Bionic Commando hit the arcades in 1987, followed a year later by an NES adaptation. I only played the arcade version a few times, but I loved it. Or at least I thought I did. When the NES version came out, I enjoyed it a lot, but I also found myself wishing it was closer to the arcade version.
While I did get to play a (really bad) adaptation of the arcade version on the Commodore 64, the arcade game didn't get remade a lot. So aside from a few quarters I spent in the 80s, I haven't really gotten to play the arcade version until now. Bionic Commando is now featured in the recently released "Capcom Arcade Stadium".
This collection is pretty cool, but it only has a few standout games I'd play again today. The problem is that the best games in the collection were previously released either in the Street Fighter Anniversary Collection or the Capcom Beat 'Em Up Bundle. So of the three packs that make up Capcom Arcade Stadium, I only purchased the first one, which contains Capcom's earliest offerings.
I was excited to finally get a chance to play the original Bionic Commando again. I've always considered it one of my top 10 classic arcade games, and I was excited to finally see what some of the later levels were like.
I was wrong. It sucks. For starters, it's impossibly difficult. It is designed to be a quarter muncher. There are dangers heading towards you in every direction, and sometimes there's just no way to avoid them. In fact, the easiest way to get past certain areas is to die, so that when your next life parachutes in from the top of the screen, you land farther up than you were before.
Secondly, it's short. If you have unlimited quarters (as you do in this retro collection), you can beat it in 15 minutes. It only has five levels, and they aren't very long. I always assumed it was longer, but that's because the difficulty stretched out the play time.
Finally, the controls just aren't as tight as I remembered. While the NES version did a great job of getting the most out of your bionic arm, the arcade version feels primitive by comparison. The biggest annoyance is that once you're in the air, you can't use your arm again until you land. This eliminates the Tarzan-like strategy you used in the later versions, where you could swing repeatedly to get past a long area of dangerous terrain.
So at this point, I would like to apologize to the NES version of Bionic Commando, which was clearly the superior version. I've spent too many years wondering why they didn't just make a direct arcade conversion, and now I know.
The arcade version of Bionic Commando started with a wonderful idea. The bionic arm was truly innovative at the time, and it's a pity they didn't do more with it. I'm just glad that Capcom's NES team was able to see the potential and turn it into a truly wonderful game.
In the 90s, Capcom was the king of fighting games. Whether it was the tournament style fighting of Street Fighter II, or the street brawling of Final Fight and its sequels/spin-offs, Capcom was the go-to company for digital pugilism.
This bundle includes the following classic arcade games: Final Fight (1989), Captain Commando (1991), The King of Dragons (1991), Knights of the Round (1991), Warriors of Fate (1992), Armored Warriors (1994), and Battle Circuit (1997).
When you get down to it, these are all basically the same game with different skins. That said, some are more fun than others. I’ve played a little of each so far, and here are my initial impressions:
Final Fight (1989) – When Final Fight was released in 1989, it immediately dethroned Taito’s Double Dragon as the ultimate multiplayer beat-em-up. After the success of Final Fight, Capcom spent the next few years pumping out similar games, some better than others. I still find this one the easiest to enjoy in this collection, but I don’t know if that’s due to the familiarity or because it’s the least complicated to pick up and play.
Playing it again after all these years brought back all sorts of nostalgia, and longing for the days of hanging out in arcades with my friends. Despite being the oldest game in this collection, it still holds up pretty well.
Captain Commando (1991) – This game is basically a sci-fi sequel to Final Fight. It’s still set in Metro City, but in the faaaarrrr off future of 2026, a time when living mummies will wield sonic knives and mechs will be driven by superintelligent infants. Wow, a lot’s going to change in the next seven years. I can’t wait.
It was nice to finally play this one. I remember Captain Commando being Capcom’s mascot in the 80’s, and I always thought it was strange that he didn’t have a game of his own. When this game finally came out in ’91, I heard about it but I never got a chance to play it. I like this one, and will probably play it again.
The King of Dragons (1991) – I like the fantasy theme of this one. It feels a lot like Golden Axe. I like the characters, it’s your basic D&D party. I wish it had a female character, but I’ll whine more about that below. It felt weird to get experience points and gain levels in this type of game. But it works. I will probably play more of this one.
Knights of the Round (1991) – At first glance this looks similar to King of Dragons, but it feels a lot different. King of Dragons has sort of a D&D theme, while Knights has more of a King Arthur theme. It makes knights feel a little more down-to-Earth, like Warriors of Fate. I might come back to this one, but only after I’ve played through King of Dragons. Just looking at the title gets a Monty Python song stuck in my head.
Warriors of Fate (1992) – This was probably my least favorite game in the collection, though it’s hard to say why. It’s basically the same game as the others, but I found the theme less interesting. The Japanese version is sort-of based on the historical novel “Romance of the Three Kingdoms” (which has actually inspired dozens of video games), but the American version simplified things by making it a more generic story. That was probably a good move, but it’s still not my cup of tea.
Armored Warriors (1994) - Of all the games in this collection, this one feels the most different. While is still has basically the same controls as the other games in the collection, the fact that your character is a mech gives the whole game a different feel. It’s still a beat-em-up, but at times it almost feels like a shooter. I don’t know if I’ll come back to this one or not.
Battle Circuit (1997) – I really like the characters in this one. They’re creative and strange, and there were at least three I’d use consistently. It’s definitely the flashiest of the bunch, and the first one I decided to play all the way through (not counting Final Fight, which I beat many times when I was a teenager). Thumbs up.
Extras - You can change the borders, and there's some options for how the games display on your screen. The collection also includes a gallery of artwork for each game.
A minor gripe; I wish there were more female characters in this collection. Out of seven games, only the last two have playable female characters in them. This is surprising, given that each game has three to five characters to choose from. Now of course you could say that was normal at the time, since video games were considered more of a male pastime back then. But Gauntlet came out in 1985 (four characters, one female), Quartet came out in 1986 (four characters, one female), and Rampage also came out in 1986 (three characters, one female).
So while there might not have been a lot of female characters in single-player games, it was quite normal for multiplayer games to have at least one token female. I’ll forgive Knights of the Round (since the characters are based on knights from Arthurian legend) and Warriors of Fate (since it’s based on historical figures). But the rest have no excuse. The King of Dragons has five D&D-esque characters; they could have at least made the archer female.
But that’s not a criticism against this collection, it’s a criticism against five 30 year old games. And I do have one theory: I seem to remember there being a controversy when Final Fight was released, regarding the female enemies (Poison and Roxy). Capcom was worried there might be complaints about violence against women, so they changed Poison and Roxy to male characters in the SNES version. It also caused Capcom to declare that the character Poison was transgender. They even went as far as to say that she was pre-op in the Japanese version, but post-op in the American version.
Just another example of how trans people aren’t taken seriously. I could easily fly off the handle at this one, but there are enough current examples of transphobia in the news every day. I really don’t need to go back and yell at a thirty year old video game. But just to make my position clear: Violence against transwomen is still violence against women.
But in any case, maybe that’s why they put off adding more women to their beat-em-ups; they were afraid of controversy. And to be fair, I understand the conundrum. Is it more sexist to exclude women from these games completely, or to include them and get yelled at when they get punched in the face? It's one of those cases where you can't please everyone.
Personally, I think inclusion would have been better, but I've never had to deal with that sort of backlash. I suppose I can't fault them for being cautious. They must have gotten over it eventually, because Final Fight 2 (1993) had the female martial artist Maki in it. But these beat-em-ups from 1989-1992 were devoid of playable female characters.
So, are these games still fun today? Well, games have come a long way, and these old school beat 'em ups seem pretty repetitive now. Still, it’s a lot of fun letting off steam by beating up on wave after wave of enemies. Especially after a stressful day.
Is this collection worth it? There’s some good nostalgic action in this set. I really wish it had included Capcom’s “Alien vs Predator” arcade game, but maybe that will make into a future collection. I’ll probably only play about three of the games in this collection for any length of time, but I still think it’s worth the money. Seven games for $20 is a decent value, even if they are pretty similar. I wouldn’t blame you for waiting until it’s on sale, though.
The Konami Anniversary Collection includes the following games:
Scramble, TwinBee, Nemesis (aka Gradius), Salamander (aka Life Force), Typhoon (aka A-Jax), Haunted Castle, Vulcan Venture (aka Gradius II), and Thunder Cross.
Breaking it down:
Scramble - I loved this game as a kid. It was so colorful, and it remains one of my favorite shooters. Yeah, it's pretty dated by today's standards, but playing it reminds me some of the best moments of my childhood.
TwinBee - An overhead shooter. I never really liked this one, not then or now.
Nemesis (aka Gradius) - The first Gradius is fun, but the power up system annoys me. You pick up power ups, but you have to manually push a button to activate them. This gives you some degree of customization, since you can decide whether to use a power up right away or collect them for a better power up. Except I have to take my eyes off the action to look at the power up bar, and this is not a game that's kind to people who take their eyes off the action.
Salamander (aka Life Force) - This is much improved over Gradius. I love the "Inner Space" theme, and the power up system works a lot better for me. I'll probably go back to this one.
Typhoon (aka A-Jax) - Kind of reminds me of a cross between Afterburner and Space Harrier. A sort of faux 3D jet fighter shooter. I don't see myself getting into it.
Haunted Castle - This is basically the arcade version of the original Castlevania. Oddly, it's the only game in this collection that isn't a shooter. As Castlevania games go, it's not very good, and it's very difficult.
Vulcan Venture (aka Gradus II) - Just more Gradius. Great if you're a fan, but I still prefer Life Force.
Thunder Cross - I like this one. It's my second favorite in the package, after Life Force. It's another one with crazy power ups, but the theme and graphics are totally different than the Gradius/Life Force games.
So, is it worth the $20? It depends on how much you like spaceship shooters. It's kind of an odd collection, with 7 shooters and 1 Castlevania wanna-be. Seriously, it's weird - if they had moved Haunted Castle to the Castlevania Collection, it would actually have improved both collections, IMO. And if they needed another shooter to fill the slot, I would have loved the chance to play one of the Parodius games.
Still, if you're a Gradius fanboy, this is a pretty good value. I only see myself returning to a couple of these games, so I might have been better off buying them separately. Oh well.
When I think about classic side scrolling action games, Contra is the first game that comes to mind. It had everything going for it: Non-stop action, two player simultaneous play, Rambo-like characters (hey, he was big at the time), a variety of weapons, the ability to fire diagonally, and killer bosses. It was a very influential series, the go-to example of its genre. The 8- and 16-bit eras were full of games that players described as “like Contra, but with x”. This long-overdue collection is chock full of nostalgia for my generation of gamers.
The Contra Anniversary Collection includes either 5 or 10 classic Contra games, depending on how you want to count them:
Contra (arcade, NES, and Famicom versions), Super Contra (arcade), Super C (NES), Operation C (Gameboy), Contra 3: The Alien Wars (SNES), Contra: Hard Corps (Genesis), Probotector (Mega Drive), and Super Probotector: Alien Rebels (SNES).
Breaking it down:
Contra (3 versions) –The first game in the series still holds up. This collection contains the arcade, NES and Famicom versions. The arcade version has the best graphics of the three, but the vertical shape of the screen feels weird on a modern TV. It’s like watching a video from someone who holds their cell phone sideways. Don’t… just don’t do that. You would think the NES and Famicom versions would be identical, but the Famicom has a few technical enhancements over the NES version. It’s nice of them to include all three versions here, but marketing it as if they’re three separate games is a bit misleading IMO. Still, it’s great to own a piece of gaming history.
Super Contra (2 versions; the NES version being called “Super C”) – A worthy entry in the series, though it doesn’t really do much of anything new. It’s like they just added more levels to the first one. Fun Fact: Apparently they renamed the NES version because the word “Contra” was very contra-versial (ha ha) that year, due to the Iran-Contra Affair.
Contra III: The Alien Wars (2 versions; the European version being called “Probotector: Alien Rebels”) – This is one of my all-time favorite games. The controls are perfect, the graphics are beautiful, and it puts you in all manner of crazy impossible action scenes. It’s been 27 years, but it still holds up. It’s nice to finally get to play the Probotector version as well. Fun Fact: Several of the Contra games were altered and renamed “Probotector” (Robot Protector) in Europe/Australia, to make them less violent. The Probotector games replace a lot of human sprites with robots.
Contra: Hard Corps (2 versions; the European version is called “Probotector”) – I never had a Genesis, so this one was brand new to me. It’s difficult, but I guess that’s implied by the title. I like that the player characters actually look different, rather than just being palette swaps. My wife and I are going to fight over the female character. Anyway, it's a great game, and I'll be coming back to this one more later.
Operation C – This Gameboy version could almost be called another version of Super C, but it’s just different enough to be considered its own game. It’s important for being the first Contra game to have homing missiles, and to make autofire the default weapon. Unfortunately, like most Gameboy games, it doesn’t really hold up today. I really wish they’d skipped this one and added one of the other Contra games instead. There’s plenty to choose from.
So, bottom line: While this is marketed as having 10 games, it’s closer to five. I mean, sure, the arcade version of Super Contra is a lot different from the NES’s Super C, but you’re probably going to pick a favorite and only play that version. And you’re not going to play the Gameboy version more than once, I’m pretty sure. So that leave four games. Are these four games worth your $20? I say yes. Honestly, I think Contra III is worth the $20 alone, and everything else is just gravy.
This is the third of Konami’s Anniversary Collections they’ve released this year. They haven’t announced any more yet, but I hope there’s more to come. These are great versions of some of the best games in video game history.
The Castlevania Anniversary Collection includes the following games:
Castlevania (NES), Castlevania 2: Simon’s Quest (NES), Castlevania 3: Dracula’s Curse (NES), Super Castlevania IV (SNES), Castlevania: The Adventure (Gameboy), Castlevania 2: Belmont’s Revenge (Gameboy), Castlevania Bloodlines (Genesis), and Kid Dracula (NES).
Breaking it down:
Castlevania (NES) – The game that started it all is still fun to play today. Yeah, the graphics are dated, and the sound is a bit bloopy, but if you like 8-bit games, it’s excellent.
Castlevania II: Simon’s Quest (NES) – Unlike the more linear first game, Simon’s Quest is more like Metroid - you have to explore the world and find upgraded equipment to unlock new areas. I actually really enjoyed this game when it first came out. A friend and I spent a weekend playing our way through it, and it’s one of my better childhood memories. But… honestly? It’s not a very good game. Some of the puzzles are almost impossible without a guide, the translation is terrible, and there’s some coding issues that have always bothered me – the way you can walk past certain bosses, for instance. It’s an important piece of video game history, but I can’t say it’s all that fun to play.
Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse (NES) – I never got to play this when it was new. I've only played a little bit of it so far, and it seems just like more levels for Castlevania 1. I'm glad it goes back to the more linear levels, though, instead of RPG elements. I'll probably play more of this one when I'm done with Bloodlines.
Super Castlevania IV (SNES) – This is still one of my all-time favorite games. I already owned it on two other consoles, but it’s still nice to see here. The soundtrack is excellent, the controls are perfect, and I love the (now cheesey) Mode 7 effects. That chandelier level is still awesome. The only problem I have is that it lacks personality somehow, compared to the other Castlevania games. But overall, this is a game worth owning, and possibly the shiniest jewel in this collection.
Castlevania: The Adventure (Gameboy) – This doesn’t age well, though to be honest, it wasn’t that great when it was new. It’s short, the controls aren’t as forgiving as the NES versions, it’s difficult, and there’s no sub-weapons. The graphics and sound were pretty good at the time, considering the system it was designed for, but there’s no reason to be playing this game on a modern console.
Castlevania 2: Belmont’s Revenge (Gameboy) – This is slightly better than the first Gameboy title, but honestly, Gameboy games just don’t age well. I do like the fact that you can play the stages in any order, like Mega Man. But it’s short and you walk slow. Pass.
Castlevania Bloodlines (Genesis) – Being a SNES fanboy, I never got to play Bloodlines until now. I just tried it, and wow, it's awesome. It's every bit as good as Super Castlevania IV. I'll keep returning to this one, at least until I've beaten it. It's worth playing even today.
Kid Dracula (NES) – Another new experience, since this one wasn’t even released in America until now. From what I've played, it's definitely a kid's game, with charming graphics and goofy monsters. I'm glad I finally got to play it, even if I probably wont play it much.
So, is this collection worth your $20? I’d say yes. The SNES and Genesis games are the real standouts here, but the NES games are still fun too. I’ve found the Gameboy games to be a waste of space, and really wish they’d put something else in those slots. But the rest of the games are still strong enough entries to make the collection worth it. If you like retrogaming, buy it. It’s the second most fun you can have with a whip.
Crazy Climber was possibly the first video game I ever called “my all-time favorite game”. It came out in the arcade in in the early 80s, and was notable for its unusual control scheme. Instead of having buttons, you just had two joysticks, once controlling each arm. The controls took some getting used to, but I loved it. The game has you climbing up the side of a skyscraper, using windows as handholds. I never really thought about it before, but your character must have some really odd body proportions to make this possible (or the building has really small, closely clustered windows). You face hazards such as falling flowerpots, birds, closing windows, electric wires, tumbling girders, and giant gorillas. It’s not an easy game. There are four buildings. I think I reached the fourth building one time as a kid, but I didn’t get very far. I always wanted a home version of the game, but it was never released for any system I owned at the time. Well, Wikipedia says it was released for the Atari 2600, but I never saw it in stores. Which is probably just as well, because game consoles at the time wouldn’t have been able to replicate the dual-joystick configuration in any way I would have found satisfactory. It’s just like me to pick a favorite game that is so hard to port. Seriously, my next “all-time favorite game” was “Discs of Tron”, which also had an unusual control scheme making it difficult to replicate on home consoles. Crazy Climber did get a sequel and a few enhanced remakes, but for the most part they exclusive to Japan. The original game is available on the PS4, which is great because the PS4 controllers are perfect for it. When I got my PS4 last year, I got to play Crazy Climber again for the first time in more than 35 years. I also got to play Crazy Climber 2, which I didn’t even know existed.
So, do they hold up today? Ehhhh… I still enjoy them, partly because of nostalgia, and partly because the controls are still unique today. There really aren’t any other games like them. However, they suffer from the same issues as a lot of older arcade games. They didn’t have the resources to make the games longer, so they settled on making them harder. These are games designed to eat as many quarters as it can, as quickly as possible. If Crazy Climber were designed for today’s consoles, it would have 30 buildings, and you could save after each one. The buildings would start out extremely easy and wouldn’t really get difficult until building 10 or so. You would be able to choose from six different climbers, including an unlockable spider monkey. There would be no score, but you would get achievements after each building. There would also be an annoying unskippable tutorial level and about $20 worth of DLC, but maybe I’m just being cynical. So is that better or worse? Personally I’d like to see this one updated. The original still has its charm, but it could really benefit from a modern touch.
