The Next Big Hero?

It takes a special kind of game to produce the next big video game action hero. The heroes turn heads and achieve a degree of recognition among the gaming populace while starring in sequels that seldom feel stale. The public actually begins to want more, more, and more, and gets upset if they don’t get it. Metal Gear Solid 2’s turn was evidence of that. The question is, who could be the next big action hero?

The problem with producing an iconic action hero is that everything has to break right. Sure, you need a great character, but without a great game that character is doomed to obscurity. Sure, the Master Chief is Microsoft’s baby and is the character most associated with the Xbox and the Halo franchise, but it took a game with cutting-edge visuals, plot, and production values to get him there. Sony found their own action hero in God of War’s Kratos in what was an equally action-packed, cinematic, and above all enjoyable game.

Before them, Lara Croft was a big action hero thanks to the success of the original Tomb Raider, before a spate of bad games rendered her inert. For a time. And of course, there was also the venerable Solid Snake, who wasn’t anywhere near as popular in the NES installment of Metal Gear as he was in the Playstation’s Metal Gear Solid. However, both Metal Gear games featured stealth gameplay, and a strong backstory, with Metal Gear Solid’s production values helping to catapult Snake to the big time.

That’s where my choice lies. Just as Konami reached into the past to appoint Solid Snake to full-fledged icon status, my belief is the next big video game action hero will come from retcon of glorious NES past. In this case, that’s Capcom’s Bionic Commando:

Bionic Commando's Nathan 'Rad' Spencer

Like Solid Snake, Spencer was a classic NES entity that faded into obscurity because in spite of a great game, few worthy sequels were made. Back then, he starred in a “different” kind of action game, 1988’s Bionic Commando. The primary innovation was the fact that Spencer, then known just as Rad (or Ladd, depending on the translation) had to swing around with a grappling-hook like bionic arm that could be used to shove enemies, grab power-ups, and the like. Not being able to jump seemed like a risky premise to bring to an action game, but Bionic Commando got it right.

In the 8-bit era, Rad swung it better than Spider-Man. Adding to his appeal, Rad was able to do something no other action hero had then accomplished: he blew Hitler’s head apart. Now, with Swedish-based developer GRIN bringing Capcom’s baby to the 3D world after presiding over Bionic Commando: Rearmed, a highly-rated remake of the NES Bionic Commando, Spencer is poised to take the reigns as the next big action hero. The signs are right in front of us: let’s look at a few of them.

For one, Capcom may be notorious for producing sequels, but they also have a knack for creating and pushing endearing characters. Consider the big-time recognition of characters like Ryu and Mega Man, and it isn’t a stretch to see that Spencer could take a Capcom-assisted push to stardom.

Another sign is the game itself: each great video game action hero had the aforementioned great game that took familiar elements from the genre, polished them, and did something different from the rest. Metal Gear Solid boasted stealth and tactical espionage action. Tomb Raider combined some run and gun gameplay with puzzle-solving and exploration, while Halo reminded first-person gamers of the need to take cover, while also reminding us of the joys of strong right hooks and tanks. That said, if the gameplay video below is any indication, Bionic Commando will fit right in with its own spin on the action genre.

Of course, that sexy-looking gameplay is also the potential breaking point. If the controls are poor, the game may well fail even if Spencer is endearing and the plot is awesome. On that same matter, the plot is another potential stumbling point: right now the basics seems to consist of, “Terrorists rickroll a city and now Spencer’s back and is the only one who can stop them.” Maybe terrorists can hold that same kind of villainous charm that the Badds’/Nazi’s of the NES Bionic Commando but there’ll need to be some plot backing them up. However, Halo’s plot could be summed up with similar terms (replace terrorists with aliens, replace city with humanity, and replace Spencer with Master Chief and you’ve got the extreme basics) so it may be too early to knock the plot.

If GRIN gets the game right, Bionic Commando could be more than just a sweet action game; it could make Spencer an instant star. After numerous delays, the game finally has a clear-cut May 2009 release time according to the official site, so one way or another, Xbox 360, PS3, and PC owners will see.

Rad Spencer: the next big video game action hero. You heard it here first.