20 Stupid Decisions That Destroyed Their Franchise
3. Generic Approach – Bionic Commando (2009)
A staple of late 1980s gaming, the first Bionic Commando was a highly respected and influential action/adventure platformer.
In particular, its lack of a jump mechanic and emphasis on grappling directly or indirectly inspired successors such as Earthworm Jim, Axiom Verge, Just Cause, Shadow Complex, Tomb Raider, and Katana Zero.
True, only a handful of follow-ups arose over the subsequent 20 years, so Bionic Commando wasn’t exactly an A-list franchise throughout the 1990s and 2000s. Yet, 2008’s upgraded remake of the original pioneer – Bionic Commando Rearmed – was big enough to reignite interest.
Consequently, Capcom decided to create a fresh entry to bolster that momentum. Regrettably, though, 2009’s Bionic Commando had the opposite effect.
By deviating from a 2D sideview to a 3D over-the-shoulder perspective – and by allowing protagonist Nathan Spencer to jump – the game lost its specialness. Beyond that, its storyline – which saw Spencer killing terrorists to save his wife – was unusually humorless and bland.
Spencer’s redesign – from comic book cool and colourful to realistically drab and dirty – didn’t work, either.
Bionic Commando was such a misfire that it hurt the development and reception of 2011’s Bionic Commando Rearmed 2 and partially led to developer Grin declaring bankruptcy in 2009. With no one else taking over, the series has been silent for 15 years.