With all this Grin bashing lately, I feel compelled to contribute a retrospective review of their biggest letdown, Bionic Commando.




Acting as a reinventing of the franchise in the form of a sequel to the original Bionic Commando, this game has been branded as the cornerstone to Grin Studio's demise. I used to obsess over this game prior to its release, and although I am a huge Bionic Commando fan, I will admit this next-gen release falls very short.

Honestly, games like this, Mercenaries 2 and to a certain extent MGS4 are what make me ignore media hype and wait for titles to drop to $30-$40 now before I snag one.



So, they changed the hot dog arm and we all thought salvation had been delivered. Boy, were we wrong.

Let me be fair, though.

Bionic Commando has some pretty graphics, and you simply can't hate on the swinging feature. Having that sense of freedom in a game world really improves the immersion factor, if you ask me..

..But what's up with the radiation barriers!!!? Such a cheap tactic, and a frustrating one at that. I would've preferred some implementation of a natural barrier in the level environment as a means of forcing a linear path, but that's just me. The radiation clouds were such a prominent feature throughout the game, yet the weapon that caused them was barely explained.

This leads me to another complaint. Clearly this game lacks enemies to fight. After you clear the few pockets of resistance in each level segment, they never respawn. So then, there should be some sort of emphasis on exploration, right?
Unfortunately, the stupid radiation barriers prohibit that, and I wouldn't call the "hidden items" as an incentive for searching every nook and cranny of a stage. I appreciate the bonus concept art, but it's really not that much of an easter egg. That kind of shit should be a given nowadays, if you ask me.

What was with the amount of bosses in this game? What, two? The molehole thing, and Groeder? Seriously??!?! This game actually LACKS a final boss. I couldn't believe that. Hey, when I beat this game I felt like I had been dumped by the love of my life. I was so jaded. What the fuck was with the ending, too? What a cliffhanger. (har har, get it)

Some other comments:

-Why did they eliminate the hacking mini game that was in Rearmed? It was such a good idea! What, because it's like 20 years later, hacking is so fucking easy now? Bullshit, man.

-Why even provide us with the ability to revisit levels when we can't carry over the skills we unlock during game progression???!? Why would I want to revisit earlier Ascension City levels, when I can't even throw a fucking car or kite a dude? Pistol only? Enough.

I have a hard time believing there will be a sequel to this Grin release. I hope so, because I really do love this franchise...but its sales collectively were embarrassingly low. I haven't even touched the multiplayer aspect but I'm betting it's dull as hell..

Out of 10, I give this title a 6.5..and really, I don't like owning any game that's below a 7.

I'll deal with it though. And keep hope alive for a better sequel.



Next time, take your arm off first..