Commandos: Behind Enemy Lines

The Good
There's something about this game that made me want to play it. It is an old game, but it managed to stand the test of time. The rules are simple; the gameplay loop is great. Our heroes get thrown into a Nazi-infested area with a specific objective, and we need to get them through using stealth and precise strategies.

As for the music, it is epic. It reminded me of the old CoD themes; absolutely as awesome as they were.

The story is as generic as it gets. There aren't any cutscenes or voice acting aside from the directives and introductory narratives at the beginning of each mission; they are done well.

The Bad
Unfortunately, the game does suffer from 'save scumming.' It is not the game's fault; this game's AI was great for its time, but almost mediocre by modern standards. I ended up cheesing them or downright save scumming through the game.

The Bottom Line
Even with all of its flaws, this one is a classic for a reason. It has a great atmosphere, some epic music, and addictive gameplay. The sequels did a much better job, but for someone looking to start playing the series, there's no better way to do it other than to start with the very first one.

The Good
The graphics are simply beautiful. Little details, such as soldiers leaving footprints in the snow, add quite a bit to the experience, and the static detail, everything from the wrinkles in the tree bark to the lapping shallows of the rivers is incredible. This game probably marked a high point for graphics in a 2-D isometric world.

The sound is also good, giving you both a nice ambience while also providing you with audible cues that make sneaking around a whole lot easier.

I like the base concept. Your team, made up of nationals from the major Allied countries, comes effectively across like Eidos wanted: The Dirty Half-Dozen. Glorified up like your typical classic WW2, they nonetheless appear to be what they claim to be. I do like the idea of dragging bodies into the shadows (done better in Eidos' later game Thief) and other small features.

The Bad
Despite what you may read on the box or hear in some ethusiastic reviews, this is NOT an action game like Cannon Fodder or Commando. Nor is it a true strategic war game like X-Com or (the lesser quality, but ultimately more enjoyable for fans of the genre) Soliders of War. It's not even a combination like the old Airborne Ranger game from Microprose.

This is, without a doubt, a puzzle game.

Winning any particular mission is often less a matter of tactical brilliance as it is figuring out what the level designers wanted you to do to succeed. Sometimes there's multiple possible solutions, but there's usually only one or two right ways. Deviate too much and you're lost. It's a shame that so many designers feel the need to go this route. One can argue that nearly all games have 'puzzles' of sorts, but Commandos takes this to the extreme.

What's worse is that, adding to the puzzle mentality, is that your team members are HIGHLY specialized. Only one can drive a vehicle and (get this) only one can carry things! This means you have to have the right member in the right position at the right time. There's little in the way of contingency plans and while you can continue playing with one member dead, you may find latter missions impossible without that specialized grunt. It's this very strict puzzle-game mentality that turned this game around from something that should've been very fun to something annoying for me.

The Bottom Line
A WW2 small unit game that, unfortunately, emphasizes puzzles over actual tactics and dynamic play. While pretty in both sights and sounds, you will often find yourself replaying missions just to find out 'how to do it right,' which can get quite frustrating.

The Good
High production values, good graphics and varied missions.

The Bad
It isn't just that the game is difficult, it's that the gameplay just isn't fun, it's tedious. Memorizing patrol patterns, moving with precise timing, executing procedures with precise timing. "Hey" you say, "That's the life of a Commando" Okay, but this is a game and it's about gameplay. Move one pixel to far? Dead. Reload. Click on that guard to shoot him and miss by one pixel? Your commando will HOLSTER his weapon and WALK towards the guard. Dead. Reload. Don't see all overlapping patrol patterns? Dead. Reload. Rinse and repeat... hundreds of times. The missions can be broken down into areas, and then steps to complete areas. I fell into a pattern of saving after EVERY minute move. Keep getting discovered or killed until I learned the process to complete the step then repeat it until I had the perfect execution to complete it. The feeling afterward is not one of accomplishment but of relief! You stop and start so much there's no flow. No feeling of being a commando on a mission. Games are supposed to be fun right? This was no fun.

The Bottom Line
As others have said, it's a puzzle game in a war game setting. This game is for the people who like those arcade games with a maze and patrolling robots and laser turrets and you need to move boxes to get through the maze with perfect timing. If you like memorizing patrol patterns, and don't mind pixel perfect execution, and saving and loading hundreds of times then this is the game for you. I, on the other hand, had zero fun.