This time we were lucky enough to get 1Up’s Shane Bettenhausen and Garnett Lee as well as Giant Bomb’s Jeff Gerstmann, and a special guest host in Billy Berghammer. I have to say, I had never “hung out” with Gerstmann but he was not only hilarious but pretty damn nice, too (we’ll see how I feel about him after he reviews Bionic Commando though!).
Next, and definitely not least is a great video of some hot BC multiplayer action. My own HQ upload seems to have no sound, so I’ll link to another version of the video here:
Watch closely to see a variety of special moves in action, including the “zip kick” (grapple an opponent, then reel in to boot them), “death from above” (an air-to-ground slam), and someone narrowly avoiding the dreaded tarantula homing missile.
I hate it when awesome stuff gets lost in the shuffle (like when we dump massive piles of CAPTIVATE-related goodness on you all at once), so I’m calling out BC multiplayer specifically!
Yes, full-on, friend-crushing, enemy pwning multiplayer. It’s a really nice fit with the swing, too. Of course you have to swing to get around quickly, and swinging has a great set of advantages (harder to hit, special moves, mobility) and disadvantages (travel arcs more predictable, harder to aim while swinging), both offensively and defensively.
…and damn, is it fun. It’s been hard to keep silent on this feature. Every time someone compared the game to Spiderman - not necessarily a bad thing but still I think BC is a game that stands on its own - I so wanted to bust out this gem of a feature.
Did I mention it was fun? We’ve been playing it for over 6 months and it was gold right from the start. There is something about chasing down another opponent while swinging through the air that just needs to be played to be believed. The swing mechanic totally fits the Multiplayer and creates the perfect balance:
Gaming jobs are awesome. Why? Well, just last week I spent the entire week in Las Vegas from Tuesday to Saturday, living it up in a posh hotel on the 32nd floor with free booze, food, video games and 150 like-minded video game folks to play them with. Plus we got to shoot at zombies. Now, before you’re overcome with jealousy, live the event vicariously by clicking through and checking out all the games we showed off at Captivate 08.
Deeko is running a nice interview with Capcom’s own red-headed stepchild, Ben Judd! Ben talks Bionic Commando Rearmed music, multiplayer, and the future of downloadable games with the help of some surprisingly thoughtful questions from the interviewer.
Check it out here, (or just read this, the part where they talk about how awesome Capcom community efforts are):
Not being content delivering the AAA titles we’ve come to know and love, Capcom is also embracing the gaming community and actually listening to gamers; and listening it has.
Okay that’s not an A+ sentence construction, but Capcom Unity ftw!, and remember to check out the latest Bionic Commando podcast HERE!
Good news, everyone! Kick-ass comics publisher Devil’s Due Publishing has just announced that they’ve signed up a couple of Capcom’s franchises. This year, DDP will be launching four new Capcom comics, including Bionic Commando and Lost Planet. Naturally, more info on these comics — as well as the secret identities of the other two titles in the deal — will be hitting during Comic-con in San Diego.
Kotaku’s Man In Japan, Brian Ashcraft, has a long-ish feature with Capcom’s Ben Judd and Gearoid Reidy on the challenges inherent in bringing Western games to the Land of the Rising Sun. It’s a pretty interesting article — more so if you’re involved in the production of video games — and hits on all sorts of tricky issues that must be overcome, including tough text translations, the merits of dubbing vs. subtitling spoken dialog and good old-fashioned cultural differences.
The article also contains this bit:
‘In Japan, we can’t do community. It’s considered a liability here.’ There are too many unknowns with community sites. What if an employee says or does something stupid? The lack of direct corporate control is dangerous.
Scary! We’re doing/saying stupid stuff on Unity every day, but it seems to be okay with y’all. Do us a favor and don’t tell anyone in Japan, por favor.
Just when you thought it was safe to surf you some internets, the Bionic Commando podcast strikes:
In a change to our scheduled programming, IGN’s Anoop Gantayat and Destructoid’s Brad Rice join us on the podcast after taking part in our Three Days of the Commando multiplayer event. We talk Japan with these Oriental experts, as well as answering a small mountain of reader mail and playing the Bionic 1980s Game. It’s a special leg warmers and chest hair Top Secret!
The boys of Bionic Commando have also enabled comments on their blog posts. Check it out and take the opportunity to tell them about all of your exciting credit card offers and male enhancement opportunities.
The total crumb-bums over at Bionic Commando headquarters have a secret, and they’re not telling:
We recently invited some members of the press here to Capcom HQ for a little event. It was a lot of fun and will actually be the first step to announcing another big piece of news in the Bionic Commando world.
Since they came all the way over to little ol’ Osaka to see us, we will let them break the story, but check back on the site in the very near future to see some exclusive videos, as we kick off our “3 Days of the Commando” community site segment starting tomorrow.
Also, like I said above, you’ll want to be scouring the internet for some key Bionic Commando announcements.
The only question is… “What are those guys looking at?”
Top Secret File 012: Christian Svensson, VP of Strategic Planning & Business Development, Capcom USA
Christian Svensson joins us from across the Pacific to talk about the rebirth of Okami on the Wii, as well as the challenges of bringing Japanese games to the West, and the future of Capcom. Christian also talks about Capcom’s other downloadable titles, including Super Street Fighter II HD Remix!
And in case you’re wondering, yes, we have switched our blog format over to the increasingly popular “All Svensson, All the Time!” format. Featuring Svensson updates at 15, 20, and 40 past the hour, we are your #1 source for the most in-depth Svensson reportage you’ll find this side of the Mississippi.
We’ll stop talking to him when he runs out of interesting things to say. So far, no luck, so click here to hear him dish.
Created by Capcom artist Shinkiro, the exploding head “Pop Goes the Dictator” t-shirt pays homage to the most famous moment in the original Bionic Commando: beating “Master-D” and thrilling to one of the most shockingly gruesome and unexpected displays of 8-bit gore in gaming history.
Any fan of the original NES Bionic Commando wants this shirt, but the Grinches over at Bionic Commando HQ aren’t just giving them away. Instead, they have issued a challenge to the hardcore fans in the form of a contest:
Recreate the legendary exploding head scene, using whatever real-life methods you choose, or your favorite generic photo editing software. Buy a jumbo bottle of tomato ketchup and a large collection of fireworks, use your favourite photo imaging software to recreate the real thing, or take your airgun collection to the watermelon section of the local supermarket - just recreate that scene.
You’ve got about two weeks to get those entries in to us, or you’ll never have another chance again, because Master-D is taking these shirts to his grave…
This white version of the shirt is modeled by the finely-sculpted Colin, although the picture is of course ruined by Frank, who physically cannot walk past a camera without throwing up the horns, trying to flash you, or giving someone the bunny ears.
Contest details are HERE, and you can submit your entry HERE.
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