Metascore

Mixed or average reviews - based on 65 Critics What's this?

User Score

Generally favorable reviews- based on 70 Ratings

  • Summary: The first true sequel to the classic 1988 Nintendo Entertainment System original, Bionic Commando sees the return of the bionically-enhanced Nathan "Rad" Spencer, voiced by Mike Patton, the former lead singer of Faith No More. Time has not been kind to Spencer: 10 years after his heroic defeat of the Imperials in the original game, he has been betrayed by the government he swore to serve, imprisoned for crimes he didn't commit, and sentenced to death. On the very day of Spencer's execution, terrorists detonate a massive experimental weapon in Ascension City, unleashing an intense earthquake that has turned the city into rubble and wiped out its population. With the terrain in ruins and the city's air defense grid now in the control of a massive terrorist force whose goal remains unclear, the FSA have only one option left - a behind-the-lines assault. The perfect job for a Bionic Commando. Bionic Commando transposes the swing-and-shoot gameplay of the 8-bit original to a stunning 3D environment of towering buildings, suspended roadways and monorails, deep canyons and sheer rock faces, where every environment is scalable using swinging, scaling, climbing and wall-walking techniques. [Capcom] Expand
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 30 out of 65
  2. Negative: 0 out of 65
  1. The gameplay is sheer perfection, the score is superb and the detail for a game this size is plain crazy.
  2. RAD's return had a lot to live up to, and it mostly succeeds at rebooting a long-loved franchise, delivering a title fans of the original will appreciate, while introducing newcomers to an excellent action game that hopefully sees a sequel.
  3. Bionic Commando is a worthy successor to its original, but not perfect. If you can handle the complex controls, you will have a good action game with a nice storyline.
  4. Overall, there's some fun to be had swinging around the ruins of Ascension City, but don't be fooled - it's a flawed experience. The game's campaign is fairly entertaining, but lacks any real depth or originality, falling short of living up to the Bionic Commando name.

See all 65 Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 16 out of 24
  2. Negative: 4 out of 24
  1. if you are thinking of buying this game for the idea of free roaming swinging around a city, then dont.
    this game is VERY linear, you are in a
    city, but you usually cannot touch the floor because its flooded, and you cant swing too high because of 'radiation'.
    going in a direction other than where the game wants you to go causes you to die from 'radiation'.
    unfortunatly the game doesnt really warn you very well which areas are actually going to kill you, so its trial and error alot of the time.

    if you want to experience what this game really should have been, buy spiderman 2 for ps2
    Expand
  2. Rafalas
    8
    Fantastic game. These days you can get it very cheap on many online shops, and it's totally worth it. Nice graphics and fun gameplay, with some very nice grapling moments. Very nice final bosses. If you can find this cheap, don't think twice and get it. Expand
  3. MikeY
    5
    Left a lot to be desired. Multiplayer was the only saving grace for the game. Check out our full review at : http://www.wiredzombie.com
  4. Jerry
    3
    Yikes! What a horrid, horrid game! There's really nothing in this game that makes it worth playing. If you want to swing around and grapple, play Spider-man instead. Evert turn is filled with poor design choices compounded by even poorer implementation. Save your money for something else. Expand

See all 24 User Reviews