Commando

The Good
I liked the fact that this game was so easy to win so I was able to rack up another win to my personal NES game count without exerting too much effort. And it is always enjoyable to see early examples of poorly translated Japanese video games.

The Bad
Commando always struck me as a rather sorry excuse for a game. I guess I am just easily offended by the fact that the game's 4 levels were actually just the same one level repeated 4 times but with more enemies and bullets during each iteration.

The Bottom Line
Go ahead and play Commando, if only because it will not take you very long. Then move along to the sequel, the far superior Bionic Commando.

The Good
When it was released in 1984, Capcom's Commando was a huge hit in the arcades and the game came out on every possible platform there was at the time. In the game, you play the commando who is asked to destroy two enemy bases. You are dropped off into enemy territory, and your task is to get through eight areas while shooting enemies before they have the chance to either shoot at you first or bomb you with grenades. You have a machine gun and several grenades to use against them.

The game contains every element that the coin-op version had. This includes the animation in which you lose a life, the throwing of grenades by your character, and most of all, the character walking from one spot to another. You can move freely around the screen to a spot where you cannot easily get shot.

The graphics are in line as well. The structures on the ground, including enemy trenches, small shacks, deserted roads, and watch towers, make you feel as if you are walking through war zones as enemies will emerge from these structures.

Although the music hasn't got that energetic feel that the Commodore 64 version had, there is Commando-style music that really suits the gameplay. This type of music is also present in the coin-op version. The sound effects are good, and goes well with the event that has just taken place.

The Bad
The game could have been improved when your character gets near the end of each area, where there are no bosses to defeat. You just have to kill a bunch of enemies who make their way past the huge gate that opens. This got a bit boring after a while.

The Bottom Line
The Amiga version is faithful to the coin-op version, regardless of whether it is missing the C64's energetic soundtrack, which was composed by no other than Rob Hubbard. The gameplay is quite a simple run-and-shoot game. I still think that Commando should have had bosses at the end of each area, like in Ghosts 'n Goblins.

Rating: ***

The Good
The music! I think half the time playing this game me and my friends would just dance around the room to the music! Only the Commodore 64 version can do this! The gameplay is cool too but that song.

The Bad
Uh. that guy with the grenade launcher by the bridge. I hated him and still do!

The Bottom Line
Shake your butt and shoot the bad guys! This game gets you pumped for combat and makes you feel like your cool and in the A-team!