Posted October 19, 2009
"The Written-Off" was a TV show aired in the 70's in former Yugoslavia, that was about a group of resistance members fighting the German army during WW2. It gained enormous popularity amongst many generations, as it was aired again and again during these many years. Suffice is to say, we bid proper welcome to a game that gave us the opportunity to BE those people, and fight the Third Reich with "our own two hands".
That game was, of course, Commandos: Behind Enemy Lines. So, for the first time, we could take the problem into our own hands. We had a diverse team consisting of six members, each with his own field of speciality, and of different origin (the green beret, the sniper, the sapper, the driver, the spy and the marine). Each level was a mission where you were able to control only a selected few from the "strike team". The highlight of the game was the fact that you simply could not finish a mission without the use of every given team member. Every one of them had unique abilities that made him an irreplaceable part of the resistance (driving, diving, sweeping/placing mines, taking on a role of a high ranking Wehrmacht officer, sniping, silent backstabbing, etc.).
Another well respected fact concerning the game was its devilish difficulty. It is a marvelous example of hard-core, old school gaming. Your palms sweating, bloodshot eyes, your hands are shaking and your bladder is about to burst, but you just HAVE to take down that tank patrol before making a break. And THAT is not an easy task. Dying is no stranger to those who played it, and in order to finish a mission, all you crew members must stay alive. And the next game, Beyond The Call of Duty, was even more difficult, borderline frustrating even, but starring a mission in my hometown (Belgrade), with the goal of rescuing a member of the local resistance (The Partisans).
The visual design of Commandos is stunning, every scene making you believe that you are really there, freeing Europe from the clutches of the SS. The voice acting was not-all-that, but it was appropriate, and the voices of the protagonist carved themselves into our cortex', without the intention of ever leaving. The music score, on the other hand, was simply perfect. Magnificent orchestrations seemed to pull the player into the game even more.
Bottom line, if you're up for kicking some Nazi behind, this is THE game for you. Even if you're not, you still shouldn't miss it.
That game was, of course, Commandos: Behind Enemy Lines. So, for the first time, we could take the problem into our own hands. We had a diverse team consisting of six members, each with his own field of speciality, and of different origin (the green beret, the sniper, the sapper, the driver, the spy and the marine). Each level was a mission where you were able to control only a selected few from the "strike team". The highlight of the game was the fact that you simply could not finish a mission without the use of every given team member. Every one of them had unique abilities that made him an irreplaceable part of the resistance (driving, diving, sweeping/placing mines, taking on a role of a high ranking Wehrmacht officer, sniping, silent backstabbing, etc.).
Another well respected fact concerning the game was its devilish difficulty. It is a marvelous example of hard-core, old school gaming. Your palms sweating, bloodshot eyes, your hands are shaking and your bladder is about to burst, but you just HAVE to take down that tank patrol before making a break. And THAT is not an easy task. Dying is no stranger to those who played it, and in order to finish a mission, all you crew members must stay alive. And the next game, Beyond The Call of Duty, was even more difficult, borderline frustrating even, but starring a mission in my hometown (Belgrade), with the goal of rescuing a member of the local resistance (The Partisans).
The visual design of Commandos is stunning, every scene making you believe that you are really there, freeing Europe from the clutches of the SS. The voice acting was not-all-that, but it was appropriate, and the voices of the protagonist carved themselves into our cortex', without the intention of ever leaving. The music score, on the other hand, was simply perfect. Magnificent orchestrations seemed to pull the player into the game even more.
Bottom line, if you're up for kicking some Nazi behind, this is THE game for you. Even if you're not, you still shouldn't miss it.