all games are not created equal

Bionic Commando: Rearmed did exactly what a good remake should do for classic games.  Smoothed out the gameplay, improved graphics, and improved the flaws of the original.  Rearmed keeps to the 2D control scheme of the original, but it sounds and plays so much better.  It really is a treat to use your bionic arm precisely to get maximum distance and traverse traps.

Unfortunately, the same can't be said for the 2009 sequel.  The bionic arm WORKS, but it just doesn't flow like you want it to.  When you swing, you can only rotate 180 degrees in any direction, meaning you can never swing higher than whatever object you're latched to.  Also, you seem to brake every time you grab onto something, without giving you a chance to keep your momentum flowing. 
I always use the recent Spider-Man games as to how swinging should work in a game.  Is it the most realistic?  Probably not.  Fun?  Definitely.  Does Bionic Commando '09 achieve this?  Sadly not really.

That's not to say that the 2009 sequel doesn't have fun parts.  The combat is certainly enjoyable, with being able to zip-kick and throw heavy objects at people.  Gunplay isn't that much fun, but launching a car at peeps hardly ever gets old.

But if I'm going to kill a few hours, I'm not gonna spend my time on a lackluster sequel.  Rearmed definitely gets you more bang for your buck.