Bionic Commando Multiplayer impressions

For those who were unaware, the multiplayer demo for Capcom's upcoming title "Bionic Commando" was released a few days ago. This new game is sort of a sequel to a classic 2d arcade/NES title and more recently, a downloadable sequel available on Xbox Live Arcade and the Playstation Network. The primary gimmick that made this stand out above other platformers of the time is that your character is unable to jump and must instead rely on using a grappling hook to swing across dangerous chasms, up various buildings, all while fighting countless enemies. Bionic Commando's next-gen sequel features a new title character that relies on the same gimmick but is actually able to jump, along with the whole game being in 3D. As far as gameplay is concerned in the multiplayer trial, I've only noticed one gametype and map that it seems like everyone is automatically put into from the second they choose multiplayer.


One of the games interesting design choices is that for this deathmatch mode, all of the players are shown as being a ridiculously bright color representing their name on screen, which I'm actually not enjoying that much. I can understand that the choice was made to distinguish enemies when they're swinging through the air, latching on to whatever they can, but once they've stopped and are trying to snipe you from a rooftop, it looks kind of weird to see a bright neon pink guy clinging to the side of a building. Apart from that minor gripe which doesn't break the mode, the game seems sort of fun. The controls work pretty well, with you using the right trigger to fire your gun and the left to shoot out your grappling hook (which requires you to aim at whatever you want to grab on to, but as long as its in close enough distance and you're aiming somewhat at it, it's not that hard to latch on to it mid jump), the dpad used for quick turns (never had to use it), and the face buttons used for various functions.

The combat itself doesn't really feel all that visceral or anything, but it's pretty fun when you notice someone's aiming at you and you're desperately trying to outmanuver them by jumping, then grappling on to a light post somewhere, then to the underside of a rail, pulling yourself up and firing down upon them while they're trying to figure out where you went to. Unfortunately, the level used in the demo is at night and feels kind of small for the 8 players that are participating, but it does a good job of showing you that the controls really aren't intrusive and once you adjust to them, when to release the button to fly forward or when to pull yourself up the object becomes second nature. The multiplayer seems like it's a decent distraction, but it's one of those things that you could probably pass on and wouldn't be missing out on a large chunk of the experience.