Bionic Commando: Difference between revisions

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* [[Guide Dang It]]: In the NES version, the player can abort a mission by pressing Start+A+B simultaneously and return to the map screen. This would've come in handy if you enter a stage without having the proper equipment... if it weren't for the fact that the manual doesn't tell you this. Because of this, many first-time players often reset the game when they enter Area 6 without the Rocket Gun.

* [[Heroic Sociopath]]: When not angsting about his missing wife or that his country has betrayed him in the most vile way possible, Spencer takes a little too much joy in throwing people off cliffs and shooting them in the head.

* [[Hit Points]]: You start the game as a [[One-Hit-Point Wonder]], but by grabbing items that various [[Mooks]] drop, you can gain more hitpoints to start out with, up to a maximum of nine per life if you're dedicated enough to get 300 of them. (Of course, you still die instantly when you fall in one of the game's many [[Bottomless Pits]].)

* [[Hit Points]]: You start the game as a [[One-Hit-Point Wonder]], but by grabbing items that various [[Mooks]] drop, you can gain more hitpoints to start out with, up to a maximum of nine per life if you're dedicated enough to get 300 of them (of course, you still die instantly when you fall in one of the game's many [[Bottomless Pits]]).

** No longer the case in ''BCR'' as you get the [[Hit Points]] meter to start. It does get upgraded, but only once.

* [[Hollywood Cyborg]]: Yes indeed, although the sequel tries to real-physics it up a bit.

* [[Hollywood Hacking]]: Intercepting enemy communications in ''Rearmed'' requires you to play a short minigame; in the full console sequel, you just grapple the computer and hit B (or "O," or whatever the action button is for the PC version). In the original, you could simply listen in on [[Enemy Chatter]] by going to a comm room with the right transceiver.

* [[Idiot Hero]]: For the most part, Spencer is a fairly competent guy. But in the sequel, {{spoiler|how in the name of all that's holy did he NOT get that his bionic arm has his wife's in it?!}}

* [[Idiot Hero]]: For the most part, Spencer is a fairly competent guy. But in the sequel, {{spoiler|how in the name of all that's holy did he NOT get that his bionic arm has his wife's in it}}?!

** {{spoiler|~~partially~~ justified, due to the fact that this comes from denial.}}

** {{spoiler|Partially justified, due to the fact that this comes from denial. We never see his wife interacting with him except when he was asleep.}}

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* [[Interquel]]: ''Rearmed 2'' takes place between Rearmed 1 and the next generation console version. Among other things it shows Spencer and Magdalene working together and sheds some light on the reasoning behind the "Bionic Purge."

** {{spoiler|his wife rarely if ever interacted with him during Rearmed and a majority of the sequel and the only time she did he was asleep}}

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* [[Interquel]]: Rearmed 2 takes place between Rearmed 1 and the next generation console version. Among other things it shows Spencer and Magdalene working together and sheds some light on the reasoning behind the "Bionic Purge."

* [[Invulnerable Civilians]]: Averted - it's very possible to shoot innocent civilians in a neutral area; you'll just set off alarms and the Peacekeeper forces will attempt to kill you.

** Played straight in ''Rearmed''; opening fire in a <s>neutral zone</s> FSA camp doesn't trigger anything.

* [[Jump Physics]]: Well, okay, more like swinging and arcing physics. But still.

* [[Lawyer-Friendly Cameo]]: Master D is an obvious stand in for Hitler. Rearmed 2 gives us new antagonist Sabio, dictator of an island nation threatening to launch missiles at the FSA. Obviously a stand in for Fidel Castro and Cuba.

* [[Lawyer-Friendly Cameo]]: Master D is an obvious stand in for Hitler. ''Rearmed 2'' gives us new antagonist Sabio, dictator of an island nation threatening to launch missiles at the FSA. Obviously a stand in for Fidel Castro and Cuba.

* [[Leap of Faith]]: A few notable instances in some parts of the game (particularly Stage 6). Also the title of one of the songs from Rearmed, appropriately enough.

* [[Level 1 Music Represents]]: An odd case. The NES Area 1 music is iconic of the series to the point it makes up a large portion of the soundtrack in the sequel but it is in fact a rendition of the arcade game's Stage 2 music.

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* [[The Man Behind the Man]]: In the sequel, {{spoiler|Groeder is the last boss proper, but Super Joe is the actual mastermind behind the whole mess}}. Sort of a reversal of roles in terms of difficulty, though.

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* [[Mandatory Twist Ending]]: More of a twist rising climax in the sequel. {{spoiler|Thanks. Thanks a whooooole lot, Super Joe.}}

* [[Man-Eating Plant]]: You get a slight rustling of leaves, and if you don't move, you're eaten.

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* [[The Man Behind the Man]]: In the sequel, {{spoiler|Groeder is the last boss proper, but Super Joe is the actual mastermind behind the whole mess}}. Sort of a reversal of roles in terms of difficulty, though.

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* [[Mandatory Twist Ending]]: More of a twist rising climax in the sequel. {{spoiler|Thanks. Thanks a whooooole lot, Super Joe}}.

* [[Mood Whiplash]]: The halfway point of Rearmed is interrupted by Spencer mentioning his missing wife to Haley. It's an important plot point in '09, but in Rearmed it came right out of nowhere since it seemed to be just a remake of NES Bionic Commando up till that point.

* [[Mook Chivalry]]: [[Subverted]] in the sequel. BioReign soldiers duck and cover, attack in groups, spot you from long distances and try to kill you dead from that range if possible. The list of things they do correctly is astonishing, and it's clear from the get-go that these guys want to survive, go home and see their families. [[Double Subversion|Double Subverted]] [[Heroic Sociopath|in that none]] [[Super Soldier|of this manages]] [[One-Man Army|to accomplish a damn thing.]]

* [[Mook Promotion]]: In the original NES game, the rival enemy bionic soldiers were simply unnamed minibosses. In the ''Rearmed'' remake, they were all made into a single character, Gottfried Groeder, who served as a Recurring Boss and [[The Dragon]] to the [[Big Bad]], and {{spoiler|who returns in the sequel as the final boss}}.

* [[Nintendo Hard]]: This game is really difficult. Rearmed on the hardest difficulty cranks it [[Up to Eleven]].

** [[Surprise Difficulty]]: Stage 1 isn't too bad. The next few areas, while harder, are still reasonable. Stages 5 and 6 are really very hard.

** ''Rearmed'' starts out harder than the later levels of the NES version, mainly due to intelligent enemies (they duck behind stuff to avoid your fire, etc...)

** ''Rearmed'' starts out harder than the later levels of the NES version, mainly due to intelligent enemies (they duck behind stuff to avoid your fire, etc...).

* [[No One Could Survive That]]: After Nathan kills {{spoiler|Groeder}} by shoving a grenade in his chest and kicking him off the high point they were fighting on:

* [[No Swastikas]]: In the translation, the Nazis were changed to the "Badds", swastikas were removed, and Hitler was renamed Master D. Strangely enough, his dialogue portrait, [[Captain Obvious|which clearly shows Hitler,]] wasn't changed at all.

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* [[Palette Swap]]: Notably, the peacekeepers in the neutral zones are just white versions of the [[Mooks]] from the rest of the game.

* [[Powered Armor]]: About half the bosses of Elite Forces are guys wearing this.

* [[Powered by a Forsaken Child]]: In the sequel, it's revealed that all bionic limbs are created {{spoiler|an unknown process using someone with strong emotional ties to the person usually family or spouses.}} It's also a semi-twisted, semi-sweet take on {{spoiler|[[The Power of Love]],}} if you think about it.

* [[Powered by a Forsaken Child]]: In the sequel, it's revealed that all bionic limbs are created {{spoiler|an unknown process using someone with strong emotional ties to the person usually family or spouses}}. It's also a semi-twisted, semi-sweet take on {{spoiler|[[The Power of Love]]}}, if you think about it.

* [[Previous Player Character Cameo]]: Super Joe, from the original ''Commando'', appears briefly in the NES version.

* [[Product Placement]]: In the first level of the 2009 game, there are intact Pepsi vending machines, ads for Nvidia and Alienware cards, and plugs for the upcoming [[Dark Void]].

* [[Puzzle Boss]]: All of them. None of them can be taken down by direct fire. Instead, you'll have to listen to enemy conversations to figure out their weaknesses.

* [[Reformulated Game]]: The NES version, which adapted the wire-swinging concept from the arcade version into an entirely new game with selectable stages and more emphasis on exploration.

* [[Required Secondary Powers]]: In the sequel, Spencer is outrageously tough to kill, and can deal great heaping gobs of damage just by ''landing correctly.'' (~~Generally~~ that means arm-first...) Wholly justified--his body must be bionically reinforced to keep up with the rigors of his bionic arm.

* [[Required Secondary Powers]]: In the sequel, Spencer is outrageously tough to kill, and can deal great heaping gobs of damage just by ''landing correctly'' (generally that means arm-first...). Wholly justified--his body must be bionically reinforced to keep up with the rigors of his bionic arm.

** Why yes it is. In the 360/PS3 version, the in-game text actually outright says he possesses some kind of "bionic armor". This not only makes him highly durable, but also allows him to regenerate health. Also like his other bionics, over time he gets used to using it again and it gets stronger, or "upgrades" or whatever you want to call it. So yeah, apparently he ''is'' equipped with some kind of biomechanical armor, presumably either under his skin or nanotech.

* [[Respawning Enemies]]: Averted and played straight - unless the enemy spawned from an opening/shutting door, most enemies will stay dead for good no matter how far you stray from them. However, if you leave an area through a doorway, then come back, the enemies will respawn.

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* [[Shut UP, Hannibal]]: As an [[Anti Frustration Feature]], you're allowed to skip a boss' [[Boss Banter]] about how Spencer is just a pawn if you restart the battle enough times. This is represented in-game as Spencer literally telling him to [[Big "Shut Up!"|shut the fuck up.]]

* [[Soundtrack Dissonance]]: The music for the first level of the Arcade game is far too upbeat for the setting, especially considering the rest of the soundtrack.

** Also, the music box lullaby after {{spoiler|destruction of [[Spider Tank|the Constructor]]}} in the 2009 version.

* [[Spell My Name with an "S"]]: The NES version calls the main character "Ladd", while the Game Boy version uses "Rad Spencer". ''Rearmed'' renames the character "Nathan Spencer", but uses "Rad" as his nickname<ref>He was the first bionic solder, and spent a lot of his time in Research and Development, enough that people started calling him "R And D". When he went into the field, this nickname was shortened into his codename, "Rad"</ref>.

* [[The Stinger]]: The 2009 Sequel. Gets bonus cryptic points for being in Morse code AND German!

** {{spoiler|Also gets points for [[Continuity Porn]], since it says to start up one "Project Albatross."}}

** {{spoiler|Also gets points for [[Continuity Porn]], since it says to start up one "Project Albatross"}}.

** Also, the NES game. See [[Book Ends]] above.

* [[Stupid Jetpack Hitler|Stupid Helicopter Hitler]]: Among other things, the Imperial Force utilize wired, cybernetic soldiers, experiment on plant-life and bugs in Area 3 in the NES version, have mobilized droids in their ranks, keep their master in a status tube, and they also made the Albatross.

* [[Translation Matchmaking]]: Originally called ''Top Secret'' in Japan, the arcade game was retitled ''Bionic Commando'' and marketed as a ''Commando'' spinoff.

* [[Truce Zone]]: Various neutral zones in the original.

* [[Ultimate Universe]]: Elite Forces seems to be this. It starts with a similar premise--long time war, Super--er, I mean, Commander Joe missing, etc, but everything else is just completely different. New fictional countries, no Nazis or Hitler, different villainous motivation, a whole bionic corp. Even the final boss seems like something out of an Ultimate book.

* [[Ultimate Universe]]: ''Elite Forces'' seems to be this. It starts with a similar premise--long time war, Super--er, I mean, Commander Joe missing, etc, but everything else is just completely different. New fictional countries, no Nazis or Hitler, different villainous motivation, a whole bionic corp. Even the final boss seems like something out of an Ultimate book.

* [[Video Game Remake]]: ''Every single Bionic Commando game but the very first and the very latest.'' The NES game was a remake of the arcade game. The Game Boy version was almost a direct remake of the original, with only a few changes, mostly an [[Art Shift]]. The Game Boy ''Color'' version added a heroine and redesigned some levels. ''Rearmed'' is the last and best remake. Thankfully the madness ends there with the '09 sequel and Rearmed 2 in '11.

* [[Weaksauce Weakness]]: Spencer is weighed down by his bionics and can't swim. Further, he's even more susceptible to radiation due to the sensitive electronics keeping him plugged in and bionic. While only justifying [[Bottomless Pits]] in the original and Rearmed, the radiation-cloaked Ascension City is a lot more dangerous for Spencer.