In 1985, Capcom released Commando, followed sometime later by a sequel known as Mercs. Both of these old school games featured Rambo like characters that were likely inspired by Hollywood figures of time, and both games led players through short, but satisfying all out blastfests. Recently, Capcom released Wolf of the Battlefield: Commando 3 for consumption on the PSN and XBLA. For $10, you can choose from one of three characters and take it to the enemy across five terrains. Each version also supports online and local play with up to two other players. As typical of these older shooter games, Commando 3 is short, but still a blast with friends.

 Lots of Bangs And Booms

Commando 3 puts together a simplistic story about an elite group of admittedly generic commandos that are left for dead after being sent on a mission. Players take control of one of three characters, each with slightly different attributes, as they battle through five stages. From the moment the players land on the beach to the final battle only about one and a half hours later, the action rarely takes a breather, as you would expect from this old series. Along the way your standard machine gun that you start each mission with can be upgraded via powerups to a rocket launcher or flame thrower. Each commando carries several hand grenades that are great for clearing out an area in a hurry. Furthermore, each commando has the ability to release what's called an M-Crash in which all projectiles from enemies are halted and all on screen enemies take damage.  

Swarms of enemies on foot, turret, and vehicle will keep you moving, resulting in that old school shooter type of game that Backbone Entertainment was going for, that feeling that is true to the series. Combined with the ability to hop into vehicles and either drive or man the 50 cal, and the formula is already set for a fun multiplayer co-op game. That's really the best way to enjoy these games, with a friend or two, and with just a couple of hours or less to kill, because that's all the time they take to complete really. Once beaten, going for a higher spot on the Leaderboards is about your only option, or changing the difficult between Routine Mission and Suicide Mission, but that's about all the depth there is to be had.

Look At You Now

The original Commando released in 1985 might not have been a whole lot to look at, but Commando 3 brings a slick presentation to the table that matches its casual, over-the-top arcade style. The animations aren't super detailed or even all that varied, but the textures and colors were pleasant. Various weapons and enemies and terrains take us across a good palette of colors and the textures of of the vehicles and trees and so forth were nice looking; not great, nothing real fancy, but for very fitting for the type of game it is. In terms of audio, I didn't care too much for the soundtrack, but the effects were fine, although the sound of machine gun fire could wear on you.

Worth the price of admission? Indeed it is.

 

Wolf of the Battlefield: Commando 3 goes for about ten bucks and is, in my opinion, one of the better purchases you can make for that price on the PSN or XBLA. Then again, I'm a fan of the old school shooter games, especially those with a military theme because they make for such fun multiplayer co-op experiences. There is lots of repetition in Commando 3, and it's not a very long game, but darn it if isn't a fun game with a friend or two friends. That's what I take away from Commando 3, a simple, fun, short game that is more accessible and rewarding than most games with a similar price.