Bionically-armed commando Nathan “Rad” Spencer is reprising his role as an NES remake, although you wouldn’t know that judging by the game’s cover art. Since Rearmed‘s release in 2008, Rad has restructured his facial features and grown his very own mustache. Artistic style shifts such as this extend beyond the main character model, too. Bionic Commando Rearmed 2 uses NVIDIA’s PhysX engine to render some very pretty 3-dimensional environments, although gameplay still functions solely on a 2-dimensional level. Keep an eye on the background scenery for some very cool effects. While the engine used in both games is basically the same, Rearmed 2‘s vivid atmosphere and objects are definite step up from the 2008 predecessor. Is that all they’ve got though? Sadly, no.

All right, I want to get this jumping business out of the way first. I haven’t written the addition off as inconsequential by any means. On the contrary I think being able to jump sets the stage for the future of the series (if it survives). Levels are designed to allow purists to forge onward using only their bionic arm, and beating the game unlocks “Retro Mode” – a gameplay difficulty that disables the jump button altogether. I can understand frustration at seeing a core element of gameplay suddenly change; I’m sure I’d feel a bit betrayed if Link ever got the A button treatment, and I’ve seen hordes of die hard Sonic fans curse Sega’s 4th 2-dimensional release for incorporating the homing attack. Do these additions make the respective games easier? That’s debatable. Does it ruin the game’s legacy? I suppose it could, but I think most knee-jerk reactions are forgotten if the title maintains quality in other areas. In Rearmed 2‘s case the game is still plenty challenging despite having that extra bit of control over Rad. Perhaps too challenging…

Rad doesn’t seem to like being controlled, speaking in terms of both personality and gameplay. There’s a slight drop in tightness of the movement mechanics, and now that you’re able to hop this way and that it’s painful to watch Rad free fall without the remotest chance of his body being maneuvered. Once knocked backwards off a ledge or forwards into a spiked pit of death, Rad’s toast. And you have to sit there and watch him falling, falling, falling… There we go! I can finally start playing again. This wasn’t as much of an issue in Rearmed because you had to pace yourself, plan your swings, time your releases, etc. When you died it was deserved because you were rushing. There’s not as much of that going on in Rearmed 2; rather, a majority of the game is spent running, gunning, and jumping. So when the difficulty hits an incline during the later levels you’re left wondering why they even bothered. It’s clear that Rearmed 2 developer Fatshark wanted to take this game in a new direction, so they should’ve. Instead they “fixed” a bunch of stuff that wasn’t broken.

By now you’ve probably discerned that I had my fair share of frustrations playing Rearmed 2. It’s a tough game towards the end; there’s no denying that. Even so I had lots of fun using the new bionic mods and watching my passive upgrades serve my character well. Health regeneration, for example, needs no activation. Just keep on running! Rad’ll heal himself. Active upgrades like the bionic arm’s grenade launcher come in handy early and often. Those cracked rocks aren’t going to explode themselves, after all. Outside of collecting upgrades for your character, Rearmed 2 offers a solid array of weaponry, from the infinite ammo pistol to the murderous bazooka. All weapons are evolvable as well, each time increasing damage and capabilities before capping at the 3rd upgrade. There’s plenty to collect, including the incredibly difficult to find and obtain yashichi.

Those of you who got out of the collection business will come across enough upgrades to keep you content throughout the game, at least up until the penultimate boss. Not much will serve you well other than saint-like patience at that point. At first I wanted to purposefully die in order to recreate the absurd scenario I encountered, but death came naturally (and more than just once). I’ve since confirmed that I’m one of many people who experienced such horrendous frame rate drops that Rearmed 2 became a slideshow. I don’t often begrudge a game that gets bogged down during a chaotic moment it couldn’t have anticipated, but I’m talking about a boss battle – one of the many tedious back-and-forth encounters. Add to that the screen tearing and general sluggish appearance of Rearmed 2 and I’m suddenly wondering how the testers could’ve let these hiccups slip through the cracks. Fatshark may eventually offer a patch, which is nice but these are kinks that should’ve been ironed out prior to release.

As much as I’ve made it sound as though I despise Rearmed 2, I really don’t. I’m sure I’ll be playing it until it’s squeezed dry of Gamerscore points. That doesn’t do anything to cover up the fact that Rearmed 2 is a sloppy mess of a sequel. Too many obvious influences disallowed Rearmed 2 to maintain the original’s integrity. I’m all for going back to previously inaccessible areas thanks to my fancy new upgrade (Metroid, anyone?) as much as I’m willing to track down and flip two disparate switches to advance up an elevator shaft. These gameplay elements are old and tired, and Rearmed 2 doesn’t make any efforts to keep them fresh. Selectable levels paths seen in the game’s predecessor have been removed as well. All that’s left are the shadows of a classic NES game muddled together over an indecisive side-scroller.

On a positive note, Simon Viklund returns to provide some more great tunes for Rearmed 2. The music may be the best part of both games apart from challenge rooms, which are here to stay. Cooperative play survived as well, and both give Rearmed 2 the balance it needed to keep from descending into carryover status of the 3D Bionic Commando adventure game. Occasionally the mere completion of a challenge room will seem like a daunting task. Then you realize you’re timed; what fun! This is where I feel Rearmed‘s essence was captured and preserved. The focus required for some of these areas makes their completion a triumphant reward in itself. The frustrations from the main game see their way into the challenge rooms, but since your primary objective is to get from A to B sans enemy interference, it’s less aggravating when you spend an hour “trying again”.

What else is there to say about Bionic Commando Rearmed 2 other than, “I really don’t hate this game”? It does come up short in a lot of areas I consider important in quality game design and presentation, namely knowing itself well enough to evolve in the appropriate direction. It’s still a fun game and an enjoyable campaign. The controls for the bionic arm are different (a button press is required to release the claw as opposed to merely letting go) but they’re nonetheless solid. The same holds true for the weapon use and character maneuvering as well. There’s nothing immediately off-putting about the game. If I had sat down and played a level here and a level there I might’ve had a wholly different reaction. It’s when observed in its totality that I realized Bionic Commando Rearmed 2 is flawed fun at best and a worthwhile chore at worst.