Bionic Commando Xbox 360
User Score
7.5 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 70 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 55 out of 70
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 70
  3. Negative: 10 out of 70

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  1. ChristianA
    Jun 5, 2009
    9
    This game is offering a alternative game experience which undoubtly is very satisfiying. I do not agree with many official reviewers score, I do understand that if the maps was less linear, It would be worth a 10, I think atleast 8 would be fair. Good: Great swinging mechanics, Skills improve fast throughout the game, Longer campaign than expected, Variated challanges. Great satisfaction when linking different swings / Combo's together, Good multiplayer, And a different one because of the swinging. Bad: Linear levels. No throwing and smashing objects at hegother in multiplayer, enemy soldiers "electrical pole" way too overpowered, Too few checkpoints, that results in frustrations. I give it 9, because i think this game deserves it, I originally all the time thought it was a 8, But was suprised at how many hours i spent in campaign, And that the multiplayer makes me come back to the game all the time. … Expand
  2. [Anonymous]
    May 20, 2009
    9
    I only have a few gripes with the game and they are all at the beginning, which makes me wonder if any of the reviewers even played for more than an hour. Swinging takes a while to get used to, but once I got used to it felt so agile and free. Simply moving around the world is a fun experience. The combat is fast, fierce, and requires a good awareness of your surroundings. You cannot approach this like a shooter. In fact I felt like all the guns were bonus power ups, which gave me a bit of a retro feel. I was initially turned off by the game because of the frequent load times in the tutorial, and early levels, but about 1/4th through the game levels became large and complex enough that I couldn't beat them in just a couple minutes. I give it a 9 because it's new, refreshing, well made, but with a few flaws.… Expand
  3. MasonicInc
    May 27, 2009
    10
    A game with a mechanic done like no other game before. Too bad so many of the people reviewing the game aren't real gamers anymore failing to see what a great game we have on our hands here. A game that dares to be different then all the rest - A true winner in my eyes.
  4. BradyL
    Jun 14, 2009
    9
    Fantastic story, fantastic gameplay, fantastic score, fantastic almost everything. The little things that detract from it arn't enough to stop it from being a awesome game!
  5. Matt
    Jun 3, 2009
    9
    Once you get the mechanics, this game is super fun. I play a lot of games and rarely finish them. this one I finished and played multiplayer, which is a friggin' blast as well. My guess on the folks who didn't like it is that they didn't spend enough time to get the controls or they chose a level that was too hard. But if you spend a ltitle time ont he swing mechancis and play on Normal, its aweseome. Congratulations Ben Judd!… Expand
  6. JethroR
    Jul 21, 2009
    10
    This is the best game I have played so far this year. The gameplay is thoroughly enjoyable, the story is engaging, and the finale is utterly epic.
  7. TheDude
    May 28, 2009
    9
    I really honestly don't see why the reviewers are so harsh on this game. It's a really fun action game with a great swing mechanic. I get the impression that the reviewers spent less than two hours with the game since that's about how long it takes to get a hang of the controls. Once you do get used to them the game is amazing!
  8. DaGleese
    May 3, 2011
    10
    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 rea    lly 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
  9. WhiteSpyder170
    Feb 8, 2011
    9
    I think if there's one thing about Bionic Commando that I don't understand, it would have to be why reviewers treated it so poorly. Admittedly, when I first bought the game, I had given up on it for months after only playing a few levels. When I finally did come back to BC, it only took a few minutes before I was kicking myself for ever putting the controller down.

    Bionic Commando is a     breath of fresh air for action games, in my opinion. I've had more moments of "Holy crap, that was awesome. I can't believe I just did that" than any other game I've played in recent memory. Free swinging with your bionic arm is incredibly cool once you get the hang of it. Is it more fun than using that same arm to hurl your enemies around like rag dolls? It's close. While the level structure is somewhat linear, I think it's handled well, and the bosses and mini-bosses are (for the most part) challenging and fun. The voice acting, in general, is passable. Some of it is a little clunky, but it usually does a fine enough job. The soundtrack, however, is quite awesome all-around. If I had one complaint about it, it would be that the title song, as nice as it is, should be either more epic, or more rocking.

    Honestly, I only have about two things that I think hold this game back from a 10. The first being the absolutely ridiculous plot twist at the end. I went from "into the story and ready to bust some bad-guys" to "what the-?" in a matter of seconds. But a plot issue isn't a BIG deal, really.

    Really, the only MAJOR downfall to this game (and probably a LARGE reason why this game was hung out to dry, ratings-wise), is the learning curve. Getting a good feel for swinging takes a while. I didn't really start to get good at it until AFTER my first playthrough (Hard). My second playthrough (Commando) it was more of a necessity to survive, and thankfully, I got into the swing (pun!) of things. The problem with the learning curve being steep is that people (myself included) give up on the game, saying, "it's too hard" or, "this is stupid". I came back to it and found an absolute gem of a game and I'm making this review just because somebody has to even the odds a bit. It's not fair when a great game gets swept under the rug like this one did. Bionic Commando. Check it out.    … Expand

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
70 out of 100

Mixed or average reviews - based on 65 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 30 out of 65
  2. Mixed: 35 out of 65
  3. Negative: 0 out of 65
  1. Edge Magazine
    60
    The overriding impression is of a game that's physically too big for its action. [June 2009, p.88]
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  2. Game Informer
    63
    It's hard to forget the unresponsive controls, ludicrous story, and questionable combat encounters. The game is uneven and inconsistent enough to scare away even eager fans who have patiently waited 20 years for another swing. [June 2009, p.83]
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  3. Games Master UK
    77
    When a game is built around a single mechanic that is employed so well, so often and so entertainingly it's hard not to overlook its flaws and just enjoy yourself. [June 2009, p.70]
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