Bionic Commando fails to read the inputs. The problem started when I moved the 8051 code to use clock enable signals. The 8051 was problematic with sound and one reason might have been not meeting timing.
Once the 8051 used a clock enable the whole design was cleaner. F-1 Dream uses the same MCU and worked fine. However, Bionic Commando input stopped working. For Bionic Commando the MCU has access to part of the input bits but not to all. Communication about input is likely to be done through main memory.
The same 8051 is used in Black Tiger, and there is an issue about it (#41). Bootleg versions of Black Tiger work ok.
For Bionic Commando I have been able to play with the bootleg version at the time I was preparing commit c1076b9 but I am not sure whether the commit works for the bootleg or not. The bootleg is not supposed to have an MCU.
There is no nice 8051 IP available for retro purposes. All IP available comes from people who want to make stuff roughly compatible with 8051 but all I have seen -even those coming from private companies- do not respect the original chip interface or peripherals. Let alone have a clock enable input.
So there is quite a bit of work to do to debug what is wrong with either the 8051 IP or the interface with it.
The core status, other than that, is up to date with JTFRAME and simulation works.