However, the game also has many other little niggles that drag things down. It is portrayed in a quite spectacular way, not once resorting to QTEs, but still well presented, asking a lot of the player yet still keeping things fun and entertaining. Without giving too much away, the encounter uses just about everything the game has taught you up to that point. With a good portion of your attacking moves unlocked, there’s a mid-game meeting with a mechanical worm boss that is not only the game’s shining standout moment, but probably one of the better boss battles in recent years. This certainly opens up your attacking options, particularly when you finally get to chuck around cars and boulders using the power of your bionic arm. This unlocking is done in a Metroid-esque style, having your character remember moves as you work your way through the game, usually right before you first need to use them. Thankfully, the further you get into the game, there are more attacks to be unlocked, making battles with the bigger guys a bit easier. Particularly when two or three attack at once, as they will continually dart around, following you everywhere you seek cover, making your life hell. However, this limited AI turns out to be rather annoying for the bigger robotic foe. If you run away they will just run after you, which can be helpful for the smaller guys as it basically makes them cannon fodder to your main weaponry. The most basic enemies don’t put up much of a fight though, usually just standing and shooting at you with no inclination at all to seek out cover. These moments are rare, but when they do occur they are very satisfying. When this happens everything seems to click you leap from signpost to lamppost into battle, shoot a guy, hook onto another with your bionic arm, do a zip-kick attack into him, and swing away to the next location. These mostly happen when you finally get into a rhythm with the game, teamed with reaching some of the better laid out swinging sections. Let’s not be unfair though, there are other highlights too, which come along before the credits roll. This final hour almost serves as a small fleeting thank you from the developers for putting up with the game’s eccentricities for so long. The game only really begins to change its colours as it edges closer towards the end, literally going sky high in its swinging efforts before coming to an abrupt end just as things start to get really good. But for the most part they are far too prevalent in Bionic Commando, so common that they are a detriment to enjoyment. Of course, there is nothing overtly wrong with invisible walls in games, as it would be worse to continually get lost and have no idea where to go. These facets all serve as the game’s invisible walls, to try and herd you in the right direction. This means if you don’t use your arm to hook onto something quick to zip out, you’re dead. Water is undoubtedly the most annoying, as you sink when you hit it due to the weight of your bionic arm. Whether it is mines you must turn off to advance, radiation that prevents you from venturing off-track, or dreaded areas filled with water, if you try to go anywhere the game does not want you to go you are punished with a quick death. Namely, that it is always trying to restrain you. Ultimately, these opening moments of gameplay are an insightful glimpse into the biggest problem Bionic Commando has as it continues. Then you try to reach the roof of the buildings seen just seconds ago, but find it impossible, before running into a broken drainpipe and get greeted with a 10 second loading screen. The swinging is arguably more satisfying then what was seen in the Spiderman games, although it needs to be babysat quite a bit. You can then run up the street, grab onto the neon signs, practice swinging on them. Instead, you jump from the hole, and simply fall to the ground far below. You’d now expect to make a leap out of the building, use your bionic arm to attach to one of the many neon signs you see before you, and swing away towards the horizon.īut that is not what Bionic Commando offers you. At this point in the game you have just found your bionic arm, which allows you to grab onto certain objects and swing about. Looking out from this sky-high vantage point you see buildings stretch away into the distance. First impressions are everything they say, and if that idiom holds true then Bionic Commando gets off to a rocky start.Ībout 10 minutes after things initially kick-off you’ll arrive at a hole in the side of an office building.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |