Capcom still have retro love pouring through its veins. Even those we saw dreams of additional iterations of Mega Man: Powered Up and Maverick Hunter X crumble, the company isn't content to let go of the whole notion of updating classic games to take advantage of modern gaming hardware. A new 3D Bionic Commando game is in the works, yes, but have you seen the new trailer for the remake of the original Nintendo Entertainment System game for Microsoft's Xbox Live Arcade and Sony's PlayStation Network? Consider me impressed. IGN has more information on this new game, Bionic Commando Rearmed.
Capcom's original Bionic Commando team has moved on, but [producer Ben] Judd reassures that, "We have taken special steps to get feedback and opinions from some of the staff that were working at Capcom at the same time on other titles in order to maintain the 'classic style' of gaming that we feel Bionic Commando Rearmed needed."
But with such a solid backbone, were Bionic Commando Rearmed producers tempted to tamper? Judd acknowledges the strength of the original game, but can see room for improvement: "We felt the original could be improved without straying from the basic concept. In the original NES game, apart from hooking onto platforms and swinging or climbing up on them, you could also punch enemies with the bionic arm, deflect projectiles with it, pick up items and pull yourself along the ground towards fixed objects. We have expanded upon this array of moves and given the player the ability to lift up non-fixed objects – such as enemies and barrels – and throw them, as well as connect and pull on handles in the surroundings to trigger door mechanics or unscrew bolts that keep obstacles in place."
Rearmed has plenty of potential and I can't wait to get my non-bionic hands on it. It looks like the development team understands the allure of the original game, and while the new stuff intrigues me I find myself hoping that some of the more unusual (read: outright wacko) elements of the original stick around. If the "Pi...pi...pi...we have found an intruder. We are going to attack" line of dialog is omitted then I'll be very disappointed. Oh, and a WiiWare version would be greatly welcomed, too...
