Difference between revisions of "Bionic Commando (book)"

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* Jack's refusal to attack enemy soldiers until they first try to kill him is adorablely childish.
 
* Jack's refusal to attack enemy soldiers until they first try to kill him is adorablely childish.
 
* The hints at the ends of some of the chapters are not very helpful, and the very first one kind of spoils the game's ending.
 
* The hints at the ends of some of the chapters are not very helpful, and the very first one kind of spoils the game's ending.
 +
* The remade cover, though expertly painted, removes the main character's gun which makes him look like a sitting duck, but it also removes all the shooting guns from the enemy soldiers, so I guess he doesn't need it!
  
 
===Ugly===
 
===Ugly===

Revision as of 15:21, 25 September 2020

First edition, US paperback.

Bionic Commando is a young adult novelization of the NES port of the video game Bionic Commando and was published by Scholastic in January of 1991. It is book number six in the Worlds of Power series, although it is the seventh book in the series. Like all books in the series, it is attributed to "F. X. Nine," though the internal text lists the author as Judith Bauer Stamper.

In the book, Jack Markson and his partner Super Joe are trying to prevent Generalissmo Kilt, leader of the Badd, from obtaining the plans for a war machine known as Albatros which he can use to take over the world.

Personal

I read my first Worlds of Power book, Blaster Master, in the early 1990s, but I didn't read any others until 2007 when, being nostalgic for the story, I ordered several other books from the series. Being a big fan of the series, Bionic Commando was the next one I read.

Status

I own a first edition mass market paperback and have read it.

Review

— This section contains spoilers! —

Good

  • Since the game doesn't have any story about the origin of the hero's bionic arm, his backstory with Super Joe, or even his name, Stamper had to create one. I think she did a pretty good job.

Bad

  • In the game, the manual uses Nazz, but the game intro uses Badds. These are actually both euphemisms for Nazis. However, the book describes the Nazz and Badd as as two different terrorist organizations.
  • The Badd have a team of ninja assassins, but, don't worry, the Federation trains its commandos in the art of the ninja as well. I know ninjas were all the rage at the time, but they don't need to be included in every story.
  • Jack's refusal to attack enemy soldiers until they first try to kill him is adorablely childish.
  • The hints at the ends of some of the chapters are not very helpful, and the very first one kind of spoils the game's ending.
  • The remade cover, though expertly painted, removes the main character's gun which makes him look like a sitting duck, but it also removes all the shooting guns from the enemy soldiers, so I guess he doesn't need it!

Ugly

  • While some of the extra abilities the author gave to the bionic arm are pretty interesting, the truth field was pretty stupid.

Media

Links

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