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Rumor: GRIN Final Fantasy game in hands of new studio

by JC Fletcher { Sep 21st 2009 at 9:58AM }

While the closure of GRIN was sad for many reasons, some of you may have been disappointed never to have seen the company's Final Fantasy project, which we believe is the Fortress game seen in this concept art. Based on word from "sources close to both [GRIN and Square Enix]," GamesIndustry.biz reports that the game is actually still in development -- though obviously no longer by GRIN. So, assuming this new developer finishes the game, you'll get to see GRIN's "unreleased masterpiece" after all. Kind of.

In fact, according to the report, GRIN was removed from Fortress after six months due to "quality issues," which means that the game was in someone else's hands before the studio shut down. The loss of the Fortress job may then have contributed to GRIN's financial troubles.

Art from GRIN's canceled projects revealed

by Griffin McElroy { Sep 13th 2009 at 4:30PM }

We knew that GRIN was working on a project in conjunction with Square-Enix titled Fortress at the time of its closure -- however, the portfolio of Bionic Commando lead character designer Björn Albihn offers a look at a few more of the studio's games which might have been. In addition to concepts from Fortress, the art collection includes a look at a spaghetti-western shooter called The Cult, a PSP game called Switch and a number of character models from an untitled project.

All the models look amazing -- particularly the designs for The Cult. Though the smiling developer has closed its doors, we certainly hope these projects will see the light of day in some form or another.

[Via Superannuation]

GRIN's 'unreleased masterpiece' was a Final Fantasy game codenamed 'Fortress'

by David Hinkle { Aug 20th 2009 at 10:59AM }

GRIN closed its doors last week, causing a flood of ex-staffers to put their work online in the hopes of scoring a job. Tomislav Spajic is one of those former employees and has confirmed on his LinkedIn profile that GRIN's "unreleased masterpiece" was actually a Final Fantasy game for Square Enix. Yeah, we can hardly believe it, too.

In fact, Spajic's personal site has a whole bunch of concept art and one of the games listed (called "Fortress") is likely the Final Fantasy game for Square Enix. We've seen it on other ex-GRINners' LinkedIn pages, like Erik Lindqvist's here, where Lindqvist flat-out says, "During 2009 I've been working on the preproduction for an unannounced, and now canceled project with the production name 'Fortress' for Square Enix."

[Via superannuation]

Bionic Commando developer GRIN closes

by JC Fletcher { Aug 12th 2009 at 4:15PM }

Recent reports of layoffs revealed that Swedish developer GRIN was in financial trouble. Today, in a statement on the GRIN website, founders Bo and Ulf Andersson announced that the company was officially closing, citing an "unbearable cashflow situation" due to delayed payments from unnamed publishers.

In the statement, the founders mentioned "our unreleased masterpiece that we weren't allowed to finish" and thanked many of the companies they worked with, including Ubisoft and Capcom -- but not Warner Bros., for whom GRIN made Wanted: Weapons of Fate and Terminator: Salvation. As reported earlier today, several GRIN staffers who had previously been laid off have gone on to form Outbreak Studios.

[Via Kotaku]

Ex-GRIN staffers form Outbreak Studios

by Griffin McElroy { Aug 12th 2009 at 2:30PM }

Now that's what we call an expedient rebound -- a number of developers who were recently laid off from GRIN have bounced back, forming a new studio operating under the moniker Outbreak Studios. The head honcho for the new outfit is former GRIN lead programmer Peter Björklund, who, in addition to the games produced by his former place of employment (Wanted: Weapons of Fate and Bionic Commando, among others), worked on Battlefield: Bad Company, Race Pro and Just Cause.

The studio's recently opened site has a clear mission statement -- to "develop titles for Xbox 360 (XBLA), PS3 (PlayStation Store), Games For Windows Live, PSP Go and iPhone." The new developer is also hoping to "deliver online components for AAA titles, both existing or upcoming." We wish the Outbreak team the best of luck, and hope their new ventures far outshine their previous ones.

[Via Edge Online]

Rumor: Nobody's smiling about more GRIN layoffs

by Alexander Sliwinski { Aug 11th 2009 at 9:07AM }

It appears that the rumors of layoffs at Stockholm-based developer GRIN are getting worse, with the company itself allegedly on the brink of collapse. Gamasutra has been informed by reliable sources that the studio has had another round of layoffs and that some employees have been told not to show up for work. Two of the company's studios have already shut down, with the main Stockholm office being the next domino.

Despite critical acclaim for Bionic Commando Rearmed, the studio saw sluggish sales and tepid reviews from big-budget titles like Terminator Salvation, Wanted: Weapons of Fate and -- the game that could really have given it a boost -- Bionic Commando. We'll update as we hear more.

Bionic Commando grapples Steam, soundtrack released

by Richard Mitchell { Jul 29th 2009 at 4:00AM }

Get ready for a double bionic news whammy. First up, both Bionic Commando and its retro cousin, Bionic Commando Rearmed, are now available on Steam. Bionic Commando can be grappled for $39.99, while Rearmed will make heads explode for only $9.99. If you want to just go crazy and get 'em both, you can save a whole five bucks by picking up the Bionic Commando Pack for $44.99.

In other bionic news, the Bionic Commando soundtrack is now available from Sumthing Digital and iTunes for $9.99. While opinions on Bionic Commando are mixed, the soundtrack is definitely worth checking out (just like its cousin).

[Via 1UP]

Bionic Commando swings to PC July 17 in EU, July 28 in US

by David Hinkle { Jul 8th 2009 at 8:57PM }

If you've been anxiously awaiting Nathan Spencer's latest romp, Bionic Commando, on the PC, then we've got some important days you'll need to mark on your calendar. First up, courtesy of Eurogamer, we know the title will release in Europe on July 17. Capcom has confirmed with us that the game will arrive in North America two weeks later, on July 28.

The PC version of Bionic Commando will feature the same gameplay as its console counterparts, but will boast new features in DirectX 9 and 10 support, higher resolutions, customizable controls and online options. Considering the game only managed to move 27,000 copies on consoles in its first month of US release, we wonder how the PC launch will fare.

Bionic Commando Rearmed update coming to XBLA as well

by Christopher Grant { Jun 29th 2009 at 4:00PM }

Worried about news that Capcom's Bionic Commando Rearmed was getting patched with Trophy support as well as new difficulty levels on PlayStation Network, with no mention at all of an Xbox Live Arcade patch? We feared the worst and asked Capcom to set us straight. A spokesperson told us, "Yes yes of course, same new Easier modes on both platforms." There you have it!

Eleven days ago Capcom's John Diamonon assured us that the patch (at least on PSN) "should be available real soon"; however, as of today, neither patch has appeared. We'll go ahead and assume the new release date is "really really soon."

Gallery: Bionic Commando Rearmed

Bionic Commando grappled only 27k sales in May

by Alexander Sliwinski { Jun 15th 2009 at 10:45AM }

The new Bionic Commando sold a mere 27,000 units during its first month of sale in the US this May, reports Gamasutra. Well, its "first month" might be stretching it (like a grapple arm) a bit. The title went on sale May 19, which means it was at retail for the Xbox 360 and PS3 for a little under two weeks. Although, even with that caveat, those sales figures still aren't good for the modestly reviewed title, which had plenty of promotion.

Terminator Salvation, also developed by (the allegedly downsized) Grin and released around the same time as BC, sold 43,000 units with exceptionally poor reviews. To really put things in perspective, Bionic Commando Rearmed -- the high-def remake of the classic game -- sold 130,000 copies during its first week late last year.

Review: Terminator Salvation

by Griffin McElroy { May 27th 2009 at 9:30PM }

Terminator Salvation is a truly terrible game.

My reviews might occasionally sacrifice a touch of clarity in exchange for glibness or sesquipedalianism, so I find it important to write this review with its ultimate conclusion as its preface. The game is supremely awful, and you shouldn't buy it, rent it or play it. If that stern recommendation was all you were looking for, feel free to move on without reading the remainder after the jump.

If you want a lesson in how not to make a game, read on. Especially if your name appears anywhere in the Terminator Salvation credits. (Yes, even you, Rose McGowan -- IF THAT IS EVEN YOUR REAL NAME.)

Continued →

Rumor: GRIN lays off more than 100

by Justin McElroy { May 27th 2009 at 8:45PM }

GRIN sort of exploded onto the scene recently with Wanted, Bionic Commando and Terminator Salvation all releasing within a couple of months of each other. Like a star post-supernova though, it seems that the company might be shrinking in on itself. Kotaku's reporting that various sources have indicated to them that the company has let go of more than 100 staff members.

We're working on getting official confirmation from someone at GRIN, we'll let you know what we find out.

Grab Bionic Commando Rearmed on XBLA for $5 this week

by Alexander Sliwinski { May 25th 2009 at 4:00PM }

Major Nelson received accurate information this week indicating that the Xbox "deal of the week" would be Bionic Commando Rearmed for 400

($5). A small reminder: to take advantage of the deal, you must have an Xbox Live gold membership, otherwise it'll show as the standard 800

($10).

It's also worth noting that the Metacritic average for BCR is an 85, while the super new and flashy Bionic Commando is 70. Which one is getting five of your dollars?

Terminator Salvation PC replacement begins

by Xav de Matos { May 22nd 2009 at 6:15PM }

Evolved Games has begun its replacement program for recalled defective retail copies of Terminator: Salvation on PC. For those of you not keeping score at home, Terminator: Salvation PC shipped with an unfortunate feature, it wouldn't allow users to install the game at all. Add that to the fact that the game itself is virtually unplayable (that's not a glitch, it just isn't very good) and Terminator: Salvation has turned into one of the biggest movie-based gaming debacles since Charlie's Angels hit the GameCube.

Retail PC users looking for a replacement can find more information on Evolved Games' support site. The studio also released a statement apologizing for "any inconvenience that end users may have suffered." Digital distribution copies were unaffected by the bug.

Gallery: Terminator Salvation

[Via Shacknews]

Bionic Commando leaderboards swing online

by Richard Mitchell { May 20th 2009 at 8:00PM }

Capcom Unity reports that the leaderboards for Bionic Commando are now viewable on the game's website. The boards are fairly basic, displaying each players overall XP as well as their total kills, deaths and wins. Right now, it looks like the leaderboards are only available for the Xbox 360 version of the game, despite its availability on the PS3 and PC. Alas, there doesn't appear to be a search function, so good luck looking up how awesome you are.

Conversely, it will be much easier for bad players to hide their shame.