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It's been quite some time, but I remember buying Rearmed 2 when it came out on PS3 and maybe playing it for an hour or two before turning it off and having no desire to touch it again. Aside from the jumping, I remember that something about the game felt off and not being nearly as well put together as Rearmed.
Perhaps it is not as good as the first Rearmed but I would still really like to give it a try to see for myself.
Right now our only options are the Xbox 360/Xbox One version, and the PSN version.
I wish Capcom made a collection of the digital games they have released in the last fifteen years and put these on a physical cartridge for the Switch.
Having played it for almost an hour, I can understand some of the critics' viewpoint on this game, it definitely feels a bit flawed.
First the pro's;
- The jump mechanic is very welcome. It honestly does not 'break' the game as it is not very high and it just eliminates those small gaps that can be annoying to cross otherwise, and climb onto obstacles.
- It is nice to be able to use secondary and passive abilties.
- The game definitely looks nicer.
Addition 21-2-2022
- You keep the extra lives that you collect in the levels. No need to collect them again.
Cons
- The mechanics of the arm function very different now compared to Rearmed 1.
Rad quickly looses momentum and regaining it by moving the controls left and right is somewhat weird.
The cable on the arm can also be reeled up and down now, but often when I try to create momentum by swining Rad left and right he reels up instead.
I am not sure if this system is really an improvement. It would have been nice if the controls of BC Rearmed 1 were also available on the option menu,
- Alternative primary weapons now use ammunition.
I heard that some weapons are more useful for solving puzzles than fighting enemies.
Addition 21-2-2022
I just experienced this myself with a sort of boomerang grenade launcher.
Oh it can work well against enemies hiding behind a barrier or those shield type enemies, but this weapon's usefulness is really limited.
It is a shame we miss out on this sequel but it is not necessarily an improvement on the first.
Update 26-2-2022
Did the freaking Joker design this game?
I am finally getting somewhat into the groove of BCR2. I have gotten relatively the hang of the controls of the Bionic Arm, and when I die it is usually because I failed to use the arm in time or because I dove in without checking out the situation first.
The designers have raised the challenge to such to such heights in the final levels that you can not afford to make a mistake. Once you start moving you better make sure that you don't miss a single beat because otherwise it is the loss of another life without a second chance.
In these parts it becomes critical at what point of a platform or protrusion you managed to hook the bionic arm in order to continue, because if you don't do it on the right spot it is very likely that you will not reach the next platform or attachment point, and either fall into a pit full of spikes or a bottomless pit.
I already experiences this with getting all upgrades and extra lives which become ridiculous hard to collect. I skip the yashichi now as these are sometimes near impossible to get.
Some situations are designed so that you immediately have to leap once you start swinging because should you fail to do and the swing carries you back you smack right into a wall of spikes.
I also suspect that the spikes have a larger hitbox than the actual object as I have experienced several times now that my character died while not even getting that close to the spikes.
All of this culminates in the final level which is basically BCR1's Albatross multiplied by four.
You need to climb or descent four missiles and their interior to disable their reactors.
Outside a failed swing will send you plummeting down while inside the missiles there are a number of spike deathtraps.
I honestly wonder if this segment was ever gametested. Not if it is bug free but if people can actually pass these parts without stressing out completely.
This is a part in which I would use save states as dying here over and over again because you can not make the precision action in time is not fun.
The people who say "git gud" can get bend. Of course a game should be challenging but it should also be enjoyable.
Update 27-2-2022
I finally beat this game yesterday and there were parts in which released sighs of relief that I had finally passed it.
So my opinion of this game in general?
I think it is up to par with the first BCR1 and actually improves on some of its flaws.
The bionic arm controls differently but in some ways has been greatly improved over the original such as building up momentum, or the player not immedialy leaping to their deaths because they accidentally kept pressing the forward control button.
It is also very useful to rapidly cross ceilings. Some may find this a form of cheating but I deeply disagree as the game gets back at you in different ways.
Weapons as mentioned are a bit disappointing as they are very puzzle oriented, but the passive and active power ups are very welcome.
The drone ability might even feel unbalanced as you are able to launch homing missiles on enemies above or below you.
The checkpoints are really welcome as is the addition that the player can extra lives that are restored to their collected limit when the player finishes the level or returns to the map.
I now mourn that this is not in BCR as it would make replaying that game a lot more enjoyable.
The leaps of faith remain horrible as these can zap your enjoyment so quickly.
I think the option should have been added to look ahead of you, perhaps through some kind of power up so that you can see where the next platform or attachment point is.
Would also be nice if you could somewhat change your position at an attachment point without having to let go in the hope of trying to grab it again at a better angle.
And personally, I really would like a gun or a bomb that destroys spikes.
How many times I have not lost a life to these things.
Bit late with responding as I never got any kind of note that the topic had been updated.
Thanks for the responses.
Despite some the criticisms and frustration that I had to vent while playing BCR2 as it really has some tough sections I did like playing this game. Its one of the few action-platformers I played these last couple of years along with Metroid Dread that I played all the way to the finish and sometimes return to for a quick session.
Some of the bosses like the gorilla robot are really fun to fight and I am not someone who really likes boss fights.
As I also mentioned, there are some game improvements I really wish had been retro actively integrated into BCR1; keeping the number of lives you collect during the game, multiple check points (just needed a couple more , especially in the final level), and even the new arm mechanics are not that bad once you understand how it works and stop reeling yourself in accidentally.
I do think this game should have been on the PC even if probably the majority of BCR fans might have considered it more of the same.
On another note, I think Capcom should consider making a compilation of BCR 1&2 and Strider for the Switch. It becomes increasingly harder to play these games because of the changes in hardware and OS. Frustration with both games is that because their developers are no longer there to update them they can become impossible to play in a couple of years.
I really hope they do a bundle like that, or even individual releases. There is a petition of a few thousand people to put Strider (2014) on Switch, and I agree that all three of these games would fit really well with the Switch's control scheme and format, and they'd be able to live on that way as well.
They may not be very popular, but they really are excellent games, and it'd be such a shame to see them die. Speaking of which, I'd better buy BCR 2 on my 360 soon, since the Xbox store is closing for 360 next July. :(
Nice to know that there are people who would like to see Strider 2014 on console. I was thinking that it had been mostly been forgotten by now with the exception of some people. Would there be an interest to see Switch versions of BCR 1/2?
Sadly these petitions barely ever are noticed by publishers.
While I would like to see BCR1, 2, and Strider 2014 continued to be supported on various platforms now and in the future, after i played Metroid Dread I felt the Switch would be a very suitable platform for them. Not implying that the Switch is only good for such games but it is not a bad way to live on like you write and remain playable in the future. These games becoming unplayable would be really disappointing because they were definitely not 'throw away' titles. And they make neat games when you are on the 'go' (on the bus, train, work, anywhere but home)
It would have been nice if Strider and Bionic Commando had been a bit more popular as I really would liked to have seen a BCR3 or more Strider but these IPs were always sort of niche. That has both its benefits but also its drawbacks :(
I have Strider 2014 and BCR2 on the Xbox One. Capcom however never decided to bring BCR1 to it. I am a bit hesitant however to just buy a second hand Xbox 360 just so I can download BCR1 for it.
Even if there wasn't interest, the gameplay would speak for itself on Switch, same with Strider. The overall layout of the Switch is perfect for these games, and as you said, they would make unparalleled portable games. They'd be amazing to just pick up and play for a few minutes.
I'm so glad to have met someone who feels this way, I've had this exact same though: these franchises being niche is truly a blessing and a curse. The upside is that they stay very true to their identities and what made them good to begin with, often only ever improving upon it. The downside is that the comparatively small fanbases mean less money to be made by the companies, which means fewer games (only 5 games in the BC and Strider franchises respectively), and having so few games, it would be a massive loss for one or more of the games to die off.
Honestly, I have an Xbox 360 and I absolutely love it for more than just BCR, however I'm not sure how many 360 titles are supported by Xbox One. If the compatibility is low, then I'd recommend getting a 360, as there are several masterpieces on it. Whatever you do, though, do it fast: the Xbox Store for 360 is closing in July 2024.
One of the few criticisms I would have other than that I really wish that some content had not been cut like the cultists and the Third Moon space station that were planned, was that I really would have seen the character designs of Strider 2 being brought back and used. I did not like all of the new designs.
I also wish the Siberian wilds and the Amazon jungle could have been brought back in some form.
I do not have any criticisms on the gameplay itself. Just some sections could be really frustrating as it required such precision.
I would definitely like a physical release of Strider 2014 on the Switch. It did get a physical release of Jedi Outcast/Jedi Academy and those games are way older.
I wish companies like Capcom did more effort to keep their game libraries available for gamers who want to play these games legally, especially as Japanese publishers are so set on protecting their IPs.
Sadly Capcom comes pretty short in that regard. Titles either become unplayable or unavailable with some physical releases having been so long ago that they are only sold in online stores for prices that make them unattractive for most people. They tend to become expensive paper weights.
Fans are sometimes able to keep some games alive with updates so that they can be played on modern hardware and OS, but other digital only titles will in the future will be gone permanently, a lot of them average or bad but also some very good ones.
This abandonment of download only titles makes more of a case why physical releases of games should continue, including re releases of older games in perhaps compilation packs. Otherwise, just throw these games into public domain so that fans can make it possible to still play them, and not just 'sit on them'. If the publishers believe these games still can make money then why do they not make them compatible for new hardware and digital stores?
Maybe there is this mindset that if some games are not available any more that gamers will buy another, potentiall more expensive game from the same publisher, but if the genres/gameplay is not the same some will go look for something else or not spend the money, or try to play the unavailable in less legal ways.
I did look into getting an Xbox 360 around the time that I bought the Xbox One for some of the online games that became increasingly more difficult to play on the PC as well as games that have never been available on the PC begin with as I felt that would make getting one the most worthwhile. The number of exclusives turned out to be not as big as I had hoped, especially the ones that were of interest to me.
So instead I decided to go with the new console.
The news that MS is planning to close the Xbox 360 store has made me think again about getting one but the biggest obstacle for me is simply the money. This year has been expensive for me :(
I agree, there are so many masterpiece games that are so difficult to play nowadays. The prime example for me is God Hand. It was a PS2 action game in a similar vein to Devil May Cry, but the combat and gameplay were phenomenal! Unfortunately, I have to use PCSX2, because the physical version is upwards of $200. To say nothing of the virtual titles that will simply cease to exist if nothing is done to preserve them!
I absolutely understand not getting a 360 right now, they're not cheap, and unfortunately finances in general are becoming a bit tight for everyone nowadays. I don't think you'd be missing out a ton by not getting one, but it really is an excellent console, and it just brings so much to the table. Why I don't think you'd be missing out too badly is because a lot of the virtual games are on PC as well, and you're better off getting them there so that you have easier access to the game files in the event the game does go dark. That way, there may be a way to keep playing it, although I really have no idea if it'd work that way, just speculation.
I just replayed some of BCR2 again and I do feel I should have told you and others that the game can be glitchy visually. Nothing that will break the game though some people may find it annoying to see flaws in the graphics, but the reason I want to tell this is that sometimes it can cause the screen to 'flash' like in one boss battle. So if you are sensitive to that do keep that in mind,
Yesterday I replayed BCR1 with a friend as part of refreshing my memories on it and its gameplay and today I played some BCR2 to refresh my memories on it as it had been more than six months since I last played it. Heh, I had lost some of my 'reflexes' as I had not done the boss battles in a while but it is slowly coming back to me. Again I do not mind some of the changes to the bionic arm mechanics as the new system really eliminates a lot of player clumsiness because the kept pushing the direction button forwards and the means to make the character swing again are also better as you do not need anything like the shotgun to build up momentum again in case you came to a standstill while swinging from the arm. That could really be annoying in BCR1 as it would require the player to risk falling into an abyss or on spikes to do the quick drop-launch claw combo.
My goal is to eventually write a review of BCR2 for Gamefaqs as I think BCR2 deserves some positve recognition and a review. Right now I rate it an 8.
Main flaws are some of the really frustrating level design parts when the player has to be so damn precise and there is no chance to recover without losing a life, this happens a few times when the player wants to collect all the upgrades and extras. And what I call "The Leap of Faith", a part of a level where in order to progress the player must launch themselves forwards in the hope that there might be a platform to grab onto as from the position where they are standing they can't see what is ahead.
I still think the game looks visually nice despite its age.
Look up some of the concept art for the cultists, they were pretty creepy looking. Basically people parasitized by small versions of that centipede creature, riding on mini gravitrons.
The Third Moon space station would mostly have been a boss rush scene like the end game of Strider 1 and 2, that may not have made the place content wise interesting (no or only few places to explore), but from the art designs it looked like a cool endgame setting.
https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/strider/images/0/02/StrHD_spacestation_paick.png/revision/latest?cb=20150607075104
My favorite version of the Third Moon remains the ones from Strider 2, carrying those Balrog type flying warships on board.
Kind of reminds me of Independence Day. The Third Moon station maybe one day appearing in low Earth orbit, surprising the world governments and population when it starts launching its flying battleships/carriers and attacking major cities from the sky
You are probably right on why they went with the new character designs, redesigning them because this would be a 'new generation' Strider game. I really liked the manga designs for the characters in 2, not that I dislike the designs for 1, and I wish some more of the characters of Strider 2 or characters like them could have been brought back such as the ones the player faces in the European style castle. Hmm, should there have been a 'traitor' Strider like Hien in Strider 2014?
If there is ever a new Strider game, I would like it if the developers go back to the more Japanese style look.
I am not so keen on multiverses any more since it got so milked out by movies and other games. I think I rather go for the Gundam approach of different timelines but with similar elements if we really have everything lore wise fit together. (in Real Life I would say that each game is basically its own thing).
I already found the possible connection between Strider 1 and 2 questionable at best. Fan theory goes that Strider 2 takes place centuries/a thousand year or more after 1 after Meio wiped out most if not all of the old lifeforms on Earth and replaced these with those he made himself in his laboratories.
I see Strider 2 as a reboot of 1 and this reveal at the end that there was simply an earlier incarnation of Hiryu who defeated Meio when he first arrived on Earth. Would make an interesting game, a pre-industrial era ninja taking on a god like alien invader.
What I would have liked is if the story of NES Strider could have been adapted for a DLC for Strider 2014, a story that would take place after Meio was defeated and independent nations were rising up again. Some government people and the traitors in the Strider organization thought it was better when there was order because there was one absolute ruler rather than the chaos that human society has fallen into now, and they get the idea for the Zain project, perhaps using some of Meio's alien technology to create the Zain Terminals (or it was already in development before Meio came along).
It would require some rewriting of the NES original, not that it had such a complex plot, and this way both stories could take place in the same setting.
Gameplay wise it would have given us some new cool environments across the world, Egypt, Africa, Australia, the Blue Dragon and Red Dragon space stations.
God Hand. A game I had forgotten about. I never played it myself but I understand that it has become quite a cult hit or fan hit. And another game that is difficult to play legally unless one can pony that much dough. For a lot of gamers that is simply not worth the costs thus resulting in the scenarios which I mentioned earlier to you.
I know the primary reasons why these games are not brought back; the cost to have the game ported versus the return.
What I find I find so 'double' (Dutch expression, it basically means in this case that someone has two contradicting mindsets or goals) is that Capcom is doing nothing with these IPs, just sitting on them, but they don't let the IP right expire either or sell them on. It feels like the EA way of thinking, they own a number of games/IPs from the studios they have been acquiring over the years and some games they had developed by studios they set up themselves. But when these games become financially uninteresting to the company because perhaps the latest entry in them failed to make the returns the company's sales department was projecting, or simply because they were never good sellers, the company discontinues with the franchise and just sits on them. There is little to no effort to revive the IP by for example allowing a third party to re release the games on say Steam and GOG, modified so that they can run on new OS (heaven forbid that someone else would make money on 'their' property), but they also do not want to let go of these IPs either as there is always the possiblity that somehow these can be financially interesting again,
So they don't want to re release an old game or game series as the costs to have these updated/made compatible with new hardware and OS is higher than the possible returns. They don't do any effort to create some kind of awareness among the gaming audience, fans usually do that such as creating a fan patch to play an old game. But they sit on these IPS like a dragon sits on gold, belieiving these IPs remain valuable and just waiting for the 'right' moment to revive them again.
Capcom released a couple of virtual titles, mostly sequels or remakes to some of their Arcade games (and of course BCR and Strider), but also a couple of original games. Now a lot of these weren't that good sometimes. Quite some of them were average. But still I do think they don't deserve to disappear in digital limbo forever.
There was BTW a Xbox 360 compilation disc that contained some of Capcom's download only titles. However it does not include BCR1 and Strider 2014 (the last was published after the disc was released)
I really wish that some of these studios would consider more releasing these games into public domain rather than doing the 'dragon guarding his gold hoard' routine, but I understand the Japanese, especially the older generations are notorious for this. (this is not meant as an insult but as an observation)
Oh, based on your username, the Mega Man Legends games and Misadventures of Tron Bonne is another series/IP that is effectively killed off because Capcom does not cultivate any interest for these by releasing them from time to time on new platforms. The PSP got ML1 and 2 (no Tron Bonne) but that was a Japanese only released. And I understand that the PSN got ML1, 2, and Tron Bonne, but why not the Xbox and PC?
Are so many of these games that Capcom has discontinued and stored away such a financial embarassment for the company that they want to forget about these?
While I have played Resident Evil (I liked most of the games up to RE5), I have never been into Capcom's other IPs like Street Fighter (I do not like one on one fighting games), Monster Hunter (style of the game does not interest me and I just don't want to spend so much time when I have other things to do), or slightly lesser IPs like Ace Attorney (which I do think I should play one of these days as it has such a positive reputation) or Dragon's Dogma, which Capcom would rather focus on with the occasional Mega Man game.
I know the company more for the smaller games that seemed to be made for gamers like me and their non Street Fighter/One on One battle games in the Arcades (Mercs, Black Tiger, Trojan, scrolling beat em ups like AVP, Cadillacs and Dinosaurs). If they had not published games like the ones we talked about and Okami in the past I would have ignored the company a long time ago when RE stopped being fun (the AI companion in RE5 was such a source of annoyance).
BTW, I really wish that back when Capcom had sequels or remakes made of their older Arcade and NES games, that they had also had done something with Viper, Street Fighter 2010 (remake or sequel and perhaps finally giving it its own name), and Trojan.
I myself imagined a Trojan remake as a sort of open world game similar to the Mad Max game from a couple of years back, the player roaming the wastes on foot, horse, or working vehicle, fighting gangs with sword & shield, crossbows, dynamite, and the occasional still working firearm while taking out the warlords led by Achilles who caused the nuclear war that destroyed the world and prevents the survivors from rebuilding.
I am going a bit off topic here, talking about my own game scenarios but a lot of games of the 80s, 90s, and 2000s and their storylines made me wish I could make or write sequels for them.
I would for example like to have made a sequel to BCR3 with this time the theme being on a futuristic China/North Korea, but to avoid any comparisons or parallels with real life people or events (and do political messaging), this would have been a fictional Asian state, something perhaps called the New Mongol Empire or Khanate that has arisen in Asia in the future, led by leaders claiming to be descendants of Genghis Khan. The player/Spencer would this time having to investigate rumors about the Khanate creating its own bionic enhanced forces and treating neighboring countries allied with the FSA. This would of course be the start of a more complex storyline with themes about bionic enhanced people in a non bionic majority population and if bionics instead should create a nation of their own.
Regarding the Xbox 360 digital only games, I understand that as long as you don't clear them from your console's hard discs they remain playable. Only thing I can not give you an answer on is if save games remain available, especially when you save it on the cloud.
Should I have some luck and acquire the necessary money, and not have other expenses I will try to get a Xbox 360 before the July deadline and get the games I would like to keep available. I still rather though wish MS did more effort to keep their Xbox 360 digital games library available for Xbox One (series).
Addition
Before I forget, was Viewtiful Joe ever re released on modern consoles? That would be another series that Capcom has been ignoring.
I was rather surprised to see that Capcom had re released Ghost Trick Phantom Detective. A good move as it is a very enjoyable story driven puzzle adventure game and keeping it on the DS would mean it would also be unavailable for a lot of gamers.
Okamiden sadly is still being ignored. Partly understandable as it is not on the same level as Okami but I think some gamers would still enjoy being able to play it on something other than a DS.