Bionic Commando Theme
Bionic Commando Theme | ||||||||
|
The Bionic Commando Theme is a song heard in various games from the Bionic Commando series. It was originally composed by Harumi Fujita for the original arcade game, but has since been rearranged for several different ports and reboots. The song was originally composed with a snare drum throughout the song giving it a military march sound.
In addition to its various rearrangements, the song was also covered by the band Machinae Supremacy to promote the Bionic Commando reboot.
Contents
Title
The track's title has gone through a couple changes through its history. Without an official soundtrack, the song lacked an title for 18 years, often being referred to as "Area 1" by players of the NES port, because the song is first heard in Area 1, or "The Forefront" by players of the arcade game, because the song is played in Stage 2: The Forefront. However, in 2005, Scitron Digital Contents obtained the rights to publish a large bundle of arcade game music in the Legend of Game Music: Premium Box. Among the games include was Top Secret, Bionic Commando's Japanese title, and this song was released with the title, "大要塞 [Big Fortress]." The English translation on the soundtrack differs from the in-game translation. However, in 2008, Capcom released Bionic Commando: The 8-bit Soundtrack to promote the Bionic Commando reboot. The new official title was created by Grin employee Simon Wiklund and listed as, "Bionic Commando Theme." In 2009, the orchestrated version of the song was released on the reboot soundtrack as "Main Theme."
Composition
The Bionic Commando Theme was originally composed in a military style. There is a constant rapid snare drum keeping time in the background as well as a driving bass. The lead is pair brass-sounding instruments with occasional flourishes from what sounds like a fife. Later arrangements of the song use a more cinematic sound with full orchestration.
Games
Released |
Game |
Arranger |
Length |
Format |
Listen |
1987-03-?? | Bionic Commando (ARC) | Harumi Fujita | 1:59 | VGM | |
1988-07-20 | Bionic Commando (NES) | Junko Tamiya | 1:03.93 | NSF | |
1992-07-24 | Bionic Commando (GB) | Kouji Murata | 1:11 | GBS | |
2008-08-13 | Bionic Commando: Rearmed (PS3) | Simon Wiklund | |||
2008-08-13 | Bionic Commando: Rearmed (X360) | Simon Wiklund | |||
2008-08-13 | Bionic Commando: Rearmed (W32) | Simon Wiklund | |||
2009-05-18 | Bionic Commando (PS3) | Jamie Christopherson, José Luis Gonzalez Castro | |||
2009-05-18 | Bionic Commando (X360) | Jamie Christopherson, José Luis Gonzalez Castro | |||
2009-07-28 | Bionic Commando (W32) | Jamie Christopherson, José Luis Gonzalez Castro | |||
2011-02-01 | Bionic Commando: Rearmed (PS3) | Simon Wiklund | |||
2011-02-01 | Bionic Commando: Rearmed (X360) | Simon Wiklund |
Bionic Commando (ARC)
This is the original version of the song as composed by Harumi Fujita. It is heard in stage 2: The Forefront.
This song was included on the Legend of Game Music: Premium Box album. It's track 52 on disc 3, and it has the title "大要塞 [Big Fortress]."
Audio Devices
The song is played on a YM2151 sound chip and is song 0x2 in the game's sound test. The instrument breakdown is as follows:
Channel |
Instrument |
1 | Horn Lead, horn flourishes |
2 | Horn Lead (low), horn flourishes |
3 | Bass |
4 | Horn Harmony (high), flute flourishes |
5 | Snare Drum 1 |
6 | Snare Drum 2 |
7 | Unused |
8 | Unused |
Bionic Commando (NES)
Junko Tamiya rearranged Harumi Fujita's song for the NES game where it can be heard as the background music for Areas 1, 3, 4, and 7. The song is considerably shorter, featuring only the first portion of the song before looping and missing all of the flourishes of the later portions of the arcade version.
This song was included on the official soundtrack, where it is track 1 and is titled "Bionic Commando Theme." In the liner notes, Dean Tersigni writes:
Audio Devices
The song is rendered on the RP2A03 chip in the NES in NTSC regions and on the RP2A07 in PAL regions. The PAL version of the game doesn't not compensate for the slower clock speed, and plays at a noticeably slower tempo. The track is number 5 in the NSF file.
Channel |
Instrument |
Square 1 | Melody |
Square 2 | Harmony |
Triangle | Bass |
Noise | Snare Drum |
DPCM | Unused |
Bionic Commando (GB)
Harumi Fujita's song was rearranged again for the Game Boy by Kouji Murata. It's very similar to the NES version, only with a slower tempo and lower fidelity. The bulk of the song is intact, but it is missing the bridge. Surprisingly, the iconic song is only played once, in area 13.
Audio Devices
The song is rendered on the Game Boy's DMG-CPU B and is track 1 in the GBS file.
Channel |
Instrument |
Square 1 | Melody / Harmony |
Square 2 | Melody / Harmony |
Noise | Snare |
PCM | Drums, Bass |
Bionic Commando: Rearmed (PS3) / (X360) / (W32)
The three ports of Bionic Commando: Rearmed use the same remixed version of the song. A preview of the remix can be heard on the 8-bit album (track 11), and the full remix can be heard on the Bionic Commando: Rearmed - The Soundtrack, track 1.
This rendition is completely digital.
Bionic Commando (PS3) / (X360) / (W32)
The three ports of the 7th generation reboot all use the same music. It features a fully-orchestrated rearrangement of the song from Jamie Christopherson, as well as a piano arrangement made and performed by José Luis Gonzalez Castro.
The orchestrated arrangement is track 1 on Bionic Commando: The Soundtrack where it is listed as "Main Theme," while the piano arrangement is track 18 listed as "Piano Theme."
This rendition is completely digital.
Bionic Commando: Rearmed 2 (PS3) / (X360)
Both ports of Bionic Commando: Rearmed 2 use the same remixed version of the song. The song can also be heard on the Bionic Commando: Rearmed 2 - Original Soundtrack, track 5.
This rendition is completely digital.
Albums
Released |
Album |
Version |
Title |
Track |
2005-03-24 | Legend of Game Music: Premium Box | Arcade version | 大要塞 [Big Fortress] | 3-52 |
2008-05-27 | Bionic Commando: Rearmed - The Soundtrack | Rearmed version | Bionic Commando Rearmed (Main Theme) | 1 |
2008-06-23 | Bionic Commando: The 8-bit Soundtrack | NES version | Bionic Commando Theme | 1 |
2008-06-23 | Bionic Commando: The 8-bit Soundtrack | Arranged version | Bionic Commando Rearmed Trailer (Arranged) | 11 |
2009-06-25 | Bionic Commando: Master D Revival Project - The Soundtrack | Rearmed version | Bionic Commando Rearmed (Main Theme) | 1 |
2009-07-28 | Bionic Commando: The Soundtrack | 7th Gen version (Orchestrated) | Main Theme | 1 |
2009-07-28 | Bionic Commando: The Soundtrack | 7th Gen version (Piano) | Piano Theme | 18 |
2013-10-22 | Bionic Commando ReMixed: OK, We'll Groove | Remixed | Proceed Without Caution | 2 |
2013-10-22 | Bionic Commando ReMixed: OK, We'll Groove | Remixed | Enemy Underworld | 8 |
2013-10-22 | Bionic Commando ReMixed: OK, We'll Groove | Remixed | An Arm Pun | 9 |
2014-10-14 | Bionic Commando: Rearmed 2 - Original Soundtrack | Rearmed 2 version | Bionic Commando Main Theme Revisited | 5 |
Links
- youtube.com/watch?v=xckhXilEzTs - Machinae Supremacy cover.
- youtube.com/watch?v=A7lVG9RqU1E - Rusko Remix.
- youtube.com/watch?v=0do59MMNyKE - Metal arrangement by Eric Calderone.