It's been 20 years since the original Bionic Commando was released for the NES. While it wasn't the game's first release, it's the first game that comes to mind when the title is mentioned. With its unique combination of action/platformer action, BC quickly earned a well-deserved place in the classic gaming annals. BC was a lot of fun, but incredibly challenging at the same time, particularly because of its unforgiving continue system. Still, that never deterred those lucky enough to have a BC NES cartridge from pounding away at the trap-filled levels. It remains, to this day, one of the best games that graced the 8-bit consoles. As part of BC creator Capcom's marketing push for its upcoming current-gen 3D Bionic Commando remake, the company tasked developer GRIN with creating a complete revision of the original game for the Xbox Live Arcade, Playstation Network, and PC. Rather than release a simple ad for the 3D remake, though, GRIN has made one of the best 2D action games that can be had for $10.

For those who never played the original BC, the game mainly consists of two elements: Shooting pseudo-Nazis with a variety of weapons, and swinging from platform to platform with a bionic arm. In Bionic Commando: Rearmed, GRIN has managed to capture these elements perfectly while adding just enough tweaks to make the gameplay fresh and exciting. The campaign from the original BC is here again, redone in gorgeous and colorful 3D graphics. While the level structures themselves remain completely intact (so much so that I mistimed a grapple at the top of Construction Site and fell all the way down the level, inciting a stream of curses not heard since I first played the level on the NES), GRIN has added enough tweaks through basic gameplay and secret portions of the level that each level still feels brand new. For the former, most changes involve how your bionic arm interacts with objects (for instance, being able to pick up barrels that enemies are using for cover and throwing them). The latter mostly involves cracked walls that must be destroyed by grenades, opening up secret areas that require precise grappling to reach hidden powerups. In all, the campaign is lengthy, fun, and challenging, but still has replay value based on finding every secret area and achieving its goal.

In the end, though, the campaign won't be the main attraction for the game. Unlike the original NES version, BC: Rearmed also has a Challenge mode, which must be sequentially unlocked during the campaign. Challenges consist of reaching Point A to Point B by using the bionic arm in unique ways. On top of that, to achieve the highest rating, these challenges must be completed in the least amount of time possible. If you're like me and had to have every gold medal in Portal, you will spend countless hours trying to five-star your ratings in each of the BC: Rearmed challenges. The replay value is elevated even more with online leaderboards, meaning you can compete with your friends to see who has the best times in each challenge.

GRIN was smart enough to put an element of multiplayer in BC: Rearmed. This multiplayer is limited to same-console only, meaning you won't be blasting Commander Killt together with any of your online buddies. The multiplayer consists of two elements: cooperative and competitive multiplayer. Cooperative adds extra length to the campaign, particularly because GRIN upped the difficulty for two players, meaning the enemies are smarter and harder to kill. Unfortunately, the fact that playing coop means you have to endure splitscreen means the difficulty is upped on top of that, because BC is all about precise jumps which are hard to make if you can't see the whole field. On top of coop, there's also a competitive multiplayer mode. Sadly, this feels mostly like a tacked-on addition. You and your fellow combatants spawn on a small arena while powerups rain down that you must grapple with your bionic arm, then unleash that firepower on your enemies. As an arena brawler, BC: Rearmed really fails. It's a fun distraction, but won't last you more than fifteen minutes. You're better off buying Small Arms for that kind of fun.

As a whole, the Bionic Commando: Rearmed package can't be beat. The redone campaign and challenge mode are well worth $15, let alone the $10 price tag that comes with it. The coop and competitive multiplayer are icing on the cake, but neither are something you'll revisit often. If you grew up in the NES era like I did, you've at least heard of Bionic Commando, but even if you didn't Rearmed is a no brainer game choice. The game's combination of action, platforming, and humor will challenge your brain and your itchy trigger finger, yet still will leave you completely satisfied.