It's Dire Times If It Means We'll Never See GRIN's Logo Again.

It hurts a little to type this. Not only because we know someone who used to work at Swedish outfit GRIN, but also because of the two games they’ve put out this year, we thought they were both pretty darn good.

Bionic Commando was a clever platform-esque shooter. Sure there were issues with the design, but we certainly had fun playing it. Wanted: Weapons Of Fate was also a really satisfying cover-based shooter that was agonisingly short. Two great games, with a few flaws. Certainly not the type of games that should be closing a studio down.

Sadly, it’s being reported that GRIN’s Barcelona and Gothenburg studios have been closed, with employees at the companies HQ in Stockholm being told not to show up for work.

Rumours coming from those with contacts in the studio are confirming the companies frosty future.

Bionic Commando Multiplayer Impressions.

Bionic Commando is a game that doesn’t really lend itself immediately to multiplayer. What GRIN have crafted is a mode that works rather well for the context, but is certainly not as enjoyable as multiplayer in games that instantly lend themselves to the formula.

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Bionic Commando Doesn't Quite Set The Charts On Fire.

This is a shame. With Wanted: Weapons Of Fate and Terminator Salvation clearly being GRIN’s side-show releases, many expected Bionic Commando to be their big seller; especially when they totally reignited the franchise with Bionic Commando: Rearmed. Apparently not though, as their re-imagining of Capcom’s classic only sold 27,000 units in May. Thankfully the game was only on store shelves for 2 weeks in the month, so hopefully things will pick up throughout June. It’s certainly sad news to see the game not make an initial impression, especially when you consider Bionic Commando is a classic Capcom franchise and the game was outsold nearly double by Terminator Salvation.

We thought Bionic Commando was really good. You should buy it.

Bionic Commando on Playstation 3 Review.

Swedish outfit GRIN have acted like Bionic Commando’s fairy-tale prince; seeking the princess with Rearmed and ultimately kissing the franchise back to life with this entry. Still, like any fairy-tale, there are flaws to contend with along the way.

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Large Layoffs Happening At GRIN.

In somewhat disheartening news following the releases of Bionic Commando, Terminator Salvation and Wanted; Swedish developer GRIN are rumoured to have laid-off 100-160 of their staff. The firm, which has offices in Sweden, Spain and Indonesia, is rumored to be in the process of shuttering its Gothenburg and Barcelona-based sites.

We’ll have a review of Bionic Commando later in the week.

The Influence Of Super Mario 64 Is Still Evident Today.

When I was little my favourite game was Super Mario All-Stars on the SNES. It was the one with all the original NES Super Mario games updated for the 16-bit power of the SNES. That game started my love affair with platforming games. I eventually grew older with Super Mario 64 and Banjo Kazooie, but since then, platformers have been rare. On the Playstation Ratchet & Clank popularised platforming and shooting action, but nothing’s really matched the formula that Super Mario 64 provided for the 3D generation of platoform games. I think platforming moved on.

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As Bionic Commando gets a little closer, we think we can feel a slightly trembling inside our bodies. This is, of course, the effects of anticipation. Readers, the protagonist has a bionic arm(!) – need we say more?

This new trailer reveals many of the new moves that will be available to Nathan “Rad” Spencer – including Zip-Kicks. Why do any other move when you can Zip-Kick?