Platform: PlayStation 3, Xbox 360

Genre: Shooter

Number of Players: 1 or 2 (on or offline)

Support: HD 1080i, PS Network Compatible, Leaderboards

Peripherals: Ethernet Broadband

The old genres of video games don’t go away for too long, and downloadable content has proven to be the perfect way to get them into the limelight once again. They might not have flashy visual, they might not be 3D, and they might not have some intricate storyline with lengthy cutscenes, but there’s no denial that the games that founded the video game industry still have an appeal. Back in March, Capcom released a game that had a definite “old school” feeling, Rocketmen: Axis of Evil, and now they have yet another with Backbone Entertainment, the developers of Death Jr., at the helm.

Hopefully some of you remember a game called Commando, not based on the Schwarzenegger fortunately, though they were released the same year. Commando was one of many top-down shooters, or run-and-gun games that graced the arcade. The game would become the template for many other games to follow as well. More notable is that Commando was developed by Tokuro Fujiwara, a name that if you’re a hardcore gamer you should know from Capcom franchises like Mega Man (a number of them), Breath of Fire, Resident Evil, Ghosts n’ Goblins, and even some of the classic Disney Afternoon inspired games from the NES (come on, DuckTales is a great game, admit it.)

Fujiwara might not be a part of this latest version of the game, but Wolf of the Battlefield: Commando 3 still retains some of the same sprit. As with any game of this nature, your mission is to stop an evil mastermind, General Ratiev, the leader of the Zalestad nation. Players have three different characters that they can chose from, each with benefits and disadvantages. Wolf, the token hero, is the well-rounded character while Coyote has a higher amount of life, something that Fox, the only female of the three, doesn’t have, but her speed can make up for this. Super Joe, the star of the original Commando who later went on to star in Bionic Commando fame, is nowhere to be found however.

Once you’ve selected your character, the rest of the mission is fairly simple and straight forward; shoot everything that moves. In fact, shoot things that don’t move as well as they might revel more items for you to collect, and don’t overlook those prisoners of war either. There are a number of them to be found in each stage as well as hidden areas and a main boss to deal with in each level. Commando three features a similar control scheme to that of Rocketmen, Super Stardustt, and essentially every other shooter that has appeared as a part of the PlayStation Store lineup of games.

There are some finer points however than just shooting everything, though that is a key to everything. The more you can keep firing without getting hit, the higher your multiplier will get, and I think we all know what this means; big points. However, get hit just once and you’ll be right back to the bottom of the point chain. You can also lob grenades at enemies; though you will be limited to the number you can carry and trying to stockpile them will prove to be a fruitless effort. There are also four different types of weapons that can be found and shouldn’t need much explanation. There is the machine gun, the flamethrower, spread shot, and the necessary rocket launcher. You may also run across a POW which, as history has shown time and time again, destroys everything on the screen, and the M-Crash, a special attack that like grenades, is limited, but quite powerful. Some stages will also provide you with torrents to mount or vehicles to use.

Commando 3 offers five different stages to fight your way through, different levels of difficulty as well as a leaderboard to compare your skills to other players, and if you’re still looking for more, you can take the game online as well.

The game looks quite a bit different than what the original game did, but that was also over twenty years ago. Wolf of the Battlefield: Commando 3 has a very bright and colorful look to it. It’s a bit like what you might find in Sly Cooper or, to a lesser extent, something like Paper Mario. Even with the cartoon style, Commando 3 is all business and about destroying everything; you can expect to see some fairly impressive explosions and plenty of carnage. The only real complain I have is with some of the animations, and even if you’ve picked up something like a flame thrower, you’ll notice that your character still goes through the movements like they are holding a machine gun.

Wolf of the Battlefield isn’t going to be a game that sets out to revolutionize the industry as we know it, but it is a title that goes back to the good old days of gaming with a smooth and catching look to it. It’s one of those games where you just sit back and have a good time with, and I have to admit, I’m having more fun with this game that I did with Rocketmen, but if Capcom sticks with this trend, I predict the upcoming 1942 sequel might be the best of the shooters they have to offer presently. Until that declaration can officially be made though, there’s not a reason I can think of to stay of this battlefield.

-mike-