Diary Of An Arcade Employee Podcast Ep. 035 – Bionic Commando

3 min read

For this latest episode of the Diary podcast I answered a fan request as the arcade does not currently have Bionic Commando in it’s collection. I’m not sure when you might have come across Capcom’s 1987 arcade platformer – for myself it was thanks not to playing the arcade game at my local Showbiz Pizza or gas station but on the Nintendo Entertainment System. It wasn’t until a few year after that 1988 home port that I had an opportunity to play the actual arcade game – both versions of the title feature an extremely unique control system – namely that you aren’t able to jump and must swing as well as climb with your grappling arm. This is what I did on long afternoons when playing the NES version of Bionic Commando – just combating the evil forces of the ‘Baads’ and… you know… hanging around.

In this episode for Bionic Commando I made sure to attempt and deliver an in-depth study of game creator Tokuro Fujiwara – that includes an actual explanation as to why he felt that jumping shouldn’t be allowed in the game. That interview came courtesy of Glitterberri’s Game Translations page and as I mention in the show itself, it’s certainly worth your time to read the entire interview as Tokuro has worked on everything from Pooyan to Resident Evil.

In addition I give a brief look at the work of Bionic Commando‘s composer – Harumi Fujita. As with all Diary episode I do my very best to cover the gameplay mechanics as well as interesting facts or observations – such as the complicated history of the game’s hero ‘Super Joe’. I also have managed to include a few vintage audio treats for your listening pleasure related to the game and Capcom.

As always I hope you will enjoy this episode of the Diary podcast as we shine a spotlight on 1988’s Bionic Commando – and I thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to listen to the show.

If you have a moment, why not help us reach new listeners? Not only subscribe but leave us a rating and review for the Diary of An Arcade Employee podcast – whether that be on iTunes, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Pocket Casts or Spotify?

If you possibly have suggestions for future episodes or want to chat about the current show – you can reach me at VicSagePopCulture@gmail.com. You can find me on Facebook or Twitter and make sure to check out the Arkadia Retrocade Facebook page. Or for daily updates you can hop on over to the Diary of an Arcade Employee Facebook page – heck -you can see videos and more fun a couple of times a week by checking out my Instagram page!

Subscribe to the Diary of An Arcade Employee Podcast:

[iTunes] Subscribe to the Diary of An Arcade Employee Podcast.

Download the Diary of An Arcade Employee Podcast:

Episode Mirror #1 (MP3)

Episode Mirror #2 (OGG)

More From Author

+ There are no comments

Add yours

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.