Fool me once, shame on me. Twice? I hate you.

Written by J. Cosmo Cohen

Editor's Note: Fun topic here. You know, the original Bionic Commando is indeed a tough game, but that didn't dissuade me from playing it back in the day -- I just assumed all Nintendo games were supposed to be that hard or have a steep learning curve. But man, once you get the hang of those controls.... -Greg

When I first played Bionic Commando (the original), I absolutely hated the game. It was not intuitive; rather, it was obtrusive and offensive. Mario can jump and he's a fat, mustachioed, pasta-eating plumber, yet I'm supposed to be some sort of special commando with a bionic arm but can't freakin' lift my own body weight off the ground? I decided to go ahead and swing on past this one.

Fast-forward to Bionic Commando: Rearmed.

"Man, this game looks sick!" I thought. "I can't wait to download some of that upgraded graphical snazziness and updated, surely-better-than-the-original gameplay. They won't be leavin' out no jump button this time -- that would be like if Ziff Davis sold out to UGO and then UGO shut down EGM. ROFLOLing. Capcom ain't that dumb."

'Course I was wrong. But it was not as bad as I thought. This time, being a bit older and not having a preconceived idea of how I think a game should play, I gave this remake a shot with fresh eyes and an open mind.

I was instantly impressed by how they recaptured that old-school 2D gameplay that we don't see enough of anymore. The graphics were solid, the animation fantastic. The controls took some getting used to, but once I got the basics down, I respected the depth and complexity of what is possible without a jump button. Just look at the in-game leaderboards and you'll agree: Some people have mastered the controls.

Lesson learned: Don't always dismiss a game because you don't "get it" on your first go-round. Sometimes a deliberate design decision helps you master a game by forcing you to play it the way you are meant to -- for better or worse.

Although I plan on at least giving Bionic Commando (the new one) a shot, I know one thing: I really don't mind that my character can't jump.

What games have you dismissed but then given a second shot, only to find that it is actually a really good game?

Comments (12)

Morrowind for the Xbox. I was told by the old GMR magazine that it was like a GTA-style RPG. I tried it and could not understand how the combat could be that bad, and how could a rat have kill me?
After Fable came out and disappointed I tried Morrowind again, because I had no other RPG on the Xbox to play I gave it a real go. After about 5 hours I realized that this was one of the best RPG's ever made, and I spent the next 2 months in Morrowind. And this is despite horrible combat and bugs!

Oblivion was so much easier to love than Morrowind.

Lance Darnell , May 23, 2009

And give Bionic Commando: Rearmed a go! There is no jump button because if there was the game would be Spiderman, not one of the best damn games on the NES. A human being can only jump an average of 3 feet in the air. Would that type of jumping ability really make a difference? Remember the jump button in Brothers in Arms! It made me laugh every time I pressed it.
And the music from Rearmed is worth a listen too!

Lance Darnell , May 23, 2009

@ Lance
I didn't dismiss Morrowind, but sadly never had the time needed to truly devote to it. And yeah, I love ReArmed! Ecellent game.

J. Cosmo Cohen , May 23, 2009

The original game was definitely challenging to learn and the initial lack of a lifebar or continues (both could be earned - eventually) didn't do the game any favors. I'm happy to say I did stick with it and the original was one of my favorites on the NES. Having said that, Rearmed is better in every way. The music is a solid remix of the original soundtrack, your character has a lifebar and infinite continues by default, you can switch weapons on the fly and they have been balanced, meaning there's a reason to use more than just the rocket launcher.

I'm trying to consider what you said and apply it to the NEW Bionic Commando, because when I played it at TGS last year I despised it. I barely survived the training rooms and I could not adjust to the auto-locking arm and swinging through 3D space. I wanted to love it, but that experience left me convinced it wasn't going to work for me. I hope to play the full game for real someday and find out whether it just demands more patience or not. And for the record, you CAN jump in the new game and I'm not yet sure whether that's part of the problem.

Daniel Feit , May 25, 2009

@ Daniel
Every game play video I've watched makes it look really hard to swing through the 3D environment.

Oh you can jump? I didn't even realize, I guess I just assumed they wouldn't have added that feature.

J. Cosmo Cohen , May 25, 2009

The swinging in the new Bionic Commando takes some time and a lot of patience to get used to. Thankfully once you wrap your head around the timing I think it's pretty damn rewarding thanks to the fun that can be had with its good level design.

Matt Gerardi , May 25, 2009

Frequency on PS2. At first glance it was some trippy button masher.

Then rhythm gameplay clicked and I fell in love. I remember being the only retailer in the mall excited about Guitar Hero's release back when everyone just saw a dinky plastic guitar.

Daniel Fecteau , May 25, 2009

@ Matt
That's good to hear! Can't wait to try it for myself.

@Daniel
Frequency was such a great game.
Now that you say it, I felt the same way about the Playschool like guitar controller -- luckily once I picked it up I knew it was something special.

J. Cosmo Cohen , May 25, 2009

I wasn't too crazy about the original, so I didn't play it that much. Didn't quite like the remake, either. I just couldn't get the hang of it.

Dan Hsu , May 25, 2009

@ Shoe
Once you get over the fact that you can't jump and work with the mechanics, it is actually pretty fun. But if you don't like it, then I guess you don't like it. At least you tried the remake, too.

J. Cosmo Cohen , May 26, 2009

I had never played the original (I hadn't even been born yet) but I gave the remake a chance after it recently went on sale. I'm glad I played through it, but I don't think I appreciate the old-school difficulty as much as some other people might. Losing all of your lives and getting booted out of a level is no fun.

Benjamin Torrey , May 27, 2009