HITLER NO FUKKATSU TOP SECRET
( Bionic Commando )
|
|
|
|
|
ヒットラーの復活 TOP SECRET
©Capcom 1988
Release: 1988-07-20 (¥5900)
Cartridge CAP-HF
Action game
|
Released in America as
BIONIC COMMANDO
( NES-CM-USA )
|
|
Released in Europe as
BIONIC COMMANDO
( NES-CM-XXX )
|
|
Top Secret Hitler no Fukkatsu (aka Bionic Commando) is an action
game by Capcom and is technically a reboot of the arcade game of the same
name originally released in 1987. The Nazis are back - they have survived the
war and, led by their supreme leader Weizmann, they have now come up with the
most evil and horrific plan in history! Hitler, the man who the allies thought
was dead, has been revived and his fractions of hell are about to take over the world
once again. The allies decide to send one of their best men, Super Joe, to
counter the threat - but he is soon captured and Radd Spencer (aka Ladd Spencer)
is dispatched to rescue him and complete the primary mission. Radd is not your
typical lone soldier - he is equipped with a gun and a grappling hook that he can use
to latch onto ledges and swing across gaps and obstacles. This feature is at the core
of the gameplay and although Radd can't jump, he can use the hook to make his
way through the enemy's fortified defenses. The game is not a straight forward affair
thought - the player is presented with a map of the enemy territory where white
locations represent enemy action areas, and red ones non-hostile neutral zones. The
action scenes are where the meat of the game lies - they feature impregnable enemy fortresses the
player must infiltrate in order to find and destroy bosses and, most importantly,
power generators. They also feature communication rooms where the game's intricate
story unfolds. The neutral zones give the player information about the coming levels,
but also special items such as new communicators and more powerful weapons. Finally,
the map also features enemy army trucks that trigger short top-down action phases
(only places where the player can collect precious continues!). Finally,
although Radd can find upgrades and power-ups, his health increases with an
experience based system and bullets left behind by enemy soldiers act as experience
points. Top Secret Hitler no Fukkatsu consists of thirteen action-packed
levels and is single player only.
|
The original arcade game Top Secret was released in the arcades in 1987 (picture on the left). It was renamed
Bionic Commando in the west and the American release even hinted a connection between the
game and Commando released two years earlier (Super Joe, hero of Commando,
was also the main protagonist of the American version, although he remained unnamed in the
original Japanese version - see Commando
for more information about Super Joe).
It is difficult to tell if the arcade game was a commercial success (let's admit it, Top Secret
was rather average), but it was converted to countless home computers at the time (especially in Europe),
such as the Amstrad CPC (1988), Commodore 64 (1988), Amiga (1988),
Atari ST (1988) and ZX Spectrum (1988). It wouldn't be too much of a stretch to say
that most players in the 80s experienced the game at home rather than in the arcades... then came
the Famicom version tested here. Rather than going for a straight conversion, Capcom
decided to use the arcade's gameplay mechanics and to reboot the whole game (as they did for other
of their arcade hit ports at the time). And the end result is a game that improved on its
predecessor in every way, and which is now regarded as 'canon' for the Bionic Commando
series. The game was then ported to the Game Boy in 1992, and this version borrowed the
gameplay elements that made the Famicom version so popular. The series then laid dormant
until 2000, when Bionic Commando Elite Forces was released for the Game Boy Color,
but the game was a step backward from the excellent Famicom game (and rightfully so). Fans
of the series would have to wait eight more years for another opus in the
series - Bionic Commando Master-D Fukkatsu Keikaku (aka Bionic Commando Rearmed)
was released in 2008 for the Playstation 3, XBox 360 and PC Computers
(download only), and was a spectacular enhanced 3D remake of the original Famicom game
(the action is still 2D though). Although Rearmed uses the same premise than the
Famicom game, it greatly expands its story line, gameplay elements and weapons, and
it delivers an experience that fans of the original game won't want to miss out. Then a full
3D version called Bionic Commando followed in 2009 for the Playstation 3,
XBox 360 and PC Computers - the game takes place after Bionic Commando Rearmed
and the story tries to tie together the events that transpired between Commando and
Bionic Commando (See Commando for more information).
However, the game wasn't
very popular (and not as commercially successful as Bionic Commando Rearmed), which
resulted in the release of Bionic Commando Rearmed 2 for the XBox 360 and
Playstation 3 (download only) in 2011 - but the game is a let down compared to the
previous episode.
|
Top Secret Hitler no Fukkatsu is very well-known among players for an interesting reason
that goes beyond its unquestionable qualities. The Japanese name translates as
"Top Secret Hitler's resurrection", and, obviously, the game was heavily edited for
its western release and all the Nazi references were removed (thanks to Nintendo's strict
censorship policies back in the day). Hitler was renamed 'Master-D', the Nazis
renamed the Badds (although the instruction manual calls them the Nazz in some
places) and all the Swastikas were replaced with different and less controversial emblems.
Although Hitler was renamed Master-D, his portrait in the game is still the one
of Hitler, which must have confused many players back in the days. Additionally,
Capcom kept the violence intact and the scene where the head of Hitler graphically
explodes at the end of the game (blood and gore included) was left in the western release!
Capcom also changed some of the character's names - the enemy's main commander is called
'Wiseman' in the Japanese version but was renamed 'Generalissimo Killt' in the western
release. Additionally, a secondary character appears later in the game and helps the player - he is
amusingly called Schwarzenegger in the Japanese version, but was renamed Destroyer-3
in the western release (see the Secret section below). Finally, numerous gameplay elements were changed throughout the game, some
enemies were moved around, various placed edited, and the game feels, overall, easier to play
than the original Japanese version.
|
Teaser text copied from the American version:
For two tears, your people have struggled
against the relentless onslaught of invading
forces. With your army reduced to a handful
and your artillery depleted, further resistance
seems impossible.
But in a hidden underground laboratory, a
team of scientists has at least perfected a new
kind of fighting machinery: a bionic arm that
extends and contracts, providing unheard-of-strength
and maneuverability. Combined with an
arsenal of rapid-fire, armor-piercing, and
heat-seeking weaponry, this will put the power of
an entire army in the hands of one man... one
carefully-chosen soldier, who has what it takes to
become a new breed of unstoppable commando...
a Bionic Commando. And you are that soldier!
Your mission will take you through the heavily-patrolled
wilderness surrounding the enemy
headquarters, and into the very heart of the
fortress itself. Even ot the most courageous
soldier, it would seem an impossible challenge.
But there has never been a solider like the Bionic
Commando!
|
Game Staff (Copied from the Japanese version's end credits) :
|
STAFF
Chara-Designe
Hotaru.B
Terukun
Junchan
Gamereon
Haihoo.K
|
|
Program
Ichirou
Twilight
N.Ton
Windy
Music
Gondamin
|
|
Planning
Hatchan
Special Thanks
Mr.FF
|
|
Game Staff (Copied from the American version's end credits) :
|
STAFF
Chara-Designe
Hotaru.B
Terukun
Junchan
Gamereon
Haikoo.K
|
|
Program
Ichirou
Twilight
Oki.Chan
Windy
Music
Gondamin
|
|
Planning
Hatchan
Special Thanks
Mr.FF
|
|
G
O
O
D
I
E
S
|
|
Japanese Guidebook
|
American Novel Book
|
|
|
O
M
A
K
E
|
|
|
|
|
Click on picture to enlarge |
S
E
C
R
E
T
S
|
|
Leave action levels:
This hidden option will save you time and efforts - it is possible to leave any action level
at any time - to do so, press and hold A and B, and press Start.
The Machine Gun:
The Machine Gun is one of the last weapon that can be acquired near the end of the game.
But there is an amusing difference between the Japanese release of the game and the western version.
When the player finally rescue Super Joe (area 7), he is told to talk to a man in order to
collect the machine gun - and in the original game, this man is called Schwarzenegger
(シュワルツァネッガー), a direct reference to actor Arnold Schwarzenegger. When the player eventually reaches
the last neutral zone (area 18), he actually meets three different men, all curiously called
Schwarzenegger. But they are all spelled slightly differently - although one of them is
the real Schwarzenegger (and will give the player the real machine gun), the
other two are impostors and are called Schwarsenegger (シュワルツェネッガー) and Schwaretsenegger (シュワレツェネッガー).
This part of the game is still present in the western release, but the Schwarzenegger
soldiers were renamed Destroyer-1, Destroyer-2 and Destroyer-3 (probably
in an effort to simplify the game for western players).
|
|
|
|
LK
|
|
Add your Pov here !
|
P
O
V
s
|
|
Top Secret Hitler no Fukkatsu is a pure win classic. How Capcom
managed to pull this much out of a Famicom game is beyond me. I mean, they
successfully reinvigorated a rather average arcade game and found a way to make it
all work. I have to say, the original arcade game was riddled with design flaws and
although I have always enjoyed its premise and overall design, I have equally always
felt overwhelmed by its shortcomings. But this Famicom version drastically
improves on its predecessor in every possible ways and features a slick progression
system and, most importantly, a world that feels real and alive (with, for instance,
the player routinely spying on enemy communications). The game is not entirely perfect
though - the difficulty is brutally unforgiving and the lack of an option to jump
takes some getting used to. You can feel that even the game developers had issues
with that and several levels have 'jump tiles' scattered around, usually strategically
placed before lethal spikes or rolling barrels. The grappling hook also has its share
of quirks and learning its intricacies is an obligatory part of the game, and later
levels require incredibly precise timing and extreme dedication to overcome. All in
all, Bionic Commando is definitively the kind of game that grabs your attention
and refuses to let go until you're done with it (although the controls and the
difficulty level may account for some incredible frustration).
|
|
|
|
