UPDATE: Due to the massive amount of comments (thanks for the goodies, John D), we have disabled the comments section of this post to keep things running smoothly.

First of all, happy two year anniversary PlayStation Blog!

So to celebrate, we’re going to make good on a promise we made a while back. After all of the constructive (sometimes, brutally constructive) feedback from the community, Capcom USA and GRIN decided to go back to the lab and work on an update for Bionic Commando Rearmed. But wait, it gets deeper. Not only are we adding trophy support (that’s right son), those over-delivering, son-of-a-guns got a little crazy and are offering a bit more:

New “Normal” difficulty setting. In this setting, the following changes are made:

• When you die, you respawn at the last solid ground or checkpoint
• The level Albatross B was cut
• The ability to reel out the cable when hanging or swinging to its full length
• If the player swings into a wall, they will no longer disconnect and be thrown away from the wall. Instead, they will keep connected and reel in
• Unlimited lives

Super Joe Machine Gun bug fix:

• When upgraded, the weapon also becomes more powerful in addition to the larger clip
• Fixed for all difficulty levels.

I hope all of you recognize the important role you play in helping us make better games. Our dialogues on PlayStation Blog and the Capcom Unity forums were the primary motivators for this update, and as long as this open communication is done constructively, good things can and will happen (Honestly, all the Eff Crapcom stuff didn’t help the process, lol). We may not be able to follow through on every request from the community, but I guarantee you, we are listening. Thanks to all of you for the feedback and the involvement, please keep it up!

So, to recap, the score is:

Vocal PS Community – 1
Vocal Capcom Accountants – 0

When does the update go live you ask? Well, it’s currently in QA, so it should be available real soon.

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Friends?

Warm regards,
John “Hiero9D3” Diamonon

P.S. The magic numbers are 250, 500, 750, 1000, 1250, 1500, 1750 and 2000. Same rules apply. No consecutive posting but you can post more than once. PM me if your comment lands on these numbers. You get a choice of Flock, BCR, 1942, Age of Booty, Mega Man 9 or SFHD Remix. Enjoy!

Ben Judd Producer of Bionic Commando for my second installment here on the PlayStation Blog.

First off, let me say thanks for all your comments, both the good and the bad. I’m no fan of sugar-coating and whether you’re the type to forgive people for their mistakes or make sure they don’t ever make those type of mistakes again, it’s always good to be true to your feelings.

So Bionic Commando is finally out! Over two years of production, several 18 hour-long trips from Japan to Sweden and a lot of swinging. Working from Capcom Japan has really shown me the difference between Marketing, PR, and company policies between the East and the West. Sometimes trying to meet eye to eye was very difficult, but in the end, exchanging ideas and the occasional minor argument helped make the game better.

And that brings me to one of cooler things we have been able to do – some really great viral Bionic Commando videos. While they may not be for everyone, I think they turned out perfect, with the right amount of cheese and the right amount of, dare I say, awesome.

Fortunately, the good people in our US office have allowed me to debut the latest Bionic Commando viral video right here. Yes, I know it’s short, but some good work went into these pieces so hopefully it’ll get a solid laugh from you.

For those of you who aren’t on the cutting-edge of all the Bionic Commando news that’s fit to blog, the arm depicted in the video is the Japanese-created replica of the Bionic Arm. It weighs about five pounds and while I haven’t Trick or Treated for about 15 years, putting that sucker on just makes you feel like a kid again.

I want to say thanks again to all of you for sticking with the game and with all of us on the project. We’ve got a really great group of Bionic Commando fans on bioniccommando.com and capcom-unity.com, so if you pick up the game and are looking for some fellow swingers to share your stories with, they’re a great group of people. I frequent the forums on bioniccommando.com as well, so if you have any last-minute advice after this blog post has been buried beneath hundreds of others, feel free to speak your mind there.

It’s been a rollercoaster of a ride, but remember to keep on swingin’.

-Ben

Hello, folks! Ben Judd, producer on Bionic Commando here. I’m fortunate the folks at the PlayStation.Blog have allowed me two golden opportunities to share some information with you here.

As some of you may already know, Bionic Commando will be released on May 19th for the PLAYSTATION 3. It’s one of the few big releases in May to feature a 20-plus-hour-long single-player campaign and several multiplayer modes. Oh yeah, it also has a really damn cool swing mechanic.

Speaking of the swing mechanic, it’s taken a VERY long time to make it into exactly what we wanted it to be. The game, for very obvious visual reasons, gets compared to Spider-man a lot. They both have a swing mechanic, but Bionic Commando plays very differently from Spider-man in that it uses a skill-based mechanic. Just as the name suggests, if you want to get better at the game, you need to increase your skill level.

There are a lot of games these that put you on auto-pilot straight to the end with very few deaths or real skill-based challenges. The thinking behind this strategy is that players nowadays don’t want to be frustrated and want to have their fun right away. Well, that’s good in theory, but some of the best and most memorable games I’ve played challenged you to overcome the obstacles set before you. There is a certain sense of gratification that only comes if you overcome a challenge yourself. And the harder the challenges, quite frankly, the more rewarding it feels to complete them. Now, I’m not a big fan of making a game artificially hard so that hard-core gamers have “bragging rights,” but there are some game mechanics that just aren’t going to be easy to pick up right away.

I remember the first time I tried to “roll a fireball” in Street Fighter II. It must have taken me 50 tries. But once I got it… boy, was it rewarding. I was able to hammer on a single “attack” button in other games but in the end, it was mastering the fireball in SFII that’s the memory I won’t forget.

So for Bionic Commando, we choose to stay true to the game’s roots. We went with a skill-based swing mechanic that will take most players about 5-10 minutes to pick up. But, once you do, you will definitely feel the control. It was a risky choice not to go with “auto-pilot” methodology when it came to the game controls; that is certainly the trend in recent games. But, if you’ve ever played the original game, I think you’ll see that it too required some serious practice before you really ever “mastered” the swing mechanic.

Speaking of which, I have some great news to announce here. Starting today, for a single week, as a promotion for the new Bionic Commando game, we will be lowering the price of Bionic Commando: Rearmed on PSN to $4.99! THAT is a great deal. I remember when Phantasy Star 4 came out when I was a kid… it was 100 bucks! Nowadays you get games with additional modes, costumes, levels, and sounds for 1/20th the price. Heck, that’s less than the price of lunch at a lot of major restaurants… (and it has less transfats too!). BC:R is a great game, but don’t just take my word for, check out these great scores from around the internet.

Even if you aren’t a huge fan of 2D games, you really can’t go wrong for five bucks, so give it a shot. Additionally, don’t forget that Bionic Commando and Bionic Commando: Rearmed have some cross-operable content that unlocks, such as the classic Spencer skin (red hair and cool shades) right from the start if you own both on PS3. There are a couple of other really nice unlockables that are only accessible if you obtain key items in Rearmed and own Bionic Commando, so this is definitely a deal that a true swinger won’t want to pass up…

OK. Enough of the used-car salesman pitching. Now for the bad news…

It was initially our goal to retro-program in trophies for BCR while we were working on them in the 3D version. Unfortunately, the clock ran out and we had to put all our resources on completing the 3D game. I know this comes as a disappointment to a lot of people and trust me, it’s incredibly disappointing to me as well, but rather than giving you a PR-coated response, I’d rather give it to you straight. It was a tough call but with limited resources and time, we had to cut this from the main production schedule in order to make the 3D game the best it could be. Again, personal apologies for not being able to come through with this one.

Thanks for your support and look forward to my final blog entry on 5/21.

Ben

Hey my friends, this is John D from Capcom. I’m pleased and honored to announce that Bionic Commando: Rearmed will become available on the PlayStation Store today for only $9.99! Ben Judd, producer extraordinaire, is so excited for this release that his head’s going to explode. And speaking of exploding heads (if you don’t get this reference, buy the game), here’s his very informative blog he prepared for all you PS fans:

Hello again fine folks of the PlayStation Blog. All good things must come to an end and with Rearmed arriving on the scene we need to finish out our all-too-short time here.

So by now you’ve seen the reviews and know EXACTLY what you are getting into. I would say that Bionic Commando Rearmed isn’t just an homage to a classic 2D game with a very innovative swing mechanic, but it’s a piece of where games started. For those who have never played a 2D game, for those who miss the classic “gamey” type games of old, for those just looking for an experience that is certainly worth your 10 dollars – Bionic Commando is it.

Even if you don’t have much interest in these types of games, I would ask you to try out the demo and decide for yourself. However, even if it’s a day one purchase for you, I would ask you to spend a little time to visit the Bionic Commando Community Site and introduce yourself. There are lots of fans of the game to share your grueling challenge room stories with, people in your area that you may be able to hook up with for a night of wild multiplayer action, and just an all around great community.

Bionic Commando is a game that I want as many people to play as possible, so it was very important to get a PSN version out the door for all of the Sony fans out there. And although I think it’s important to deliver the same experience to everyone, that doesn’t mean you can’t add in a few little things here and there to keep it interesting. So, one of the surprises is that the PSN version of Bionic Commando has an exclusive challenge room that you can only play on the PSN version of the game. It may not be the biggest of surprises, but we have tried to give a little something to the PSN users that they can keep to themselves. And with how hard this challenge stage is, it will certainly make for bragging rights!

PS Update #1: Generalissimo Killt
The charismatic leader of the Imperials, the self-styled “Generalissimo” Killt, is a former member of the FSA armed forces who became corrupted by the teachings of the long-dead dictator known as The Leader. Seeking to spread fascism across first the FSA, and then the world, Killt stumbled upon the blueprints for the ultimate doomsday weapon, known as Project Albatross, which had been created by a 20th century superpower that never survived to see it realized.

With the Albatross plans in his grasp, Killt sprung a surprise attack on the FSA, but the size of his forces compared to the might of the FSA means the conflict will be short-lived – unless the Imperials can activate the Albatross in time…

Medals
The FSA awards Medals to only the bravest soldiers for outstanding service above and beyond the call of duty. There are 12 medals to collect in total, with something to suit every type of soldier, from brawlers to thinkers.

Medal #4: Faster Than a Speeding Bullet
The Bionic Arm is a true utility device – not only does it provide many forms of attack and a nifty method of transportation, but thanks to the wonders of 2 dimensions it can also be used to defend yourself. Time your firing of the Bionic Arm’s grappling hook just right and you can stop the Imperials’ mysteriously slow-traveling bullets in mid-air! All you have to do get this Medal is to repeat that not once, not twice, but 100 times.

Super Joe’s Machine Gun
This legendary firearm is a prototype weapon developed by Super Joe himself. With all-round damage capability, a tremendous fire rate and seemingly unlimited ammo, this gun is perfect for clearing your way through the Imperial hordes. Only two things prevent Super Joe’s Machine Gun from being the perfect weapon – it requires a short reload period after each intense burst of fire, and nobody knows where Joe placed the prototype before he was captured by the Imperials. If you want to get your hands on this weaponry, your only option is to locate Joe.

John D again. I usually play and finish the games I work on. Not this one. I want to wait until the game launches, so I can enjoy every minute. I’ve played parts of this game and it really is that good.

So I’ve been hinting for quite some time that we have something in store for you PS Street Fighter fans. Well, I’m happy to announce that Street Fighter Alpha is available today in the PSone Classics section of the store for $5.99! Some of you may be asking, “Come on John D, was that’s it?” Um, if I say more, the PR team will kick my a$$, so I’ll leave it as a definitely, maybe. (Eh, my girlfriend made me watch that. It wasn’t that bad, shhh!)

As always, I’ll try my best to answer your questions and comments. I’ll be back to give you updates on Age of Booty, our strategic pirate party game, and Mega Man 9, the next installation of the classic series in 8-bit glory!

Till next time! Go-GO-Go-Bionic!

Will the game have trophy support? We’re working on having trophy support available in the near future.

Will there be a demo available at launch? Yes.

Will this game have remote play functionality? Fosho.

How much will it cost? $9.99

When will this game launch? August 14, 2008!

Are the multiplayer and co-op modes offline or online? Offline, but it’s great. (It’s what we play at the office during lunch.)

Ok, I’m sure you have more questions, and as always, I’ll do my best to answer them.

Here’s the Bionic Commando: Rearmed – Behind the Scenes Video #3. (You can find the other 2 videos on the PS Store)

We also have some cool BCR PS3 and PSP themes available around launch. They’re made by the same talented designer who created the award winning Lost Planet theme, Shawn Baxter and optimized by your very own theme expert Noel Silvia. Watch out for them.

Talk to you next week!

I also want to thank you all for your support of 1942: Joint Strike. We’re going to hold a contest next week over at www.capcom-unity.com to show our appreciation. Thanks again and I’ll holla back next week.

1942: Joint Strike is now available on the PLAYSTATION Store for only $9.99! Rejoin the battle with an all new mission featuring arcade style action and stunning HD visuals. This time, you can recruit a wing man online to take on waves of enemy aircraft and engage in huge boss battles. Here’s a trailer to get you hyped:

We’re going to hold a 1942 contest next week at www.capcom-unity.com, so start training! Some of the prizes include exclusive apparel featuring this vintage-style, nose art:

Also, here’s Bionic Commando: Rearmed update #2 from the Producer Supreme himself, Ben Judd:

So welcome to our second great installment of the Bionic Commando Rearmed blog. First off, let me clarify a couple of things: The “cool secret” that we will be mentioning is not trophies although we have seen that a majority of you are very excited about trophies and we are seriously looking into how they can be implemented.

Actually, the Medal system in the game was intentionally created so that we could easily back-tag save data so that people who buy the game when it is released and “unlock” medals, will have the trophies associated with those medals unlocked from the start. Yeah, yeah, this is probably just sneaky Producer double-speak but we wanted to set the game up so that those of you who purchase the game on launch day will make sure their hard gaming hours do not go to waste. I can say that trophies will not be available at launch but we are seeing how quickly we can get them out after launch.

Over at the official Bionic Commando community site (www.bioniccommando.com) we are occasionally running a series of blog posts that talk about “Interesting Things You Probably Didn’t Know About BCR” and I would like to mention another point in the game: Interesting Things You Probably Didn’t Know About BCR #2: Although the stages are about 95% faithful to the original, some special sections have been added on to the original stages. If you are a veteran to the series and can remember how the original levels are laid out, then you could probably guess where some of the secret items are hidden based solely on differences in level design. Actually, although the game is technically being billed as an homage to the original game, there are 4 brand-spanking new stages that never appeared in the original game. I won’t spoil it for you, but let’s just say that there are going to be quite a few surprises anyone familiar with the original game.

The Leader The megalomaniacal fascist held by the Imperials to be an ideological demagogue, The Leader died during the 20th century, many decades before the formation of the FSA. However, an ideology does not die so easily. in 21st century Generalissimo Killt, the leader of the Imperials, sought to bring back not just The Leader’s ideology, but to bring The Leader himself back from the dead. Having stolen the long-lost plans for Project Albatross that were created nearly a century before But despite being resurrected by the Imperials for the sole purpose of activating the Albatross, will The Leader, one of history’s most evil men, be content to be a pawn in Killt’s plans? The resurrection process has already begun…

Vector Cannon The Vector Cannon is an ingenious weapon used to pick off enemies in those hard-to-reach areas. The Vector Cannon fires a laser beam that bounces off most surfaces, increasing in intensity with every bounce. The unpredictable weapon is able to tackle enemies who have taken the higher ground, making it especially suitable for soldiers who have trouble jumping.

Medal #2: The Emperor’s New Clothes The modern commando can’t get by on green jumpsuits and sneakers alone. Today’s snappily-dressed commando has three essentials that not only impress the ladies, they also stop bullets! The Shin Guards, the Bulletproof Vest and the Helmet are the fashion to be seen in in the battlefield, and if you find all three, The Emperor’s New Clothes medal is yours.
We’ll be updating you more in the future. Keep checking back at this space. Ben

John D again. I’m going to be at ComicCon this week so, if I don’t get to your answers right away, I’m probably in no condition to. LOL. You know me by now, I’ll get around to it soon enough. Talk to you again next week PS faithful. Yadadamean?

Here’s Ben’s first transmission:

Welcome to the first installment of our weekly Bionic Commando: Rearmed column. The folks here at the PlayStation.Blog have been kind enough to give us some space to strut our Bionic stuff. Don’t worry, I promise there will not be an excess of swinger jokes.

To kick off this edition, we’d like to mention some of the “PSN specific” content that you can expect for Rearmed. There will be Dualshock 3 support, because we all know that games that vibrate are better and besides… there really is no reason not to implement a feature that has become the industry standard. Also, Rearmed is one of the only PSN games to feature Remote Play support. This one wasn’t as easy to add and, matter of fact, there is one point where we had to “creatively” reprogram the controls to give players the illusion of using 2 sticks (you’ll know when you see it). The classic 2D side-scrolling graphics really fit with the PSP and just make the PSN version all the more cooler.

Of course there is one more VERY cool surprise for those of you who purchase the PSN version… but that is another story for another time.

So if Rearmed looks like it might be up your alley, come visit the “Top Secret” crew over at www.bioniccommando.com, where you can read the weekly serial comic, listen to one of the most ill-advised Japanese-publisher podcasts – Top Secret: The Bionic Commando Podcast, and, of course, listen to music from popular video game rockers, the BCR soundtrack, and the original 8-bit Bionic Commando music, all on the Bionic Commando Music Player.

In the meantime, check this space again in about a week for update number 2!

Ben

Haley

Haley is the FSA’s finest helicopter pilot, who transports Nathan “Rad” Spencer through dangerous Imperial territory. From a safe altitude, Spencer is then parachuted into enemy encampments.

Due to her unique piloting style and willingness to put both her chopper and her body on the line, Haley has been labeled as “reckless” and is considered a liability by some in the FSA Armed Forces. However, her many medals and commendations for exceptional behavior in combat situations speak for themselves. She holds the record for the quickest drop-offs and pick-ups in enemy territory in the history of the FSA and, despite her feminine looks, she is fond of claiming to have “more stones than any other pilot in the force”.　

Something of a weapons nut, Haley is also a useful source of advice on the latest hardware and other items Spencer encounters in the field.

Medals

The FSA awards Medals to only the bravest soldiers for outstanding service above and beyond the call of duty. There are 12 medals to collect in total, with something to suit every type of soldier, from brawlers to thinkers.

Anyone can pick up a spare Vector Cannon and blast their way through an Imperial army. After all, you have a Bionic Arm – who’s likely to stop you?! But for the swinger who has skills as well as a soul, the Pacifist Pride medal will be awarded. The conditions for obtaining it are deceptively simple – simply clear any Area without firing your gun. Can you survive on swinging skill and some quick grenade tossing alone?

Weapons: Hagle Breaker

The 13-gauge “Hagle Breaker” Assault Shotgun is a short-range firearm with staggering power, but it is completely ineffective in long-range combat. Most useful against standard Imperial human enemies, the shotgun pellets are ineffective against the machines and shields used by the Imperial army. The Hagle Breaker’s most useful feature is the ability to use its immense recoil to kick-start a swing when your momentum is lost.
________________

John D. again. Cool update, huh? Anyway, Ben wanted to give you all this opportunity to ask him any questions you have about the game. Post your questions in the comments section below and he’ll answer most of them with his next update. Also, this is a big month for you PSN gamers as 1942: Joint Strike, the next installation of the classic 194X shooter series, finally arrives on the PLAYSTATION Network on July 31, 2008 July 24, 2008. Spread the word! See you soon!