Commandos 2: Men of Courage

Commandos 2: Men of Courage
Commandos 2: Men of Courage
Windows cover art
Developer(s) Pyro Studios
Zonic Limited (Mac OS X)
Publisher(s) Eidos Interactive
Feral Interactive (Mac OS X)
Series Commandos series
Platform(s) Microsoft Windows, Macintosh, PlayStation 2, Xbox, Mac OS X
Release date(s) Windows:
  • NA September 20, 2001
  • EU September 28, 2001

PlayStation 2:

  • NA August 28, 2002
  • EU September 6, 2002

Xbox

  • EU September 13, 2002
  • NA September 18, 2002
Genre(s) Real-time tactics
Mode(s) Single player
Multiplayer (Co-op)
Rating(s)
Media/distribution 3 CD-ROMs (WIN)
1 DVD (PS2, Xbox, WIN)
Steam
System requirements

266 MHz CPU, 64 MB RAM, 5 MB video card RAM, 4X CD-ROM drive, DirectX 8.0, 1.7 GB available hard disk space, Windows 98 (WIN)

Commandos 2: Men of Courage is the sequel to Commandos: Behind Enemy Lines and Commandos: Beyond the Call of Duty. The games were developed by Pyro Studios, and published by Eidos Interactive. The Mac OS X version of the game was released in May 2010 by Feral Interactive along with Commandos 3: Destination Berlin as part of the Commandos Battle Pack.[1]

The game places the player in command of a squad of commandos and various allies as he sneaks behind enemy lines to accomplish his objectives. The action stretches from 1941 to 1945 and takes place on both the Western Front against the Germans and the Pacific theatre against the Japanese.

Contents

Gameplay

The Commandos

At the beginning of each mission, the player is assigned a small number of commandos in order to complete the objectives. Each man has unique abilities and weapons.

  • Republic of Ireland Jack O'Hara, (The Green Beret) is the Irish sergeant with his signature codename "Butcher". In the game, he is the toughest and the only commando strong enough to break open some locked doors, lift heavy loads like fuel barrels and boxes. He can also stab enemies with his knife and bury himself in most soft surfaces. He is loosely based on John Wayne's 'Green Beret'.
  • United Kingdom Sir Francis T. "Duke" Woolridge, (The Sniper) is a British operative under the name "Duke". In the game, he is the team's sharpshooter.
  • United States Samuel Brooklyn, (The Driver) an American operative known as "Brooklyn". He is the only commando who can drive tanks, set various traps and throw Molotov cocktails, stun grenades, or smoke grenades.
  • United Kingdom Thomas Hancock, (the Sapper) a British operative under the name "Fireman". He can throw hand grenade and is an expert in explosives and heavy weapons such as dynamite, time bomb, flamethrowers and bazookas. Also he is the only commando who can fire the turret of a tank.
  • Australia James Blackwood, (The Marine) an Australian operative known as "Fins". He can dive underwater and stay under indefinitely using his scuba gear, and is the only one who can pilot rowing boats. He can also use a grappling hook and throw knives.
  • France René Duchamp, (The Spy) a French operative known as "Frenchy". He can disguise himself as any enemy soldier or officer except in front of generals or SS, and can not only distract enemies, but order lower ranking ones to look a certain direction or walk to nearby places. He cannot punch out enemies, but can use a poison syringe to daze, knock-out or even kill his opponents.
  • Soviet Union Natasha Nikochevski, (The Seductress) is a Soviet operative from Kyiv who is known as "Lips". In the game, she can distract enemy soldiers and dress as enemy operatives, but only when generals or SS are not present. She can also use a sniper rifle.
  • France Paul Toledo, (The Thief) a French operative known as "Lupin". He is the smallest, the sneakiest and fastest, and can climb certain walls and jump through windows. He can also lockpick boxes and certain doors and knock opponents out with a roundhouse kick, but he can't tie them up.

Other playable characters

  • Whiskey, a bull terrier dog whose owner was a member of the French resistance shot by the Nazis. He can be used to distract enemies and pass items between commandos who use a dog whistle to call him.
  • Spike, a mouse who belongs to Paul Toledo which - like Whiskey - can distract enemies.
  • Wilson, a former Royal Air Force Pilot who was shot down by the Japanese and helps the commandos by distracting enemies with his trumpet and carrying items.

Missions

The game comprises a total of 21 missions: 2 Training Missions, 10 Main Missions and 9 Bonus missions.

Plot

The interface for Commandos 2: Men of Courage. The commandos are displayed in the top left, the game commands and map are in the top right and the actions that can be performed by the selected commando are in the bottom right. This screenshot shows the "Target: Burma" mission, which involves the commandos rescuing a spiritual leader and a battalion of Gurkhas.

May 1941, on a mission in a German submarine base at La Pallice in La Rochelle, France, commando Paul Toledo, with the help of Natasha Nikochevski, capture an Enigma machine hidden in an officer's safe. Nikochevski then leaves him to assist the main body of commandos when they arrive in the morning to rescue a Royal Navy submarine, the E-423, sheltered and under heavy guard in one of the hangars. They destroy the base's anti-aircraft guns and torpedo warehouse before escaping in the submarine together with its crew.[2]

While in the North Sea, the Royal Navy submarine is caught and forced to surface in the frigid waters after being depth charged by a German destroyer. The enigma machine is confiscated and the entire crew captured with the exception of James Blackwood, who hid in the bow of the submarine. He soon manages to contact Thomas Hancock, who also escaped capture. After rescuing the crew, the commandos proceed to recover the enigma machine and disable the destroyer's main guns & engine. Under orders that the enigma machine be hastily brought to England, Jack O'Hara and Rene Duchamp takeoff in a Fieseler Fi 156, while the rest continue their journey in the submarine.[2]

A year passes and the commandos are deployed to the Pacific Theatre. In Burma, they rescue a spiritual leader and assassinate a Japanese tyrant with the help of Gurkhas. On June 17, 1942, the commandos enter Bangkok, Thailand, where they rescue a Colonel Guinness, who in turn helps them destroy the bridge over the River Kwai by revealing its structural weakness. The bridge is blown up just as a train of the Japanese high command approaches it.[2]

In July 1942, the commandos land on the strongly fortified Savo Island to disable the large artillery guns, before Operation Watchtower can commence. While on the island, they are assisted by a castaway named Wilson. After destroying the artillery and rescuing a downed American pilot, he returns the favour by piloting a Kawanishi H8K to help them escape the island, but not before telling them of a gold monkey statue which is symbolic to the Japanese. O'Hara steals it as a souvenir.[2]

In Spring of 1944, the commandos are sent to Haiphong, Indochina, destroying the port's fuel depots and infiltrating the Japanese aircraft carrier Shinano. While out at sea, the commandos sabotage the rudder of every A6M Zero and report the carrier's position before taking off in two undamaged Zeroes. The Shinano is then bombed by American F4U Corsairs.[2]

Following their tour of duty in the Pacific, the commandos are recalled to Europe for the Normandy invasion. They rescue a wounded Private Smith and with the help of American soldiers, successfully defend the town of Cherbourg from waves of German infantry and Panzer III tanks. A few months later, Toledo is captured and taken to Colditz Castle where he is to be executed. The commandos save him and they help the POW's housed there escape by disguising them in German uniform. After the prisoners escape, the commandos acquire top secret documents from three high ranking German officers, revealing plans to devastate Paris with planted explosives before it is liberated.[2]

In August 1944, the entire commando corps arrive in Paris and succeed in disabling the detonator, before leaving the city in an airship from top of the Eiffel Tower.[2]

Cultural references

  • The mission "The Bridge on the River Kwai" is based on the movie of the same name.
  • The mission "Guns of Savo Island" involves the infiltration and destruction of the giant guns on the island. Because the name and the plot are very similar, this mission may also be based on the film The Guns of Navarone. In the same mission, the player is assisted by a "hero" character named Wilson (referencing Castaway) who is based on Robinson Crusoe's character.
  • Saving Private Smith is loosely based on the film Saving Private Ryan.
  • The mission "Das Boot, Silent Killers" is very loosely based on Das Boot.
  • The mission "Castle Colditz" (actually based on the Nazi POW prison Oflag IV-C) involves the rescue of Allied soldiers in Germany; it is loosely based on the films The Great Escape and The Colditz Story.
  • The mission "Is Paris Burning?" is obviously related to film Is Paris Burning?.
  • This game was packaged with Deus Ex, Tomb Raider Chronicles, and Thief 2 in an Eidos-released "Action 4-Play" pack for the PC.

Mod

A mod of this game called Commandos 2: Destination Paris (a reference to the title of Commandos 3: Destination Berlin) was created for PC in 2004,[3] making the existing missions of Commandos 2 far more difficult to complete. In the mod, the player faces more dangerous enemies, redesigned levels and a shortage of items and ammunition. Created by Commandos 2 fans, the mod offers new challenges to seasoned players while still being accessible to newcomers.

Reception

The PC version of Commandos 2 was well received with a score of 87 out of 100 at Metacritic. The game was praised for the AI which was advanced for the time but criticized for the steep learning curve. The PS2 version was not so well received with a score of 67 out of 100 at Metacritic. Many reviewers found that the controls were much less intuitive and easy to use than the PC controls and that they made the game more difficult as a result. Most reviewers recommended the PC version instead.

External links

References

  1. ^ "Feral Interactive: Commandos Battle Pack". http://www.feralinteractive.com/game/commandos. 
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Pyro Studios. Commandos 2: Men of Courage. (Eidos Interactive). Personal computer. (2009-01-07)
  3. ^ Commandos HQ: Destination Paris

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