Top Secret (Japan, old revision)

Arcade Video game published 37 years ago:

Top Secret (c) 1987 Capcom.

Top Secret is a scrolling platform shoot-em-up set ten years after the end of World War III, with the player taking on the role of 'Super Joe'; an elite Commando tasked with infiltrating the enemy's heavily defended military base to discover their secrets plans and destroy their missile silos.

To aid him in his mission, Joe is equipped with a bionic arm; a telescopic grappling hook that is used to traverse the many platforms and ledges that make up the game's levels. The arm can also be used to temporarily stun enemies or knock them from platforms, as well as to retrieve the bonus items, wooden crates and weapons that are occasionally dropped into the war zone by parachute.

As well as the bionic arm, Joe is armed with a shotgun used to kill enemies and destroy obstructions. The shotgun can only be fired left and right, however, and cannot be used at the same time as the bionic arm. More powerful guns can be picked up throughout the game.

Bionic Commando consists of five stages:
* Stage 1: Forest
* Stage 2: Enemy Outpost (The Forefront)
* Stage 3: Underground Base (Infiltration)
* Stage 4: Control Tower
* Stage 5: Stop the Missile

In the final level, Joe must stop a nuclear missile from launching, before a final confrontation with the game's final boss, the leader of the enemy forces.

- TECHNICAL -

Main CPU : Motorola 68000
Sound CPU : Zilog Z80
Sound Chips : Yamaha YM2151

Players : 2
Control : 8-way joystick
Buttons : 2

- TRIVIA -

Top Secret was released in March 1987 in Japan. It is known outside Japan as "Bionic Commando".

The main character is Super Joe from "Senjou no Ookami" and "Rush & Crash".

Many Capcom employees consider this to be one of the most difficult games Capcom ever released in arcades.

There are several songs available in the test mode that are not used in the actual game. The game's main character, 'Super Joe', made his first appearance in the 1985 game, "Commando".

- SERIES -

1. Top Secret (1987, ARC)
2. Bionic Commando - Elite Forces (2000, GBC)

- STAFF -

Pragrammed by: Yamauchi, Komatsu
Music by: Harumi Fujita

- PORTS -

Here is a list of Japanese ports. To see non-Japanese ports, please see the Export version entry; "Bionic Commando".

* CONSOLES:
[JP] Nintendo Famicom (jul.20, 1988) "Hitler no Fukkatsu - Top Secret [Model CAP-HF]"
[JP] Sony PS2 (mar.2, 2006) "Capcom Classics Collection [Model SLPM-66317]"

* HANDHELDS: