You have to disentangle the complex overlaps and interdependencies of the Nazi defense in order to infiltrate a target location. Whichever game you pick up in the Commandos trilogy - the arc of awesomeness of which is similar to the Godfather trifecta’s - your wits, foresight, and attention to detail will be challenged enormously.Īt its core, Commandos is a puzzle game. That’s unless you count the very many times you will die before completing even the tutorial mission.
It perfected the balance of fiendish gameplay and rewarding puzzles, sharpened up the visual presentation, and wove a beautifully detailed narrative through a series of variegated missions that never felt repetitive or stale. Pyro Studios already had a very good game on its hands with the original Commandos and the excellent Beyond the Call of Duty expansion, but 2001’s Men of Courage marked the pinnacle of the company’s output. Unlike legions of gung-ho WW2 shoot-em-ups, 'Commandos' rewards stealth, cunning, and guile Those traits are both visually apparent and functionally important, and they make each protagonist feel organic and real. The explosives expert is slow and deliberate, the reformed thief is sprightly and agile, and the big muscly dude can take a lot of damage.
Instead of a one-man army, you get a crack squad of artfully differentiated commandos whose strengths and weaknesses contribute real depth to the gameplay. Unlike the legions of gung-ho WW2 shoot-em-ups that have you blasting through waves of identikit baddies, the Commandos series rewards stealth, cunning, and guile. WhiskeyĪ small bull terrier, who can be used to distract guards as well as pass items between commandos easily.For a game with an almost cartoonish art style, Commandos 2: Men of Courage happens to be one of the most visceral and realistic recreations of the Second World War.
Real name: Natasha Van Der Zand/Natasha Nikochevski.īirthplace: Netherlands/ Kiev, Soviet Union.Ĭharacter is best used for distraction, she can seduce enemy soldiers. ThiefĪs the smallest and fastest of the Commandos, thief can climb walls as well as jump through windows. While in an enemy uniform the spy can distract guards and, if wearing a high ranking uniform, order low ranking soldiers to face a certain direction. SpyĬan disguise himself in the clothes of enemies and walk through enemies without attraction attention. To initiate this the player must place the cross hairs over the unit to be shot. Has the ability to shoot enemies at very long range. He is an expert in heavy weapons and explosives such as C4 and flamethrowers. His main attribute is his Knife, which he can use to silently take out enemy units without attracting attention. He can also bury himself in certain areas. Green Beret has the ability to carry heavy objects. He can also set various traps and use molotov cocktails and smoke grenades. Also has a grappling hook and can throw knives at enemies. He is also the only commando who can pilot boats. This is useful to disarm underwater objects such as sea mines. Commandos DiverĬan use his scuba gear to dive underwater and stay there indefinitely.
Fragments of photos can be found throughout missions and once a picture is completed a bonus mission is unlocked. Bonus missions can also be unlocked through the collection of photos. These range from infiltrating towns in Normandy to destroying bridges in the Pacific. There are 10 missions in the campaign and each is located on a large map with many objectives to complete.
However this can only be applied to one enemy at a time. This can help the commandos to sneak past guards unnoticed and co-ordinate ways to take out enemies. To help with this, player can see enemy soldiers viewing area. The game is mostly focused around this stealth concentrated type of game play. To avoid detection the commandos must take out enemies silently. To complete these objectives there are a number of commandos the player can take control of, all of which have their own special abilities.Īs the commandos are deep behind enemy lines, the maps are flooded with enemy units, patrolling the area and guarding specific points. The player must complete a variety of different missions through the completion of objectives, some of these take place in notable locations from historical events or, in the case of the mission " The Bridge Over the River Kwai", famous war films. Commandos 2 takes place in the years 19 on both the western and the Pacific fronts.