Commando

Commando (戦場の狼, Senjō no Ōkami?, lit. "Wolf of the battlefield") is a vertically-scrolling shoot 'em up arcade game released in 1985 and directed by Tokuro Fujiwara. It is the first game in the Commando series and was followed by two sequels, Mercs and Wolf of the Battlefield: Commando 3.

Commando and Mercs were included on the fourth volume of Capcom Generations for the PlayStation and Sega Saturn and later on Capcom Classics Collection for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox.

Gameplay[]

All versions of the original game are very similar, with the same graphics (taking into account the various limitations of the platforms). The player (Super Joe) starts by being dropped off in a jungle by a helicopter, and has to fight his way out singlehandedly, fending off a massive assault of enemy soldiers wearing German WWII-era uniforms.

Super Joe is armed with a sub-machine gun (which has unlimited ammunition) as well as a limited supply of hand grenades. While Joe can fire his gun in any of the eight directions that he faces, his grenades can only be thrown vertically towards the top of the screen, irrespective of the direction Joe is facing. Unlike his SMG bullets, grenades can be thrown to clear obstacles, and explosions from well placed grenades can kill several enemies at once.

At the end of each level, the screen stops, and the player must fight several soldiers streaming from a gate or fortress. They are ordered out by a cowardly officer, who immediately runs away, although shooting him in the back awards the player bonus points. Along the way, one can attempt to free prisoners of war as they are transported across the screen by the enemy.

As Super Joe has no power ups, there is no variety in the weaponry he can use throughout the game. This is in contrast to similarly themed games of roughly the same period, like Green Beret (in which limited use flamethrowers and rocket launchers were available to supplement the main character's trusty Commando Blade), or Ikari Warriors (where Tanks and more powerful red bullets, could be obtained). Commando's popularity is strange, given this dimension of gameplay is different, and therefore can be attributed to solid classical frenetic Robotron-like game mechanics, and the fact that the game's release coincided (roughly) with the Rambo and Missing in Action movies.

Trivia[]

The iconic NES box art, taken directly from the Japanese arcade flyer, was created using the Japanese poster from the 1980 film Flash Gordon (as seen in the gallery below).
Despite its US title, it is not related to the 1985 action movie of the same name starring Arnold Schwarzenegger.
The back covers of the European releases clearly state the game is set in the 80s although it doesn't say which country or conflict its based on.
In most home versions, the enemies are referred to as Rebel Forces. The Atari 7800 version implies that the enemies are Axis forces. The NES version simply calls the organization the Evil Empire Army.
The back covers of the European releases say that Joe's main weapon is a M60 machine gun. The back cover of the Atari 2600 says that his weapons are a M16 assault rifle and DM51 grenades.
In Street Fighter X Tekken, posters for Commando are seen in the stage Urban War Zone.

Credits[]

Arcade Version[]

Though no in-game staff roll exists, the game is known to be created by Tokuro Fujiwara per a questionnaire^[1] found in the October 1985 edition of BEEP! magazine. Additionally, the game's music is known to be composed by Tamayo Kawamoto, as confirmed by the liner notes of the Capcom Game Music album.

ZX Spectrum Version[]

Published by: Elite
Converted by: Keith Burkhill & Nigel Alderton
Graphic Design: Rory & Karen

Additionally, the game's staff is credited in its default Ranking Display table, which is as follows:

Keith 60000
Nigul 50000
Rory 40000
Karen 30000
Stuart 20000
Ray 10000
Clare 9000
Chris 8000
Dawn 7000
Pat.Lynn 6000
Ta.Myk 5000

BBC Micro Version[]

Written by: Trevor Harwood
With Graphics by: John Nixon

Additionally, the game's staff is credited in its default Ranking Display table, which is as follows:

1 66600 Nemestra
2 55500 Hawkmoon
3 23232 Dor-Lomin
4 10000 Cadron
5 5000 Brock

Commodore 64 Version[]

European Release[]

Elite Systems Ltd Presents

Programming: Chris Butler
Graphics: Rory Green, Chris Harvey
Sound: Rob Hubbard

Japan Capsule Computers UK Ltd

American Release[]

Copyright 1986 Data East USA Inc
Manufactured Under License from Capcom USA Inc
Conversion by: Elite Systems Ltd England
Programming by: Chris Butler

Amstrad CPC Version[]

Published by: Elite
Converted by: Simon Freeman, Keith and Nigel
Graphic Design: Jon

Additionally, the game's staff is credited in its default Ranking Display table, which is as follows:

Simon 60000
Keith 50000
Nigul 40000
Jon 30000
Rory 20000
Karen 10000
Stuart 9000
Ray 8000
Clare 7000
Chris 6000
Dawn 5000

NES Version[]

Soft: M.K
Scroll: Kura
Planner: Kuro
Sound: Saka
Music: Tama

PC Booter Version[]

Copyright 1986 by Data East USA, Inc.
Manufactured Under License from CapCom USA, Inc.
Adaptation by: Quicksilver Software, Inc.

Atari 7800 Version[]

Copyright Data East USA, Inc. 1986
All Rights Reserved
Manufactured Under License from Data East USA, Inc. and Capcom U.S.A., Inc.

Copyright 1989 Atari Corporation
Developed by: Sculptured Software

Amiga Version[]

Elite Systems Ltd Presents

Programming: Neil Latarche
Conversion: Martin Ward
Coordinator: Peter Cook
Graphics: Steve Beverley
Sound: Mark Cooksey

(C) Capcom U.S.A. Inc. 1989