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ShareEarly in the Xbox 360’s life, gamers saw a flood of old arcade games released on the fledgling Xbox Live Arcade, and it was good - kind of.
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The thing is, when one removes the quarter-munching aspect of an arcade game, that will-I-beat-this-before-I-run-out-of-money feeling, an arcade game either loses its edge (if unlimited continues are granted) or becomes frustrating (if continues are limited).
And honestly, without the drama of a dwindling stack of quarters vs. the challenge of the game, it became obvious that a lot of these arcade classics aren’t very good games, at least by the standards of today.
Then came “Pac-Man Championship Edition” last year, a serious rethinking of the core concepts underlying the game. It was fantastic. And it was popular.
Capcom has jumped aboard this bandwagon, recently releasing three updates of its classics: “1942: Joint Strike,” “Wolf of the Battlefield: Commando 3” and “Bionic Commando Rearmed” for the Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network.
“1942: Joint Strike” is a nice-looking remake of the “1942” arcade game, a scrolling shooter with World War II-era planes battling in the Pacific - except these planes are pumped up a bit for the game. Boss planes fill the screen, and it’s unlikely that any real plane of the 1940s had a fireball cannon or could pick up new weapons in flight.
Yeah, “1942” has never banked on realism, and this update is no different. At its heart it’s a pretty straightforward scrolling shoot-‘em-up, with one or two players battling waves of fighters, bombers and other large planes, and occasional ground forces, like tanks.
Aside from the capabilities mentioned above, the players’ planes can take several hits before dying, send out swarms of missiles, and drop bombs that clear the screen of enemies and bullets. Two players can unleash the titular joint strike, which sends blasts between the two planes to destroy all in their path.
“Wolf of the Battlefield: Commando 3” is a different kind of simple shooter, taking as its inspiration “Commando” and its sequel, “Mercs.” Like “1942: Joint Strike,” this is a prettied-up adaptation of a two-stick shooter. There are three characters to choose from, each with his or her own weapons and special attack. Three characters means up to three players can run and gun at once.
Both games look good, sound loud and can be played online. They’re good, simple fun, and ably recall the classics they’re meant to evoke.
But “Bionic Commando: Rearmed” is the real must-have in this set. “BCR” is a remake of the Nintendo version of the game, which was superior in almost all respects to the arcade original – and this version is vastly superior to either of those.
The hook for the game is, well, a hook. Special operative Nathan “Rad” Spencer is equipped with a bionic grappling arm that can latch on to most solid objects, deflect bullets and, when upgraded, can even snag and pull enemies toward him.
The enemies in this case are the forces of Generalissimo Killt, who are working to complete something called Project Albatross to destroy the heroic Federation. It’s up to Spencer to infiltrate their strongholds, rescue captured operative Super Joe, uncover their plot and put a stop to it. Alone, of course.
The grab-and-swing game play of “BCR” is what makes the game a hoot - it’s like being Spider-Man, only more heavily armed. Spencer can’t jump at all, so the only way to traverse a level is to snag objects and swing from them to latch onto further grapple points. It takes a little bit to get the hang of it, but it becomes natural quickly.
Boss battles are tricky to manage and lots of fun, making good use of that grappling arm. One fight has Spencer deflecting piercing spikes; in another he uses his arm to unscrew the bolts holding on a tank’s armor plating so he can reach the driver.
The levels are well-designed with steadily escalating difficulty and complexity, and Spencer can revisit them after he’s picked up new weapons or items to search for secrets.
At several points in the game the player finds challenge rooms, each with several virtual reality scenarios that test the player’s ability with the bionic arm. These are fiendishly tough for the most part - the exactitude and timing required remind one of the fantastically acrobatic “N+,” another Xbox Live Arcade gem.
Simply put, “Bionic Commando Rearmed” is a blast, and not to be missed - even if one’s only option is the PC version, which has an inexplicable $5 premium attached to the price.
