Well good lord. After its first week of availability, Bionic Commando Rearmed has sold 130,000 copies. Capcom's own Ben Judd reported the news on the Bionic Commando blog with the appropriate fervor, saying, "Holy fiddlesticks!" He followed up his elation saying that while the sales pale in comparison to retail titles, 130,000 copies qualifies Rearmed as a "JUGGERNAUT." One of the important and overlooked elements of this story is that Rearmed was made available on Xbox Live Arcade, PSN and PC, so we're not sure exactly what percentage each service pulled. Regardless it's obvious that Rearmed has struck a chord and Judd notes that this proves that gamers do enjoy seeing the games of yesteryear made available again, so long as they are "done right" and for the right price. We couldn't agree more.
Only a couple of hours to go before we put an end to our Bionic Commando Rearmed giveaway and pick some winners folks. You have until 12:00 Noon eastern time today to submit your entry, so hurry up and get to it if you haven't already. We can tell you from personal experience that Rearmed is a pretty sweet game. At least it' pretty sweet until you start trying to attain the Elite Commando achievement. Then it becomes an exercise in frustration. But hey, there are three whole difficulties below Super Hard, so there's bound to be one that's right for you! Head over to the official giveaway post and enter.
It's high time we reminded everyone out there that we're giving away five copies of Bionic Commando Rearmed. We've got to give them away, and we figured we might as well give them to our favorite people, our dear readers. So, if you want a crack at winning your very own Bionic Commando RearmedXBLA redemption code, head over to the official contest post and enter. Don't forget that you can enter once a day, so come back and enter tomorrow to increase your chances. Now get the heck out of here, you nerd!
[Update: This giveaway is now closed and the winners have been notified via email. Check your spam boxes, kids!]
You know what? Bionic Commando Rearmed is just swell. It's a great game and it deserves a good home. With just a simple comment donation, it could be part of your home. What we're trying to say here is that we've got five (count 'em, five) download codes for Bionic Commando Rearmed to giveaway. What do you have to do to snag one for your very own? Simple, just follow these instructions:
The key feature in Bionic Commando Rearmed is, obviously, the bionic claw. Leave a comment on this post telling us what you would do if you had your own bionic claw.
Only one comment can be left per calendar day eastern time. Posters of multiple comments during the same calendar day will be disqualified. We'll accept entries until 12:00PM Noon eastern time, Friday, August 22, 2008. You must be at least 18 years old to enter. This giveaway is open only to residents of the U.S. and Canada (excluding Quebec).
On Friday, we'll pick five winners via a random drawing.
Five winners will receive an Xbox Live redemption code to download Bionic Commando Rearmed, worth $10 each.
Hardcore gamers rejoice for Bionic Commando Rearmed is finally here! What's more, it's good. Definitely not for the faint of heart though, so take heed. We also get Fable II Pub Games, which are ... pub games. While they may look simple on the outside, make no mistake because they are very addictive. The only problem: no online multiplayer. That actually applies to Bionic Commando as well, though it does have offline co-op and versus multiplayer. Overall, we've got two solid games this week, and one of them is free if you pre-order Fable II. Check out the latest episode of XBLA in Brief to see if either one is worth your hard-earned MS Points.
[iTunes] Subscribe to X3F TV directly in iTunes.
[Zune] Subscribe to the X3F TV directly (Zune Marketplace link coming soon).
[RSS] Add the X3F TV feed to your RSS aggregator and have the show delivered automatically.
[M4V] Download the M4V directly.
Continuing the sizzling HOT Summer of Arcade lineup, today sees the release of the fan favorite Bionic Commando: Rearmed and gambling addicts favorite Fable 2 Pub Games. We're sure you heard all about each game, so we'll spare you the fluffy details. But you should know each XBLA purchase will set you back 800 Microsoft points, unless you already pre-ordered Fable 2 at participating retailers, then you received the Pub Games for free. What are these participating retailers? Good question, and thanks to the NeoGAF forums, we've posted a list of Pub Games promotion retailers after the break. Now go and enjoy your Rearmed ... you crazy, crazy XBLA kids.
Just in case you forgot, this Xbox Live Arcade Wednesday we'll be seeing the release of both Capcom's Bionic Commando: Rearmed and the three gambling Fable 2 Pub Games.
Available for 800 Microsoft points, Bionic Commando: Rearmed is a remake of the 80's classic 2D side-scroller Bionic Commando, but now with updated graphics, Live multiplayer support, co-op play and fifty different swinging levels. Rearmed will also sports cross-game unlocks, where achievements earned in Rearmed will unlock goodies in the retail version of Bionic Commando. The other XBLA treat we're receiving this week are the three Fable 2 Pub Games that can be obtained for free as part of the Fable 2 pre-order promotion or can be purchased separately for 800 MS points. Comprised of Keystone, Fortune's Tower and Spinner Box, these gambling games will let you earn gold that can be used in Fable 2. Happy gaming!
Go! Go! Go! That's pretty much all you'll need to know for this Japanese trailer for Bionic Commando: Rearmed, courtesy of our pals at Gamer Tag Radio. Combining a metric-ton of footage from the upcoming XBLA title and wacky karaoke elements that are a known fondness to our gaming brothers and sisters in the Far East, this trailer is wrapped up in awesome. While it doesn't show you anything you haven't already seen from the game, it does get us even more excited to swing around when the game hits the Arcade on August 13. Head over to GTR to check out the trailer.
Posted Jul 28th 2008 1:00PM by Dustin Burg
Filed under: News
Just a tiny while ago, Microsoft dropped an Xbox Live Arcade OMG MEGATON bomb by announcing the release dates for all upcoming XBLA games through the end of August, including The Behemoths' Castle Crashers. Just to get it out of the way, Castle Crashers will be available for purchase starting Wednesday, August 27th. It's still a month away, but we can still express our over-enthusiastic enthusiasm ... OMG MEGATON JOY! You can view the complete and golden delicious August XBLA release schedule below as well as screenshots after the break.
Also, be aware that Microsoft will be sponsoring a "Summer of Arcade" giveaway all August long and awarding hundreds of thousands of Microsoft points to gamers who try the new XBLA lineup. Castle Crashers. August 27th. Need we say more?
We hope you're sitting own. The anticipated XBLA title, Bionic Commando Rearmed, has been delayed from its original May release. According to a classified communique found on the Bionic Commando blog, the game is complete but still requires some bug fixing, certification process before it's ready for release.
No word on a new release for the title, which still plans to hit the Xbox 360, PC and PS3 simultaneously.
Our friends at Joystiq has spared you the hassle of having to click through the entire retro text message found on the site which you can find after the break.
Last week didn't see any kind of XBLA release due to the massive popularity of GTA IV, but now that that particular sales storm has passed, what is the next release for the Live Arcade? Common sense might say that it'd be Happy Tree Friends: False Alarm, given that it was pushed back into May. And that still might be possible as XBLA games can release in pairs. However the Australian site PALGN has Bionic Commando Rearmed set for a 05/07/2008 release, so if they're right we might be seeing that one sooner than we thought we would have. We certainly haven't heard anything else about this week's XBLA release ....
The official Bionic Commando website has revealed that Bionic Commando Rearmed -- that's the XBLA version -- has received an M rating from the ESRB. The rating was announced via a nifty communicator dialogue reminiscent of the original game (you can see a capture of it above). So, why would a game with no blood and extremely tame violence get an M rating? If you've ever played the original and completed it, we'll give you three guesses. Yes, the reason is that Bionic Commando Rearmed features a recreation of the climactic scene from the original game. You know the one. If by chance you don't know the one, you can find a video after the break (it occurs at 0:10). Be warned, it's spoilerific. And sploderific.
Simon Viklund, creative director at GRIN -- the studio behind both Bionic Commando Rearmed and the upcoming next-gen remake -- has announced on the team's blog that Bionic Commando Rearmed is "approaching completion." According to Viklund, the game will enter the approval process (which presumably includes Microsoft certification) "within weeks." The project is currently undergoing the final steps of development, with GRIN adding the last layer of polish and making sure the game performs properly. No other details are given regarding the game, though Viklund does note that GRIN has a "passion for the old gaming heritage" and that the team is already considering future projects centered around older games. Dare we hope for an HD remake of Mega Man? Ghouls and Ghosts perhaps?
With the risk of sounding mean, Japanese companies rarely pay attention to their audience. At one point Sony execs refused to believe in social gaming and Nintendo thought online play was a fad but thankfully that mentality is changing. One company inparticular is attempting to reach out to gamers, in this age of social media, and that company is Capcom. Recent announcements make us think that Capcom's latest mission statement is to focus on community feedback. With polling consumers for the price-point of Bionic Commando: Rearmed and allowing gamers to beta test the hottly anticipated Street Fighter II HD Remix (SSFIITHDR that is), Capcom's focus is pointed at what their fans want and think. It's a refreshing approach and gamers are taking notice.
Today we noticed the insane amount of footage that came out of Capcom's recent event, Capcom Digital Day. At the event Capcom showcased the upcoming pseudo-expansion Lost Planet Colonies and their upcoming library of XBLA releases. While Bionic Commando: Rearmed, Wolf of the Battlefield: Commando 3 and Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix were all known quantities, Capcom also showed of the HD remake of the classic top-down shooter 1942 which was recently announced.
Jump in for a breakdown of each of the XBLA games and a ton of video starting with the title Street Fighter fans will be clawing all over, for the beta that is, Wolf of the Battlefield: Commando 3.
Creating a game with XNA might be a great fit for the mathematically inclined but for those of us that know the closest we'd like to get to Pi is an eating contest, Capcom has a solution in the form of a contest. Gamers worldwide and over the age of 18 are being invited to design a challenge level for the upcoming XBLA, PSN and PC release of the NES remake, Bionic Commando: Rearmed. Leave your programing skills at the door, Capcom wants all submissions in the form of an image and the top prize will get both the level inserted into the game as well as your name added to the credits.
Multiple entries are allowed and will be accepted until 11:59 Pacific standard time on March 12, 2008. We'll also throw in a shiny nickel for anyone who designs their winning entry as an homage to X3F. Hit the read link for complete deets on the competition.