Long time no blog--working full time and going to night school kind of does that to you sometimes. Regardless, like a dork, I woke up at 1:30 AM this morning to purchase a remake of a game that holds a very special place in my heart: Bionic Commando: Rearmed. Much like the original, it is a damn hard game. Fans of the NES classic should run out and download this now, but those who aren't used to insanely hard side-scrollers of yore should stand clear.

Unlike the recent Castlevania: Dracula X Chronicles for the PSP, the 3D rendered character in a 2D environment works well due to bright, high-contrast colors. The techno remixed music and amusing translation help round out the experience. One additional mode features Challenge Rooms, which work as a hard version of Metal Gear Solid-style VR Missions. I have yet to try the local only Multiplayer.

Let me stress this again--Bionic Commando: Rearmed is hard. I died 4 times trying to beat the first level on Normal Difficulty. Bosses now have a puzzle mechanic that must be solved in order to dismantle them to cause any real damage, which is an improvement. So far, this game has lived up to my expectations. Does it live up to yours?