Commandos
From Free net encyclopedia
Commandos is a stealth-oriented real-time tactics Microsoft Windows game series set in the Second World War. It leans heavily (though not always accurately) on historical events during WWII to carry the plot. The series was developed by the Spanish company Pyro Studios.
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Characters
There are six main commandos in the series:
'Tiny' (Green Beret)
Real name: Jerry McHale.
Date of birth: 10 October, 1909
Place of birth: Dublin, Ireland
This heavyweight of Irish origins and army boxing champion from 1934 to 1937 was sentenced in 1938 by a military court to 14 years of forced labour after hitting an officer. His sentence was suspended when he joined the commandos. He was promoted to sergeant after the raid on the island of Vaagsö, where, after having received a bullet in the arm, cut off from his unit and without ammunition, he penetrated a bunker and wiped out 16 enemy soldiers before returning to Allied lines.
Character: An extremely violent character, this man has serious discipline problems. A hard bone to gnaw for his superior officers... and a real nightmare for the enemy. He is the Commando leader, but it seems he is able to maintain friendship with all of his comrades.
Game Attributes: He is the biggest member of the group and his tremendous strength allows him to fight, knock out and tie the enemies very quickly. He is able to knock down virtually every door, jump from incredible heights, climb poles and swing along wires. He is also the second fastest runner of the group of commandos and his amazing stamina allows him to withstand flesh wounds and gunshots that would kill any other. His preferred lethal weapons are his knife, his bare hands and stealth and with these at hand, the Green Beret is a killing machine.
Duke (Sniper)
Real Name: Sir Francis T. Woolridge
Date of birth: 21 March, 1909
Place of Birth: Sheffield, England
A descendant from a noble family. In 1936 he wins the gold medal in shooting in the Berlin Olympics. In 1937 he enlists in the army and between 1937 and 1939, he is stationed in India, where he is recognised as a great marksman. In 1940 he joins the Commandos. He is awarded a military medal when he kills the Commandant of the German garrison in Narvik with a single shot from a distance more than a mile. He is considered one of the best snipers in the world.
Character: He is very stand-offish with his other companions and is an expert marksman who is thereby extremely effective in situations requiring stealth or long range kills.
Game Attributes: The Sniper has a limited amount of sniper rounds per level and so will very rarely waste a bullet. His missions usually involve clearing the path of enemies for his colleagues from a distance. He will then stand behind debris or other objects which provide shelter while he provides cover for the other Commando troops. He can also climb poles and position himself to Snipe at the enemy. The Sniper is the team's medic if the Driver is not on the mission
Fins (Marine)
Real name: James Blackwood
Date of birth: 3 August, 1911
Place of birth: Melbourne, Australia
An Oxford alumni and Naval Engineer. He was a member of the University rowing team that won the world famous regatta between Oxford and Cambridge for three consecutive years. He is a fantastic swimmer and was the first person to swim across the English Channel on a bet. In 1935 he enlisted in the Navy. He was promoted to Captain in 1936 and was demoted to Sergeant two years later, due to an 'incident' during a stopover in Hawaii. Further problems made the General Staff give him the option of being expelled from the Navy or entering the Commando Corps as an ordinary soldier, to the latter of which he did.
Character: Blackwood has alcohol problems which are apparently under control. He also loves gambling. His skills as a sailor make him invaluable in any mission that involves naval operations.
Game Attributes: The Marine is a specialist trained for aquatic and amphibious assault based missions. With his harpoon gun and his diving equipment he is able to spend hours underwater without worrying about oxygen supply or about danger he may encounter at sea. On land he has complete mastery of throwing knives and carries a grappling hook which he is able to use to climb buildings, walls and trees.
'Inferno' (Sapper)
Real name: Thomas Hancock
Date of birth: 14 January, 1911
Place of birth: Liverpool, England
In 1933 he started working as a firefighter in the Fire Department in his hometown of Liverpool. In 1934 he joined the high-risk Explosive Department. In 1939 he enlisted in the army and the following year he volunteered for the Commandos. During the assault on St. Nazaire, he was responsible for the explosions that caused a great number of casualties in the German garrison and rendered the installations useless. He was captured during this operation and after 4 escape attempts in two months, he managed to escape and return to England.
Character: The Sapper has oustanding valor and daring in combat to the point of rashness. He has vast knowledge and experience with explosive. His special skill is the creation of explosives using almost any kind of material. He is probably the most light-hearted of all the commandos and enjoys a good night out at the pub.
Game Attributes: An expert in calculating, placing and developing explosives such as time bombs and remote bombs, he is the Commando responsible for causing widespread destruction. The materials he carries in his backpack are always delicate but heavy, forcing him to move slowly. These sensitive materials also prevent him from entering the water. He can operate other weapons such as bazookas, flamethrowers and mine detectors. He can detect and deactivate mines to then use them at a later stage. He is also able to prepare minefields in areas where enemy foot soldiers and/or vehicles will pass, causing maximum damage and confusion.
'Tread' (Driver)
Real name: Sid Perkins
Date of birth: 4 April, 1910
Place of birth: Brooklyn, USA
An ex-con, the Driver was convicted of grand theft auto, burglary, and other such felonies in 1937. Before his prison sentence he managed to escape to England with a new identity. He became known as Sid Perkins. As soon as U.S. Agents pursued Perkins, he immediately enlisted in the British Army. Two years later he collaborated with the Foreign Office in testing vehicles and arms stolen from the enemy. Impressed by his knowedege and skills, Paddy Maine enlisted Sid into the Commandos in 1941. On on of his early missions he destroyed eight German fighter planes with a jeep's machine gun and, after running out of ammo, he destroyed four more by crashing his jeep into them. From this action he suffered severe burns.
Character: Sid tends to be a very mistrustful character. Though he does not have a good relationship with his fellow Commandos, his wide range of knowledge and ability of driving/repairing all sorts land vehicles proves him to be a worthy member of the Commandos team.
Game Attributes: The driver's main purpose on each mission is to drive various vehicles during the level. He becomes most useful when a mission involves an escape truck for all the commandos once the mission is complete. During the mission, he is useful in operating German positions such as artillery and mounted machine guns. He is also equipped with a submachine gun which fires a three round burst into any enemy. However, it has a magazine of twenty rounds which limits the amout of times it can be used. The driver is also the primary medic of the team.
'Spooky' (Spy)
Real name: Rene Duchamp
Date of birth: 20 November, 1911
Place of birth: Lyon, France
In 1934 Duchamp joined the French Secret Service and between 1935 and 1938 was the Chief of Security at the French Embassy in Berlin. After the German invasion in 1940 he joined the Resistance. Soon after he was contacted by the Commando corps about becoming a part time member. Since then he has collaborated frequently with them in special operations, participating in numerous sabotages and responsible for the destruction of at least three trains, fourteen tanks and over fifty land vehicles. His information about the German troops is essential for the British Secret Service.
Character: Rene is amiable character and is great at making conversation. He harbours a feeling of absolute hatred towards the Nazis. The skills he learned while he was in the Secret Service have made him expert in communications and techniques of infiltration and sabotage and has a natural instinct for imitation. Beside speaking French, he can speak absolutely English, German, Russian and Italian fluently.
Game Attributes: Being fluent in five languages allows him to infiltrate enemy lines wearing a stolen enemy uniform and divert or give deceptive orders to enemy soldiers. His attack involves silent and cautious movement and he attempts to use minimum force if possible. His preferred weapon is a syringe loaded with a lethal poison which eliminates his enemies in complete silence. He can lift bodies and hide them to avoid raising the alarm. The Spy is the team's medic when neither the Driver nor the Sniper are deployed on the mission.
Lupin (Thief)
Real name: Paul Toledo
Date of birth: March 1, 1916
Place of birth: Paris, France
Paul is a recent addition to the group of Commandos. He grew up in an orphanage in the suburbs of Paris. In 1928 he ran away at the age of 10 from the orphanage into the hands of a young pick-pocket gang. At 12 he was arrested and put in a remand home. As he got older, he chose a career in crime as an expert thief. In 1940 he stole Rene Duchamp's suitcase, thinking he was a German officer. He was surprised when he found important documents inside the suitcase and decided to put them in the hands of the French resistance. After that incident he was recommended by Duchamp to the Commandos and has been of great help since then.
Character: Being the smallest and fastest of all of the Commandos Lupin is quiet, soft spoken, and reserved. Because of his loyalty, he soon gained the friendship from his fellow Commandos. His tiny frame allows him to break through enemy lines through avenues other men would be unable to do. He has mastered several forms of martial arts and he enjoys stalking and picking the pockets of enemy soldiers.
Game Attributes: His small stature is more than compensated by his agility to access small areas, break into houses, climb poles, swing on wires, climb walls, hide,picklocks and a host of other "ninja like" talents. He can also open safes with his tools.
Games
There are four games in the series. The first was called Commandos: Behind Enemy Lines, the second Commandos: Beyond the Call of Duty, the third Commandos 2: Men of Courage, and the fourth Commandos 3: Destination Berlin. They are all developed by Pyro Studios.
Commandos: Behind Enemy Lines
Commandos: Behind Enemy Lines (CBEL) was released on July 1, 1998. It was published by Eidos Interactive, and developed by Pyro Studios. It features 26 missions (20 basic locations and six variations). The view is isometric with tactical gameplay. The graphics are beautifully rendered and the missions are nostalgically reminiscent of some novels/hollywood movies, for example: The 3rd mission (Reverse engineering): The dam-busting climax is similar to "Force 10 from Navarone." The 4th mission (Restore Pride): Taking down the German villa (to cause confusion in the Wehrmacht's middle-level command) is akin to "The Dirty Dozen." The 5th mission: The cable car revives memories of "Where Eagles Dare." The 14th mission (D-Day Kickoff): Destruction of coastal batteries, the plot for "The Guns of Navarone." The 16th mission (End of the Butcher): An assassination mission as in "Dirty Dozen: Next Mission." The 18th mission (The force of circumstance): Blowing up the bridge, a la "The Bridge on the River Kwai."
Commandos: Beyond the Call of Duty
Commandos: Beyond the Call of Duty, a set of new Commandos missions issued as a standalone game, was released on March 31st, 1999. Desipte it being much shorter than Behind Enemy Lines, it is more difficult. It consists of around 8 missions, with locations include Yugoslavia and Crete.
Commandos 2: Men of Courage
The full sequel, released in 2001, was overhauled with a 3D engine, interactive environments, more skills for the commandos, and some new characters. Like its predecessor, it drew heavily from war films, as shown in titles of levels such as "Bridge Over the River Kwai" and "Saving Private Smith". The game received even greater praise than its predecssor, and sold well in the United States and Europe. Improvements to playable characters in the game include the ability to move bodies, handle explosives, and drive vehicles (paving the way for the Driver's expulsion from the series in the next installment).
New characters added to the game were:
- Paul "Lupin" Toledo-A French thief who has the abilities to scale walls, and open locks.
- Natasha "Lips" Nikochevski-(Even though this character appeared in Beyond the Call of Duty her last name and background were changed) A seductress and sniper.
- Whiskey- A dog with the ability to sniff out mines.
- Wilson- A shipwrecked sailor who claims to be part of the Light Brigade.
Commandos 3: Destination Berlin
This is the third sequel in the series and was released in October, 2003. In this game the mouse wheel can be used to rotate the player's vantage point. It was the first in the series to use a true 3D engine.
Commandos: Strike Force
Released during the first months of 2006, this game makes a departure from the first three games. Although the missions are set-up in a similar fashion (several different objectives, some to be achieved through stealth, others through use of force) and in most occasions the player is allowed to change between different characters, this is the first game in the series to apply a first-person perspective, like many other WWII inspired games, in contrast to the overhead view of the earlier games. Hence, the game is far more similar to the Medal of Honor or Call of Duty games than to earlier entries of the series.
Althought it is still early to comment the success of the game or to reproduce gaming reviews, the game is attracting mainly negative comments, those coming specially coming from fans of the earlier games in the series, who think the game is way too easy (the earlier games in the series have a fame of being very tough), too similar to other first-person shooter games and that its gameplay, being more action oriented, has little to do with the preceding tittles.
On the other hand, there seems to be a minor group of users who think the game is more accessible and visually appealling than other entries of the series. At this moment (April 2006) it is difficult to predict what the ultimate fate of the game will be, as well if Pyro Studios plans to continue releasing more games in the same vein as this one or if they will return to a more strategical approach.
External links
- Commandos Behind Enemy Lines (official website)
- Commandos 2: Men of Courage (official website)
- Commandos 3: Destination Berlin (official website)
- CommandosFansite.com (official fansite)
- http://www.eidosinteractive.com/gss/legacy/commandos2/main.html
- Commandos Linecs:Commandos
de:Commandos fr:Commandos nl:Commandos ja:コマンドス pt:Commandos