Wolf of the Battlefield: Commando 3 joins the speedy growing list of top-down shooters occupying the XBLA. The follow up to the 1885 original and it’s 1990 sequel, Commando 3 follows the exact same format of it’s predecessors and no doubt it equals them, but does it have what it takes to hang with the best of the top-down shooters in an increasingly, dare I say, crowded market?
Top-down shooters are notoriously difficult, and somewhat unfair to those not familiar with the genre, whilst simultaneously offering a rewarding challenge to those that are. Commando 3 doesn’t change the formula. Published by Capcom and developed by Backbone Entertainment, Commando 3 gives you the old “5 years later” treatment at the end of the first mission. It is lightly explained that you are part of a small group who were employed by the Government, but are no longer wanted on their staff list. You are left to fend for yourselves against hundreds and hundreds of oncoming enemies and are deemed as the only people in the entire universe who can save mankind from the evil rulers. I can only assume the A-Team are on holiday.
You are given the choice of 3 playable characters, Fox, Wolf and Coyote. All characters are basically the same, with only minor differences in their speed, health and other generic attributes. By default you’re handed a machine gun and some grenades. Grenades can be picked up as well as bigger and better machine guns. Also on offer are a flame thrower and a missile launcher, both of which are nowhere near as useful (and fun) as they sound. You’re also given the exclusive to top-down shooters, kill everything on the screen bomb. Here, they call it a M-Crash and it is glorious and will save your life on more than one occasion. There are also vehicles and turrets on offer. The vehicle controls, controlling exactly the same as they do when on foot. The only difference being that with a vehicle you’re slower to turn, obviously because of the bigger avatar you are now controlling. Using the now standard twin analogue control scheme, the only other buttons of use are the left trigger for your M-Crash and the right for your grenades. Yes, Commando 3 is easy to pick up and play, control wise anyway….
Whilst being simple to get to grips with, the actual gameplay is dauntingly tough. The default difficulty setting of Routine Exercise isn’t your average ‘normal’ setting. Even the easy Cakewalk option isn’t as much as a cakewalk as you would assume. You’ve got to be seriously hardcore to even attempt to tackle the Black Ops and Suicide Mission settings, and hats off if you do. What remains suitably ‘old school’ is the somewhat annoying stringent ‘Game Over’ scenario. You cannot save an in progress game, so when you have lost all of your lives, you have to start again. The obvious reason for this (other than a warped tradition among top-down shooters) is the games length. Offering 5 missions, none of which are bum achingly long, If you DO have the required skills to breeze through it, you’ll do so in an hour and a half easy. The difficulties are offered to appease this, and each have their own separate online leaderboard. Levels also offer side missions of rescuing hostages and finding secret areas, to beef things up a little. Pick-ups and the general challenge of getting a better score bring this in line with others in the genre.
There is an online co-op mode and it is a lot of fun. Oddly, it’s not that much easier with two friends (or strangers) by your side, though. When one of your group loses a life you all lose a life. This remains until you’re all left with just one life and then it becomes a free for all and if you lose your one remaining, you’re out of the game. You are left watching your now former team-mates playing (and having fun) without you. Although you can still watch the onscreen action and still part-take in conversation, it’s a little dubious that there is no way you can be brought back. Not even on beginning a new level. You’re still left hanging, kind of wishing they’d hurry up and die so you can start over. Disappointing to say the very least.
Visually, the action in Commando 3 is very clear, although the graphics do have a sort of foggy effect that makes all the colours seem very soft, when big, bold colours would have been much more suited. The characters are small, and there is a severe lack of detail. The destructible environments are nowhere near the level of excellence that Assault Heroes II offered, though the gameplay is much smoother. The explosions are good and the vehicles are nicely done. The M-Crash pop-up also adding to the look. Some of the death animations are nice, but as a complete package, the average outweighs the good and everything combined comes across as rather dull.
For big fans of top-down shooters, I can’t personally see anything that will really put you off enjoying Commando 3, for those who aren’t so fanatical, you’ll lose interest quickly. For people like me sat firmly in the middle? Yes, Commando 3 is OK. The multiplayer co-op (even with the previously mentioned major flaw) is a lot of fun with a couple of friends. As a bonus, those who purchase this game, will also get a Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix (geez, that’s a mouthful) BETA. And although only offering two characters (Ken and Ryu) and one backdrop, it might just be the thing which persuades some folks to buy Commando 3. Cheeky Capcom.
