Bionic Commando Multiplayer Map Impressions

It's been five months since we've had a chance to check out the multiplayer component of Bionic Commando, Capcom's re-envisioning of the classic action game. In that amount of time, the builds have undergone a number of technical adjustments and changes to address some design concerns raised from different events or focus groups. At a recent Capcom event, I had a chance to get some hands on time with the latest multiplayer map to be revealed to the press, a new area known as Vegetation Nation, which focuses primarily on vertical action and swinging from location to location to increase the frag count.

Set inside what would appear to be a cross between a giant atrium and a large greenhouse, the Vegetation Nation stage was a series of pillars and walkways extending from a central or main column within the room, with only a few alcoves hidden here and there. Each one of these walkways were also arranged at varying heights, so players could only attempt to move up and down between sections by locking on and swinging over to them with the use of the bionic arm. However, you have to be careful with your aim, because if you miss grappling onto a lamppost, guard rail or platform, you could potentially fall into a large pool of water that takes up most of the floor of the map. Land in the water, and that's an instant suicide kill marked down for that round.


Direct Feed - Watch Bionic Commando clips here (HD available).
Fortunately, this could be avoided much easier thanks to some of the redesigned swing mechanics that have been introduced. At previous events, many people remarked to Grin and Capcom that it was hard to successfully jump and swing from one location to the next. What the developer and publisher discovered was that most players were accustomed to "video game physics," where players got used to releasing their swing at the top part of their jump to move forward. This was a complete contrast to that of actual physics, where you'd have to release at the middle of a jump to allow your forward momentum to propel you forward. Since some jumps in both single and multiplayer would require split second timing, it was easier to redesign these elements than force players to completely rethink how they've been playing games for years.

I also noticed that there have been some other adjustments since the last time I played multiplayer. While the rocket launcher and adrenaline meter from the single player game has been excluded from multiplayer, the build at the Capcom event raised the playable cap from four to eight players, which definitely increased the mayhem that occurred as we tried to rack up our high scores. Unfortunately, no other details were available – info on whether or not grenades will be included for multiplayer wasn't released, so it's still a mystery as to whether they will make their appearance as potential proximity mines or remote detonation devices. Similarly, the total number of maps and modes that will launch within the multiplayer is still unknown. But, regardless of these details, swinging around the atrium and targeting people felt rather natural and easy to perform once you got the hang of it. It should make for an interesting and sky high twist to multiplayer this February when Bionic Commando is released.