"Hello."



Welcome to the Bionic Cavern! This is your stop for all information on the adventures of Super Joe, Nathan "Rad" Spencer, and many others who've adventured under the series!


For those who aren't aware, the very first version of Bionic Commando was released as an arcade game in Japan in March of 1987 under the name Top Secret. It was released in the US later that year. This particular version of the game was ported to the Amiga, the Amstrad CPC, the Atari ST, the Commodore 64, DOS, and the ZX Spectrum.

Although it is easy to assume that this game to be a sequel of the earlier Capcom game Commando, it actually has nothing to do with the game except for the hero, Super Joe.

The arcade game contains some elements that would be used in the later games. The eponymous bionic arm is there, but not quite to the complexity as with the later games. Also, many of the enemies look the same. The knife wielding soldier, the heavy object throwing soldier, the helicopter, the dwarf soldier, and the main system are all very similar to the later games.

Instead of merely porting the rather unsuccessful arcade game to the NES, Capcom decided to give the game a complete overhaul and converted the action-platformer into a more complex action-adventure game with dialog, non-linear areas, and minor exploration.

It was first released in Japan in 1988 with the name Top Secret: Hitler's Revival. It was released later that year in North America with the name Bionic Commando and finally in 1990 in the UK, again as Bionic Commando.


A book was published in 1991 about the story line of Bionic Commando. It incorporates some of the main characters of the game into the story, as well as some of the areas, but overall it takes great liberties. Because of its use of unusual elements (ninjas and giant octopuses, for example) and because it has no real ties with Capcom, the book is not considered canon to the Bionic Commando storyline.

Also, the Game Boy version of Bionic Commando was released in Japan on July 24th, 1992 and in the US in September of 1992. It played remarkably similar to the NES version, to the point where the game wasn't a sequel, but an obvious remake. Many of the items in the game have the same function, the characters have the same names, and some of the areas even look the same. However, the game was altered enough that even a veteran NES player would be unfamiliar with several large sections of the game.


Meanwhile, Bionic Commando: Elite Forces was released on the Game Boy Color in the United States on December 31st, 1999. While it too was more of a remake than a sequel, it had many unique ideas developed for it. Although the production value was low compared to other Game Boy Color games, it is still a competent game and fun to play.


And what exciting news of the remake! Bionic Commando: Rearmed is based on the original NES version. Rearmed is scheduled to be released in the spring of 2008 on the XBox 360, PlayStation 3 and Microsoft Windows. The game will have a 3D world, but still presented as a linear action platformer.


The new Bionic Commando is expected to be a third-person perspective action game with a futuristic military theme. It is meant to be a "sandbox" style game with a persisting world that functions by itself, rather than simply from player interaction. The bionic arm is expected to be much more controllable allowing you to pick objects up, even heavy things like cars and boulders, and toss them at enemies. You'll be able to fire your weapon while running, swinging, and even hanging upside down.


Back in 2004 it was rumored that Capcom was working on a new Bionic Commando game for the 6th generation of consoles, but any hopes of the game being produced was lost when the development studio that was supposed make the game, Studio 8, closed in 2006. Thankfully, on October 16, 2007, Capcom announced that a new Bionic Commando game was being developed by GRIN and would be released for PlayStation 3, XBox 360, and, surprisingly, Windows. Nathan Spencer's voice will come from former Faith No More lead singer Mike Patton.

This game has been confirmed on the podcasts to be linked with Bionic Commando: Rearmed in a way that, if you find an unlockable item in Rearmed (the example given in the podcasts was a special set of clothing), if you have the next-gen Bionic Commando on the same console, it will be available for use by your character on the other title as well. The only such unlockable known at this time is an NES Bionic Commando-inspired Classic Commando skin, with concept art of the skin being shown at the end of the trailer, and its status as one of many of this kind of feature being confirmed on the podcast. The concept artwork is almost identical to the classic artwork of Rad Spencer, with a few minor adjustments, such as the left arm still being a cybernetic replacement and the right sleeve being shorter, as well as the character wearing a glove. It is unlocked by owning both Bionic Commando: Rearmed and the next-gen title, and is apparently instantly available for use in the next-gen title when one owns both.

Check out each game's page for more detailed information. Click the blinking arrow at the bottom right to head back up!


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