Nintendo Blocking Bionic Commando VC Release

Representatives from Capcom have revealed that the swinging NES shooter Bionic Commando will not be released through the Wii's online Virtual Console service, owing the exclusion to unspecified problems with Nintendo.

"[The original Bionic Commando on Virtual Console] couldn't happen," Capcom producer Ben Judd recently told IGN.

"This is NOT, repeat NOT, a Capcom issue," Capcom business development VP Christian Svensson later clarified on that company's official forum. "Please remember, Nintendo calls the shots on what goes up on VC, not third parties."

An enhanced and digitally distributed remake of the first Bionic Commando, titled Bionic Commando Rearmed and developed by GRIN, is due to be released on PC, the Xbox 360's Xbox Live Arcade and the PlayStation 3's PlayStation Store in May.

GRIN is also handling the full-fledged 3D reimagining of the Bionic Commando franchise, which is slated to hit PC, PS3 and X360 at an unknown date.

"If it's not on the Virtual Console, you can bet there's a reason for it," Judd continued. "If I'm making [Bionic Commando Rearmed], making the

next gen one, we have a comic book on the community site, we're doing

podcasts--I've tried to hit every single angle I can."