Ludography
Bionic Commando: Elite Forces cover

1999 · Nintendo Software Technology · Adventure · Arcade

Bionic Commando: Elite Forces

Nintendo exclusive

You are the ultimate weapon. You are the perfect synthesis of human and machine - a Bionic Commando.Your latest mission - to rescue a fellow commando, Commando Joe - will take you deep into the heart of enemy territory. Use your Bionic Claw to grapple and swing through more than 20 levels of forest, deserts, mountains and futuristic cities Blast through dozens of unique with your Assault Rifle, Rocket Launcher and Flame Thrower as you seek to destroy the overlord Arturus, and save your homeland of Karinia from utter destruction.

Released
1999
Platforms
Game Boy ColorNintendo 3DS
Genres
AdventureArcadeMetroidvaniaPlatformerPost-apocalyptic
Developers
Nintendo Software Technology
Publishers
Nintendo
Modes
Single-player
Perspective
Side view
Themes
ActionScience fiction
Country
United States
Age ratings
ESRB EPEGI 12
Languages
English

About

Bionic Commando: Elite Forces is a 2000 platform video game developed by Nintendo Software Technology and published by Nintendo for the Game Boy Color. Part of Capcom's Bionic Commando series developed under license by Nintendo, it was the first title to be developed by its Redmond-based first-party studio Nintendo Software Technology. It is the sequel to the Game Boy version of Bionic Commando. It was not released in Europe until November 2014, when it was finally released for the Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console there.

Keywords

  • cybernetics
  • run and gun
  • high score
  • rotoscoping
  • virtual console
  • grapple
  • grip mechanic
  • nintendo 3ds virtual console

Media

Bionic Commando: Elite Forces screenshot 1

The articlegameplay, story, development, reception

Gameplay

Though the player still cannot jump, Elite Forces is different from the rest of the Bionic Commando series; among the changes are a different plot, new moves for the main characters - an unnamed female commando and an unnamed male commando - and the ability to utilize a sniper rifle in some segments of the game.

The game features stages arranged on a map screen akin to Super Mario Bros. 3, with some levels being traditional side scrolling platformers, with others being top-down shooters, or auto-scroller segments. The player receives exposition from "codec" calls, and may also choose specific items or weapons before levels.

Story

The peaceful land of Karinia is being terrorized by an evil man named Arturus. He is the leader of an evil army called the Avars, who have terrorized Karinia for years. As the Elite Forces fight the Avars, they receive a fragmented communication from Commander Joe (presumably Super Joe), an ally who had infiltrated their territory. Joe's message revealed that Arturus was planning to launch the Albatross Project.

After that, communication with Cmdr. Joe was lost. The Bionic Corps contacted the Elite Forces to help stop the Avars, prevent the fall of Karinia, and rescue Joe. It is essentially a repeat of the events of the 1988 Bionic Commando, except with a different twist by the end - rather than the resurrection of a long-dead dictator, it is revealed that the Albatross was originally a wrecked space vessel of unknown origin that can give its owner mutant powers.

Reception

The game received "favorable" reviews according to the review aggregation website GameRankings.

Releases by platformdates and regions as published

PlatformReleasedRegions
Game Boy Color24 January 2000North America · Australia 31 March 2000 · Brazil 31 December 2000
Nintendo 3DS13 November 2014Australia · Europe 13 November 2014 · North America 1 January 2015

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Publishers

Description adapted from its source, CC BY-SA 4.0.