Cantista: I guess one gripe is that the arm didn't seem useful in combat. As a means of conveyance: Great. Evasive maneuvers: Fantastic. But killing is my primary interest in any multiplayer, and it wasn’t much help. Did you find it particularly useful in combat?
Brelston: At first pass I though the whole "latch onto an opponent and zip in to kick him" move was excessively difficult to pull off, and in that regard I avoided the arm as a weapon altogether.
But then some of the devs explained how it works (just hold down the grab button and it'll auto-attach when the link is possible) and I was kicking people into the briny abyss like crazy. That said, I got way more kills with the guns, especially the machine gun, and hell even the default pistol was quite capable. The arm was mostly used to get the hell outta harm’s way or to quickly zip around behind someone, as everyone’s back armor is weakest.
Cantista: I did see the arm used as an effective means of getting a kill from above, but it was unfortunately not me. Again, I don't think I was quite acclimated to the arm, but the multiplayer is ripe with incentive to do so. You get a double score for a midair kill, right?
Belston: I believe so. Killing them while they're in the air or while you're in the air is worth more, as hitting a swinging, arcing target is hellishly tough. How did you like the swinging in general? Did it feel weighty enough for a newcomer? Was it disorienting at all?
Cantista: It is a little disorienting, but mostly in a dizzying, fun way. But given that the multiplayer is more combat focused, I feel like I'll dig on the arm a little more in single player. As ill suited as a sniper rifle would appear in a giant map populated with swinging cyber monkeys, it's what I had the most success with. It let me remain inconspicuous and out of harm's way AND shot me to #1 in the first round of the multiplayer tournament. But that crap definitely didn't fly in the finals...
Brelston: Yeah the sniper rifle, I think, is always a one-hit kill. Thankfully they nerfed the grenade launcher, which was instant-splash-death for anyone in the vicinity last time I played. Now it’s far weaker, almost not worth messing with.
So all in all, this something you're curious to try on other maps, other modes? Or was the promise of a lunch box your primary motivation?
Cantista: Well I'm already to committed to Bionic Commando's single player (that franchise is at 100% in my book) but I need a little more time with the multiplayer. Though from the looks of it, as long as they include a decent amount of customization (item spawns, team selection, etc.) I think you can put me down for some more arm wrasslin'.
Brelston: That’s where I’m at. No longer bitterly torn down the middle like I was last time. More curious to see the other maps, other play types, because I love the act of swinging (swan-diving away from danger and grappling a ledge at the last possible second is a virtual rush second to none) and really want the rest of the gunplay to follow suit. It’s supposed to launch in February, so we should be receiving review code sometime after the New Year to deliver a final verdict.
As it is… we’re still interested, and you should be too.
Above: Winners! You can get your own box by pre-ordering the game at… ugh, Game Crazy?
Dec 18, 2008
Watch what happens when Capcom loans us a one-of-a-kind prop
