Bionic Commando was a dangerous proposition in gaming. Couple that with Capcom not being scared to try and reboot games from their past. Well, unless it is Legendary Wings or Section Z of course. Bionic Commando was one of those titles that kids were discussing on the playground at school during recess. Even if they didn’t have a Nintendo Entertainment System at home – they knew someone that would share. Capcom had a hit and it was a system seller on their hands. Another was Mega Man but that is another Today in Video Game History article for another time.

Taking that first leap

The most notable thing about Bionic Commando for me was, YOU COULDN’T JUMP. I mean, this was on a system known for games that were best described as RUN and JUMP. You could not jump in this weird futuristic “Indiana Jones” game. That is what I called it early on when describing it to friends who had no clue. Other areas of Bionic Commando that stood out for me was the overhead map. Eventually you would be able to pick different levels to tackle (I sucked so this didn’t happen often).

Bionic Commando had to be cleaned up for USA gamers

Bionic Commando was also known many years later for it’s several changes in localization. From the story line to various graphics in the game. This included the removal of the Nazi swastika. Also the fact that the last boss bears a striking resemblance to Adolph Hitler was changed slightly. Nintendo apparently had no problem with the exploding head though. Nor did they censor “damn fool” in the North American localization.

Action on the go and updates

The Game Boy was the recipient of a version based on the original NES game. Capcom has released a PC “remake” of sorts called Bionic Commando Rearmed. They also released it on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 consoles. The original version was re-released on the Game Boy Advance in the Capcom Classics Mini-Mix.

Bionic Commando was one of those early titles that bucked the idea of what made a game a game. Gone were the standards of the genre such as jumping which forced learning the grappling hook mechanic.

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Carl Williams

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