I'm both an audiophile and a big fan of classic games. The two intersect frequently, whether I'm interviewing the founder of music group 8 Bit Weapon, downloading tunes from OCRemix.org, or inserting those same tracks into a corporate podcast.

Such musical efforts are mostly fan-driven, as it's unusual to find a professional interest in retreading old ground — publishers usually would rather pillage an old license to create soulless sequels. But Capcom has broken that trend with an homage to the gameplay and music of one of the games of my youth. The NES classic Bionic Commando is being reengineered for Xbox Live Arcade, to be released next month as Bionic Commando Rearmed. Capcom has further announced that the soundtrack of this remake is now available as a separate purchase, from either Sumthing Digital or Apple Podcasts.

It's been so long since I've played Bionic Commando (the Game Boy Color version notwithstanding) that I can't fully recognize or appreciate these new variations. But I got a real kick out of the self-parody present in the narrator's dramatic introduction:

"They lost their hero to the enemy.
They went looking for the perfect solider to rescue him.
They found some guy who couldn't even jump."

$10 gets you all 15 tracks today; another $10 gets you the game on XBLA next month.

(Hat tip to Nintendo Wii Fanboy)