The Bionic Commando franchise is tinged with nostalgia, making it a wildly difficult proposition for Swedish-developer GRIN to attempt a next-gen reinvention.

“I think there’s a sweet spot as to how long you can let a franchise sleep,” producer Ben Judd told us, “and I think it’s about five or so years. Maybe ten.”

“But it’s not twenty,” adds GRIN founder and the game’s creative director, Ulf Anderson.

“It’s not f**king twenty,” concurs Judd.

So with fond memories of Capcom’s original 2D side-scrolling, it was with great caution that we approached the the upcoming Bionic Commando for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC. At GDC, our minds were changed, and we came away impressed. But without getting our hands-on the title, we’ve remained cautiously optimistic.

At last week’s CAPTIVATE media event, GRIN and Capcom were showing off an updated — and more importantly, a playable — version of Bionic Commando. I’m still impressed by how the team has transitioned the classic franchise into 3D, and I’ve learned one thing: although all of the swinging might make you think otherwise, Spider-Man this ain’t. It’s superior.

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