotts at 10/17/2007 18:30
BCINO

Bionic Commando in name only.

Do not want.
Kyuzo's Avatar
Kyuzo at 10/17/2007 18:31
Maybe it's because I didn't play the original, but I thought it looked pretty cool.
s0lesurviv0r's Avatar
s0lesurviv0r at 10/17/2007 18:34
I'm a nut for web-slinging, but the hippie needs a haircut and cough drops.
Zarathustra's Avatar
Zarathustra at 10/17/2007 18:34
It's not Mike Patton, but if Patton somehow signed on for this, I'd suddenly be a lot more interested. His voice was one of the coolest parts of The Darkness.
wake's Avatar
wake at 10/17/2007 18:37
Eh...
Capn Birdseye's Avatar
Capn Birdseye at 10/17/2007 18:39
I had more fun with Gears of War than the original Bionic Commando back in the day.

I guess I just dont get so misty eyed for retro gaming.
SuperDave's Avatar
SuperDave at 10/17/2007 18:47
Jesus. Seriously, that's the best they can do? We waited how long for this? RIDICULOUSLY derivative. Apparently they weren't watching Warrior Within's reaction when it took the same turn. Yay for Emo Spider-Man and yay for next-gen brown...
pancakes mcgee's Avatar
pancakes mcgee at 10/17/2007 18:47
at the very least, they kept the red uniform of the bads...er, imperials. i'm not sure why they needed to make his bionic arm cartoonishly large. and i can't get excited about a jungle level...as that was in the japanese version of the original, and looks like it seriously sucked donkeys.

so gears of war meets spidey. i guess they simply forgot that what made the original spectacular was it's innovation. glad that in the next-gen arena of gaming, they couldn't come up with any type of originality.
Tubatic's Avatar
Tubatic at 10/17/2007 18:51
You can't go home again.

Its actually about how I pictured it to be.

I mean, he is a Bionic Commando. Short of making it anime style and side scrolling, I don't think there's any way not to get grit on a character concept that's one part extendo - arm swinging guy and one part single person army.

Mario's the only character that made the retro to modern jump without all this emo-retro lament, and that just because his 3D title laid the ground work for how the whole 3rd person 3d platformer thing would work on a console.

Looking forward to the retroforcego! podcast after this :D
UNDERSTAR's Avatar
UNDERSTAR at 10/17/2007 19:01
Stop halfway watching this video. What other game had a whip that made you swing around the level???? I forgot, anybody?? Anyhoot, FUCK THIS GAME!!!
Sharpless's Avatar
Sharpless at 10/17/2007 19:03
I think you're all being silly. It looks intriguing and it has potential. I'm all for the revamping and updating of retro games for the new gen. Hopefully it won't end up being a total rehash of, well, everything else out there. The gritty, emo stlye is overdone, but it can work if the game itself is good.
Tubatic's Avatar
Tubatic at 10/17/2007 19:06
"so gears of war meets spidey. i guess they simply forgot that what made the original spectacular was it's innovation. glad that in the next-gen arena of gaming, they couldn't come up with any type of originality."

but . . . its a remake . . . if you want originality, I'd suggest Hostess or Sara Lee!
DOOM's Avatar
DOOM at 10/17/2007 19:07
Looks AWESOME!!!
Much darker n gritier feel, I LOVE IT!!!
FlapDangerous's Avatar
FlapDangerous at 10/17/2007 19:09
yes that voice is that of Mike Patton.
Wootex's Avatar
Wootex at 10/17/2007 19:26
The game looks fun, but I don't like the new look.
Your moms new boyfriend's Avatar
Your moms new boyfriend at 10/17/2007 19:33
Best white guy dreads since [s]Counting Crows[/s] never!
Necros's Avatar
Necros at 10/17/2007 19:34
I don't know if I'm the odd man out, but man, that looks fun.
DarkTetsuya's Avatar
DarkTetsuya at 10/17/2007 19:41
I'll... reserve judgment till I play it. I mean it sounds like they're really trying this time (did you hear the remix of the old BC music?) I just wonder how much of Lost Planet's engine they borrowed for it :P
Tron Knotts's Avatar
Tron Knotts at 10/17/2007 19:46
I repeat, as of right now, there is nothing appealing about this game.

I respect those of you who are holding out some optimism, and I hope you're right.

But as of now this looks like Final Fight Streetwise all over again.
bluemeep's Avatar
bluemeep at 10/17/2007 19:50
NOW I remember where I've seen this guy before!





He's fucking Back Alley Brawler from City of Heroes.
Cheeburga's Avatar
Cheeburga at 10/17/2007 19:53
Lol@BlueMeep, they really look alike.

The gameplay looks pretty fun, i'd just think it would get repetitive.
brad drac's Avatar
brad drac at 10/17/2007 20:13
"Dormant since long?" Nice bit of english thar. Poor grammar aside, thought it looked pretty fucking spiffy. I see little wrong with post apocalyptic cyborg spiderman rip off's. Sure I'm sick to death of this "maturity" bullshit too, but as long as the underlying game is fun, sure fuck it.
king3vbo's Avatar
king3vbo at 10/17/2007 20:25
NOOO MAKE IT 2D GOD DAMMIT
boxhound's Avatar
boxhound at 10/17/2007 20:29
In the future, when you lose an arm. You get stuck with something that looks like a forklift, crossed over with a riding lawnmower, and a Nintendo Power Glove? :(

Capcom... fail.
frozenbabylon's Avatar
frozenbabylon at 10/17/2007 21:00
Sweet action. I'm down.
Nick Chester's Avatar
Nick Chester at 10/17/2007 21:04
Yeah, just so we're clear, that was definitely Mike Patton.

And yeah, it's pretty terrible. Yikes.
catsithx's Avatar
catsithx at 10/17/2007 21:34
wait and see is how I am going to take this game . any who I am going to play the realy one on my nintendo bye you all
brad drac's Avatar
brad drac at 10/17/2007 21:35
Holy fuck, it is mike patton. Not sure he's doing himself any favours with this one.
Variable Gear's Avatar
Variable Gear at 10/17/2007 22:12
Here is an idea Capcom, make a 2D version for DS and Wii so that you can actually make money on this design-by-committee bullshit that is going to end up ruining one of your best franchises.
Spectral's Avatar
Spectral at 10/17/2007 22:46
garbage
grrza's Avatar
grrza at 10/17/2007 23:09
The music remix sounds pretty great...

But blech at the environments and what we could make out of what the plot will be. Sure it should be industrial and slightly futuristic, but this gritty bullshit is bullshit. And what about the red nazi eagle army?? Where are they? And zombie Hitler? This is their chance to have zombie hitler in the non-japanese version damn it. He better be in it!
Mxyzptlk's Avatar
Mxyzptlk at 10/18/2007 00:03
Jesus Christ people... whine, whine, whine.

Looks like it could be fun to me, but until there's some hands-on impressions on how it actually plays who knows?
Holiday's Avatar
Holiday at 10/18/2007 00:47
Yeah...I was just thinking how few post-apocalyptic games with super-soldiers there are in the world and how we definitely need to see more games with this theme. Too it be cool if the main protagonist swung around this post-apocalyptic world like Spider-Man. That would be really original.
prev next 50 comments

Comment with Facebook





Click connect and comment instantly!

Comment with Dtoid





New? SIGN UP - it takes 5 seconds

Comments policy

Destructoid is an open discussion community. You don't need to "audition" to post a comment - just speak your mind. We respect differing opinions on the site, so have at it. Be smart, funny, insightful, clueless, or cute -- but back it up with substance. Keep your cool, keep it fun. We only ask that you act respectfully and above all: don't be a troll and ruin it for everyone else. Don't bring down gamers or we'll, you know, gently shoot you in the face and stuff you into a flaming mailbox. Each comment is your opportuntity to make this community awesomer. Is that even a word?

Avoiding the banhammer only requires common sense: spamming, trolling, racism, NSFW stuff, and other forms of sucking will not be tolerated. If anyone is griefing please report abuse. Be good. Don't suck!

 
New on Destructoid.TV play all videos

Loading
Loading Destructoid Videos




    Win this!
    Reminder: We're giving away six copies of Magnacarta 2!



    Dtoid Twitter    Got news?   tips@destructoid.com

    Reviews & Previews
    Mahjongg Artifacts 2 review
    Dragon Age: Origins review
    Lost Winds: The Winter of the Melodias review
    Osmos review
    Space Invaders Extreme 2 review
    Half-Minute Hero review
    JU-ON: The Grudge review
    Kenka Bancho: Badass Rumble review
    Thexder Neo review
    Domino Rally review
    more reviews
    PS3's 256-player MAG
    Rooms The Main Building
    Skate 3
    Hudson's bringing back the Bonk
    James Cameron's Avatar
    Bomberman Battlefest
    Calling
    Bad Company 2's multiplayer
    Partying like it's 1959 in BioShock 2's multiplayer
    BioShock 2 through the eyes of Big Daddy
    more previews


    - The Dtoid Army is 49607 strong -

    Showing Cblogs with 3+ faps   show all

    Call for entries: do the wrong thing

    New to Dtoid? Read the survival guide




     Originals
    Jim Sterling: How to respond to a videogame review





















    More Destructoid Originals




     Popular now more
























    Destructoid's editorial lovefest is:
    Nick Chester
    Editor-in-Chief
    Jim Sterling
    Reviews Editor
    Dale North
    News Editor
    Hamza Aziz
    Community Manager
    Anthony Burch
    Features Editor
    Rey Gutierrez
    Video editor & director
    Niero
    Founder, publisher
    Letters to the editors
    tips@destructoid.com
    Associate Editors
    Ashley Davis Jonathan Holmes
    Brad Nicholson Jonathan Ross
    Brad Rice Jordan Devore
    Chad Concelmo Matthew Razak
    Colette Bennett Tom Fronczak
    Conrad Zimmerman Topher Cantler
    Dyson Samit Sarkar
    Contributors
    Adam Dork
    Ben Perlee
    Daniel Lingen
    Joseph Leray
    Joe Burling
    Mikey
    Will Maddock
    Stella Wong





     

     
      get involved

    register or login
    post a blog
    post a forum
    enter a contest
    contribute a news tip
    suggest a feature
    be a guest editor
    support

    new member's guide
    login assistance
    tech support
    report abuse
    email our editors
    read our dev blog
    nuclear crisis?
    keep in touch

    RSS feed
    Twitter
    Facebook
    Myspace
    Flickr
    Game nights
    Meetup+play online
    seriously

    about Destructoid
    advertising
    terms of use
    privacy policy
    jobs at MM
    buy our crap
    our network

    Tomopop
    Japanator
    Despingation?




    Destructoid is an independently-run publication forged by our love of video games and the gaming community's need of accountable enthusiast press
    living the dream since March 16, 2006