Tuesday, May 1, 2018

Bionic Commando Flag 1988 or Hilter's Resurrection - Top Secret (ヒットラーの復活 - トップシークレット)


A classic long forgotten game is Bionic Commando 1988 for the original Nintendo.  An enemy flag of red, yellow, and black is in the distance.  You can see it in the background here; it features a black falcon on a yellow-orange sun, upon a field of red.  The bad guys are known as the BADDS.  You might be thinking it's vaguely similar to the Nazi. And if you ever beat the game, then you might remember fighting Hitler in the end.  If you beat him, then you would have seen his head explode in graphic 8-bit graphic glory. 

The original game was known as ヒットラーの復活 - トップシークレット (Hitler's Resurrection - Top Secret) as it was known in Japan.  However when it hit the American market, a name change was in order. Apparently American kids were deemed too soft to handle the Nazi imagery?   Game play consisted as you controlling a red haired American hero, fighting the Badds/Nazis.

Here is a side by side intro scene of the Japanese and English versions.  Notice the change in the flags.  In the Japanese version the Neo-Nazi group had a flash lighting bolt symbol underneath the swastika.  

Bionic Commando illustrates cultural censorship through flags and symbols in video games, which continues onto this day.

Nevertheless Bionic Commando is a memorable experience, with great game play, challenges, and is fun to play.  The end fight scene is amazing action that gives the player total 8-bit satisfaction.


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