| Bionic Commando - Games

NST's super-slick side scroller shines on Game Boy Color.

Inspired by the arcade classic from the 1980s, the latest version of Bionic Commando is a well-crafted tribute to the joy of 2D gaming. Bionic Commando was developed by the Nintendo Software Technology Corporation, a newly-formed code factory situated in Redmond, Washington. The goal of the Bionic Commando development team was to raise the quality bar for all future games on Game Boy Color, and it only takes a few moments of gameplay to realize that their goal has been met.

The plot centers around a classic good-versus-evil yarn, where two neighboring countries are in the midst of war. Players control one of two Bionic Commandos, either a male or female character who serve the good country of Karinia. Your goal is to overthrow the tyrannical Avar Empire which is planning a large-scale assault on the Commandos' home turf.

The Bionic Commandos are greatly outnumbered, but they have an advantage. As members of advanced Karinian technology available. Using an agile bionic grappling arm to maneuver through enemy territory, the Commandos must use all available resources to put an end to the Avar Empire and rescue a fallen soldier named Commander Joe along the way.

Bionic Commando features 22 unique levels, 22 different bad guys and seven weapons with which to send them running. In addition to the side scrolling levels, you'll also find top-down action and a unique sniper feature that lets you take out enemies hiding far away in the background. Be sure to check out our Sniper Movie to see this mode in action.

NST went to great lengths to make Bionic Commando stand out graphically. Cut scenes are displayed in a high-resolution mode capable of displaying 2048 colors at once. Each of the 22 levels has a unique visual theme, with rich background color and little pieces of eye candy thrown in for good measure.

Bionic Commando features a total of 1500 frames of character animation, used in a wide variety of special moves for each character. We initially chose to control the female character, and were immediately impressed by the fluid movement of her animated ponytail. Rich color and smooth animation make the visuals in Bionic Commando surprisingly similar to what you'd expect to see on the Super NES a few years back.

It may take a moment to get used your Commando's mechanized grappling arm, but once you're comfortable with the feel, play control is crisp and responsive. The character moves realistically over and around obstacles, which leaves you free to concentrate on defeating the level -- not the play control.

The levels become progressively more difficult as you advance, forcing your hand-eye coordination to live up to its potential. Different enemy types have been designed to surprise you with a wide variety of attacks, which can become quite aggressive as you travel deeper into the game.

Your journey through the game will vary slightly depending on which character you choose, so if you want to see it all you have to travel through the game twice. With hidden areas and secret stages to discover, Bionic Commando gives gamers plenty to do and can challenge even the most experienced gamer.

Bionic Commando: Elite Forces is compatible only with Game Boy Color.