In collaboration with Nile Rodgers' Sumthing Distribution record label, Capcom has released the official soundtrack for Bionic Commando (Xbox 360, PS3, PC). Think you love the game enough to get the music?

Capcom and Swedish studio GRIN announced today that Bionic Commando is heading to Steam. The game is now available for pre-purchase. As an added bonus, Steam is offering  a 10% discount for those who will pre-order the game prior to its scheduled release on July 28th.

Capcom has clarified the release date for Bionic Commando's PC version in Europe. Read on for details.

After Master Chief and Cloud came to Unreal Tournament 3 (Sony PlayStation 3, PC), you'd think mods can't get any better. Yet, here's another that can put a grin on your face. We'd never even imagine Epic Games and Nintendo joining hands, but if you want to see Super Mario powered by Unreal Engine 3, look no further than the full article.

In an interview, Capcom producer Ben Judd stated that a PSP port of Bionic Commando Rearmed (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC) is "near impossible," though it's still playable on the handheld. How? Find out about that and many other juicy details revealed by the Capcom producer by clicking on "read more" below.

Capcom just released three new screenshots of Bionic Commando's (Microsoft Xbox 360, Sony PlayStation 3, PC) revival to next-gen consoles. If your arm is itching for some of this upcoming title, swing over to the full article!

Ben Judd, at the helm of production for Bionic Commando (PC, Sony PlayStation 3, Microsoft Xbox 360), was featured in a podcast and spilled details on Capcom's attempt to revive the NES classic. Judd revealed that Bionic Commando was being aimed at a "middle ground" of the gaming market and that its key characteristic would be the swinging mechanic.

While the most of the hour-long conversation dived into remarks on games as art, the growing trend of classic revivals, and how most revivals will never address the hardcore fan base because of money, Judd was able to squeeze in a few thoughts on what appears to be the production team's views on Bionic Commando as a product.

As a producer, Judd admitted that he first felt that he had to make Bionic Commando "the greatest game ever," but recent training from Capcom's internal producers told him to "stop looking at games as games." To that end, he found it difficult to step out his gamer shoes to view the production from a business perspective.

Taking two steps back and viewing the title from a marketing standpoint, said Judd, showed that reviving the classic would have to be a consideration of a "middle ground" - that is, there's enough profit to be had without sacrificing as many features faithful to the original. There's a risk of alienating hardcore fans, but there's more money to be made, he says.

Also, the game's key selling point - or "hook" as a representative from Capcom's subsidiary described it - would be the swinging mechanic. While already offered by Activision's top selling Spider-Man 3, Bionic Commando's version may not be so semi-automatic in flow and may even require some skill - or so Judd hints.

More details, and perhaps more clues to the Bionic Commando remake, as they come in.

We recently reported that Capcom has confirmed the development of Bionic Commando for the PC, Sony PlayStation 3, and the Microsoft Xbox 360, and showed you some videos and some artwork. This time we've got the first batch of Capcom's Bionic Commando screenshots all for your enjoyment.

Bionic Commando was released in the late 80s by Capcom on several platforms, with the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) iteration being the most commercially successful. Bionic Commando introduced some new depth to what was then a stagnating 2D side-scroller genre with a more elaborate storyline than most of its peers and a bionic arm/grappling hook which can be used as a weapon and as a tool for scaling the stages a la Tarzan.

There was a clamor from Bionic Commando loyalists for a sequel, but other than a Nintendo Game Boy and Game Boy Color appearance, there were no fireworks seen for the franchise. Finally, the blast from the past caught a break, and from what we're seeing in these screenshots, Bionic Commando looks like it's going to be a worthwhile game for this generation.

   

If you dig old classic games getting next-generation iterations, you'll be glad to know the Capcom is bringing back Bionic Commando for the Microsoft Xbox 360, Sony PlayStation 3, and the PC. It's supposed to be a next-generation sequel of the original Bionic Commando with a lot of new twists.

The original Bionic Commando launched in 1987 aboard arcades, making home game system debuts the following year. The most well-known version was for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) which is enjoyed to this day by 2D side-scroller enthusiasts.

The Bionic Commando franchise lived on discreetly with a 1992 appearance on the Nintendo Game Boy and a sequel in 1999 on the Game Boy Color. Pleas have been made to remake it Bionic Commando for higher-end platforms, but no answer was given until now.

Capcom has announced that the Bionic Commando sequel is to go simply by the same name and will feature gameplay in the same vein as its predecessors. Players will take control of bionic agent Nathan Spencer and his trademark grappling hook to swing through buildings and take out enemies all with one tool.

The storyline of the new Bionic Commando starts with Nathan coming home to his country supposedly a hero, but is later charged with crimes he did not commit and is sentenced to death. Strangely enough, a devastating terrorist weapon is used against Ascension City on the date of his execution, prompting the government to negotiate with Nathan to take out the terrorists in exchange for favors.

More specific gameplay details are being kept under wraps for now by Capcom, but more are set to come to drum up attention for Bionic Commando. Keep it here to get latest updates on this welcome returnee.

Geoff Keighley, host of Gametrailers' special feature Bonus Round, is back as Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter and Japanese games importer Pink Godzilla co-owner Nathan Paine discuss what's hot in Japan, and why American games have never been big in the land of the rising sun. You'll find a lot of interesting bits, much Nintendo love, and the secret of Japanese developers in making games that explode worldwide.

Pachter believes western developers, American or European, know how to please their respective audiences, and there's no reason to snatch an idea or two from Japanese game creators. Publishers in the west follow effective formulas to sell, he said.

He went on, saying only odd or Americanized Japanese games will sell outside Japan. Another worth noting is how, according to Pachter, gamers think of Sony and Microsoft when talking about games, and Nintendo is just an afterthought.

Paine, however, expressed his confidence in Japanese games right off the bat. He doesn't think there'll be any gaming industry in the U.S. today if it wasn't for Japan, particularly Nintendo which revitalized gaming after the 1983 crash. With the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) synonymous to fun back in the day, and Mario being the first widely popular superstar from a video game, it's difficult not to agree.

Paine mentioned other Japanese game franchises that have been successful worldwide, like Metal Gear, Resident Evil, Final Fantasy, and the likes. After naming Square Enix, Konami, and Capcom as the big three developers and publishers, he pointed at the three F's that make their titles hit: fun, fantasy, and freedom. By freedom, he meant how Japanese developers are able to be creative and are not obligated to make movie tie-ins or yearly football games.

For the U.S., the three R's come into play: rockets, realism, and rights. Realism is all about how Americans love their games oozing with detail in eye-bleeding graphics, while rights concern acquiring copyrights or licenses.

Rockets symbolize the hunger of American gamers to shoot things and cause big explosions, something that the Japanese don't like. Simply put, as Paine learned from Nintendo's Koji Kondo, gamers in Japan don't like mindless violence. Metal Gear Solid games, for example, pits players in the shoes of a super agent involved in political affairs. Good and evil forces battling each other like in Gundam games are also more attractive to Japanese gamers than murdering the covenant en masse.

To find out more, check out the Bonus Round by clicking on the Read link below.