Commandos 3: Destination Berlin released in 2003 is a Strategy game published by Eidos Interactive Feral Interactive developed by for the platforms PC (Microsoft Windows) Mac. Commandos 3: Destination Berlin has a total rating by the online gaming community of 81%. Of course Commandos 3, now officially subtitled Destination Berlin, is not without some obvious graphical implants. There's a depth to the visuals that's unsurpassed in any isometric game I've ever seen, an effect achieved bythe multilayered environmental effects, such as the driving rain that overflows from guttering and drives into the ground.
When the main men behind the awe-inspiring Commandos 2, Spanish duo Gonzo Suarez (lead designer) and Jon Beltran (lead programmer), left Pyro Studios to form their own company, quite a few eyebrows were raised at the prospect of another sequel. Was this going to be just a last attempt to extract some more cash from one of the biggest-selling PC series in history? Could a rudderless team come up with enough surprises to match the infinite little touches of genius that marked C2 now the visionaries had left?
The announcement of a multiplayer mode seemed a clear indication that Pyro were going to push the concept as far as they could in this last instalment (for more on this see the Axis Vs Allies panel), but as we're concentrating mainly on the single-player campaigns in this review, the answers to the above questions would have to be 'sort of’ and 'not really'.
Inside And Out
In case you’re new to the series, Commandos is less a strategy game than it is a mindbending series of puzzles, where you have to figure out a way of completing missions while coordinating stealthy attacks, distracting guards and timing your actions to perfection. The only real novelties here are slight improvements in the Al and more weather effects (plus the online mode, of course). The graphics are disappointing in that the resolution is still fixed at 800x600 and there’s very little to distinguish it from the previous title. The only noticeable improvement is the new interior 3D engine, that allows more zooming and rotating than before. Even here though, should you get up close to acharacter (for example, when looking through a window to see a soldier standing right in front of you) you are treated to some shockingly low-res textures.
Cannon Fodder
Still, Commandos really is all about gameplay over graphics, and C2 managed to be breathtaking by the sheer detail of its levels. But there’s nothing here to compare to the incredible beauty and variety of that game, and the colours and buildings all end up looking a bit samey, despite the three campaigns being set in Stalingrad, Central Europe and Normandy. Where are the gorgeous Pacific islands, with their exotic plant life and piranha-infested sky-blue waters from the previous game? Or the architectural marvels of Far Eastern missions and incredible recreations of the Eiffel Tower and Colditz Castle?
The only thing that comes close to being that memorable is the Omaha beach landing. This is a massive and very clever map, where you have to use the same tactics the Allies employed in real life: get lots of footsoldiers massacred to make slow but steady progress. For once, stealth is cast aside and it’s full-on action. You can even get a character to grab a giant machinegun from its tripod and wander around in pure Rambo style. The level works well, and provides the one note of difference from what is otherwise a retread of old ground.
There are other niggles, such as the objectives not always being clear and the need for more shortcut keys. There are fewer commandos too. No beautiful female soldier and, most disappointingly, no dog. On top of that, the sniper, thief and diver are all underused, after being so cleverly deployed last time.
Just. One. More. Go
The difficulty level is on a par with Commandos 2, although the introduction of some timelimited objectives is not at all welcome, pushing frustration levels over the edge.
Most of the time the mix between tear-your-brain-out difficulty and satisfaction is just right though. Nearly every problem and every level looks impossible at first glance, until a bit of deep thinking and a lot of trial and error (you’re likely to wear the quicksave and quickload buttons out) lets you figure out a way, leading to laps of honour around your room when you succeed (well, at least in my room).
In the end, C3 feels more like an expansionpack than a proper sequel, the fact that it took me only threedays to complete it (compared to the seven or eight it took to finish C2) strengthening this argument.
So there you have it. The single-player game is as addictive as ever, but offers little new and can’t touch C2for variety, detail, immersion and imagination.
So What’s All This Multiplayer Lark Then?
The online games carry both deathmatch and CTF options, as well as co-op against Al opponents. You can choose to play with either the Allied Forces or standard commandos, the former offering eight types of troops to choose from: gunman, rifleman, medic, engineer, bazookaman, grenadier, paratrooper and submachine gunner.
It will be interesting to see whether such a thinking tactical game, which is based around beating recognisable Al patterns, will take off in multiplayer. Look out for a dedicated multiplayer review in our online section very soon.
Commandos 3: Destination Berlin | |
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Developer(s) | Pyro Studios Zonic Limited (OS X) |
Publisher(s) | Eidos Interactive Feral Interactive(OS X) |
Designer(s) | Ignacio Pérez Dolset |
Series | Commandos |
Platform(s) | Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X |
Release | Windows OS X May 28, 2005 |
Genre(s) | Real-time tactics |
Mode(s) | single player, multiplayer |
Commandos 3: Destination Berlin is a real-time tactics video game, the third installment of the Commandos series. It is developed by Pyro Studios and published by Eidos Interactive. The game is the first in the series to use a true 3D engine, and the last to use real-time tactics before being converted to a first-person shooter genre.
The Mac OS X version of the game was released in May 2005 by Feral Interactive along with Commandos 2: Men of Courage as part of the Commandos Battle Pack.[1]
Gameplay[edit]
The player is in control of a group of Commandos to use to complete missions. Each of the six Commandos, down from eight in the previous game, offers a specific expertise: diver, Green Beret, sapper, sniper, spy, and thief.
The game contains very similar gameplay to the previous games, with the similar 'point and click' approach. However, it has fewer hotkeys compared to the previous installment, and the user has to press buttons at the bottom of the screen on the action bar.
The player is able to see all enemies on the map, follow their movements, and make attacks depending on their behavior. There are a few differences, such as the addition of an assault rifle, a weapon less powerful than a rifle, but more powerful than a pistol. Also, all units are able to use weapons such as the grenade, rather than just the Sapper as in previous games. The previous 'knapsack' setup, simply showing a picture of all the items the currently selected commando has in his possession, superimposed over a picture of a rucksack, has been abandoned in favor of a 'box'.
When searching enemies bodies or supply crates, a similar, but smaller box is shown for their capacity. Commandos such as the Green Beret or Spy, who in earlier games have only been armed with the regulation pistol, can now use almost all the small arms available, except for the sniper rifle. While adding realism (the Commandos are no longer useless outside their area of expertise), some players complain that this robs the Commandos of their individual roles within the group, making them more generic. This does however, make the missions less linear, because the same job can done by different Commandos.
The new 'cover mode' ability allows the player to leave Commandos waiting at a door or behind cover ready to shoot at any enemy that comes within range, often with more accuracy than when controlled manually. This gives the option of ambushes, and more defensive tactics.
Commandos 3 is broken down into three campaigns: Central Europe, Normandy and Stalingrad; each containing a various amount of missions, some shorter than others. Each campaign has different players involved but not all. Destination Berlin has a time limit on most missions.
Synopsis[edit]
Characters[edit]
There are six commandos in Commandos 3: the Green Beret (Jack O'Hara), the Sniper (Sir Francis T. Woolridge), the Marine (James Blackwood), the Sapper (Thomas Hancock), the Spy (René Duchamp), and the Thief (Paul Toledo).
Plot[edit]
The tutorial begins with Jack O'Hara clearing out a bunker, Sir Francis T. Woolridge killing a few German soldiers with his sniper rifle and Thomas Hancock destroying a Panzer III tank with explosives. The game then shifts to 21 February 1939, where René Duchamp and Paul Toledo infiltrate the German Embassy in London and steal documents from a safe.
Stalingrad[edit]
In the Battle of Stalingrad, Woolridge kills an elite German sniper, lifting the siege of a Soviet command post at the Barmaley Fountain. A General Franklin O'Donnell then arrives for a meeting with Soviet personnel, accompanied by Hancock and O'Hara. A massive German airstrike ensues followed by airdrops of the Fallschirmjäger. In an effort to protect the General, the commandos repulse waves of infantry attacks including a 7.5 cm Pak 40 anti-tank gun. When the meeting ends, O'Donnell crosses behind German lines and boards a Junkers Ju 52, much to the commandos' confusion. When they too enter the aircraft, O'Donnell orders the Germans to arrest them.
While in an underground prison cell, O'Hara subdues a jail guard and frees Woolridge and Hancock, telling them of O'Donnell's betrayal. When they make their way through the sewers, they run into René Duchamp, who informs them that O'Donnell plans to reveal top secret information to the Germans. Unknown to the three, Duchamp tells them they are in Berlin. The player is then given three tactical ways to kill O'Donnell before a timer initiates, after which he would appear. After O'Donnell is assassinated, the four commandos enter a Kübelwagen and escape the capital.
Commandos Destination Berlin For Mac Download
Central Europe[edit]
In Saint-Avold, René Duchamp and Paul Toledo board an armoured train carrying stolen artwork but are discovered. The Germans warn the next station and they try to derail the train using explosives. Jack O'Hara discovers this and he single-handedly clears the area before boarding the train just as it passes. Together with Duchamp and Toledo, the three take control of the train. The Germans, however, destroy an incoming railroad bridge, forcing O'Hara to stop the locomotive. Duchamp and Toledo are captured and loaded onto a truck along with the artwork, while O'Hara hides in the back of another truck.
With the German convoy scheduled to pass through a small town in Forbach, Sir Francis T. Woolridge and Thomas Hancock eliminate the town of all German resistance, allowing American soldiers to fortify the area and prepare for their arrival. The convoy arrives escorted by Tiger I tanks, but are ambushed as they enter the town. The trucks carrying Duchamp and Toledo are freed and the artwork recovered.
Normandy[edit]
On June 6, 1944, the night before the Normandy landings, Hancock and Toledo infiltrate a German encampment serving as reinforcements near Caen. They destroy a fuel depot, munitions building and as many Tiger I tanks, Schwerer Panzerspähwagen armored cars and Sd.Kfz. 251 half-tracks. At daybreak, James Blackwood infiltrates a port in Le Havre, disabling two German E-boats using mines. As the landings commences, O'Hara joins the Americans as they converge on Omaha Beach. Together, they take out the coastal artillery and clear the bunkers of all German troops.
Reception[edit]
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Commandos 3 received a 'Gold' award from the Asociación Española de Distribuidores y Editores de Software de Entretenimiento [es] (aDeSe), for more than 40,000 sales in Spain during its first 12 months.[15]
Commandos 3 received 'average' reviews according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[2] The game was criticized for being difficult to play on account of having fewer hotkeys than its predecessors. The player has to control the commandos using the buttons in the pop-up menu at the bottom of the screen. Also, the game is locked at an 800x600 resolution[10] which was relatively low at the time of release.
References[edit]
Commandos Destination Berlin For Mac Os
- ^'Commandos Battle Pack is now shipping everywhere'. Feral Interactive. June 3, 2005. Retrieved October 24, 2018.
- ^ ab'Commandos 3: Destination Berlin for PC Reviews'. Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved September 2, 2010.
- ^'Commandos 3: Destination Berlin'. Computer Games Magazine. theGlobe.com. January 2004. p. 67.
- ^Kapalka, Jason (January 2004). 'Commandos 3: Destination Berlin'(PDF). Computer Gaming World. No. 234. Ziff Davis. pp. 92–93. Archived from the original on December 4, 2003. Retrieved October 25, 2018.
- ^Edge staff (December 2003). 'Commandos 3: Destination Berlin'. Edge. No. 130. Future plc. Archived from the original on December 3, 2003. Retrieved October 24, 2018.
- ^Taylor, Martin (October 20, 2003). 'Commandos 3: Destination Berlin'. Eurogamer. Gamer Network. Retrieved September 2, 2010.
- ^Biessener, Adam (January 2004). 'Commandos 3: Destination Berlin'. Game Informer. No. 129. GameStop. p. 157. Archived from the original on October 2, 2008. Retrieved October 24, 2018.
- ^Vicious Sid (October 29, 2003). 'Commando[s] 3 Destination Berlin Review for PC on GamePro.com'. GamePro. IDG Entertainment. Archived from the original on February 7, 2005. Retrieved October 25, 2018.
- ^Mr. Tickle (November 2003). 'Commandos 3 [Destination Berlin] Review'. Game Revolution. CraveOnline. Archived from the original on September 6, 2015. Retrieved October 25, 2018.
- ^ abParker, Sam (October 20, 2003). 'Commandos 3: Destination Berlin Review'. GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Retrieved October 24, 2018.
- ^Dy, Bernard (November 23, 2003). 'GameSpy: Commandos 3: Destination Berlin'. GameSpy. IGN Entertainment.
- ^Wrentmore, John (November 2, 2003). 'Commandos 3: Destination Berlin - PC - Review'. GameZone. Archived from the original on October 5, 2008. Retrieved October 24, 2018.
- ^Butts, Steve (October 15, 2003). 'Commandos 3: Destination Berlin'. IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved October 24, 2018.
- ^Poole, Stephen (December 25, 2003). 'Commandos 3 [Destination Berlin]'. PC Gamer. Vol. 10 no. 13. Future US. p. 118. Archived from the original on March 15, 2006. Retrieved October 25, 2018.
- ^Dossier de prensa Galardones aDeSe 2004(PDF) (Report) (in Spanish). Asociación Española de Distribuidores y Editores de Software de Entretenimiento. March 2004. pp. 5, 6. Archived from the original(PDF) on March 2, 2005.
External links[edit]
- Commandos 3: Destination Berlin on IMDb
- Commandos 3: Destination Berlin at MobyGames
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