Promotional artwork for the Commandos series. From left-to-right: 'Fins' (Marine), 'Tread' (Driver), 'Duke' (Sniper), 'Butcher' (Green Beret), 'Fireman' (Sapper) and 'Lips' (Seductress).

For other uses, see soldier or commando.

Commandos is a stealth-oriented real-time tactics game series, available for Mac OS X and Microsoft Windows. The game is set in the Second World War. It leans heavily (though not always accurately) on historical events during WWII to carry the plot. The series was developed by the Spanish company Pyro Studios and published by Eidos Interactive. Image File history File links Commandos_promotional_artwork. ... Image File history File links Commandos_promotional_artwork. ... Modern soldiers. ... For other uses, see Commando (disambiguation). ... A human fighter patrols local space around its carrier in Nexus: The Jupiter Incident. ... It has been suggested that Multiplayer game be merged into this article or section. ... Mac OS X (official IPA pronunciation: ) is a line of proprietary, graphical operating systems developed, marketed, and sold by Apple Inc. ... Microsoft Windows is the name of several families of proprietary software operating systems by Microsoft. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... Pyro Studios is a video game developer based in Madrid (Spain), that was founded in 1996 with the purpose of developing quality video games. ... Eidos Interactive is a publisher of video and computer games based in the United Kingdom. ...

Characters

There are seven main commandos in the series:

'Butcher' (Green Beret)

Real name: Jack O Hara
Date of birth: 10 October, 1909
Place of birth: Dublin, Ireland
This heavyweight of Irish origins and army boxing champion from 1934 to 1937 was sentenced in 1938 by a military court to 14 years of forced labour after hitting an officer. His sentence was suspended when he joined the commandos. He was promoted to sergeant after the raid on the island of Vaagsö, where, after having received a bullet in the arm, cut off from his unit and without ammunition, he penetrated a bunker and wiped out 16 enemy soldiers before returning to Allied lines. Image File history File links Beret_03. ...

Character: An extremely violent character, this man has serious discipline problems. A hard bone to gnaw for his superior officers... and a real nightmare for the enemy. His strong sense of combat allowed him to be the Commando leader and it seems he is able to maintain friendship with all of his comrades.

Game Attributes: He is the biggest member of the group and his tremendous strength allows him to fight, knock out and tie the enemies very quickly. He is able to knock down virtually every door, jump from incredible heights, climb poles and swing along wires. In terrains such as sand or snow, the Green Beret can camolflage himself, using a small shovel, making him invisible to the enemy. He is also the second fastest runner of the group of commandos and his amazing stamina allows him to withstand flesh wounds and gunshots that would kill any other. His preferred lethal weapons are his knife, his bare hands and stealth and with these at hand, the Green Beret is a killing machine. The Green Beret is also equiped with a radio device called a decoy. He can place it near the enemy and can remotely activate the device, causing brief distraction and temporarily interupting guard positions and patrol routes. This is one of many ways to lure an enemy into a trap.

'Duke' (Sniper)

Real Name: Sir Francis T. Woolridge
Date of birth: 21 March, 1909
Place of Birth: Sheffield, England
A descendant from a noble family. In 1936, he won a gold medal in shooting in the Berlin Olympics. In 1937 he enlisted in the army and between 1937 and 1939, he was stationed in India, where he was recognised as a great marksman. In 1940 he joined the Commandos. He was awarded a military medal when he killed the Commandant of the German garrison in Narvik with a single shot from a distance of more than a mile. He is considered one of the best snipers in the world. Image File history File links Sniper_02. ...

Character: The sniper is very cool and calculating but very stand-offish with his other companions. He is an expert marksman who is thereby extremely effective in situations requiring stealth or long range kills.

Game Attributes: The Sniper has a limited amount of sniper rounds per level and so will very rarely waste a bullet. His missions usually involve clearing the path of enemies for his colleagues from a distance. He will then stand behind debris or other objects which provide shelter while he provides cover for the other Commando troops. He can also climb poles and position himself to Snipe at the enemy. The Sniper is the team's medic if the Driver is not on the mission.

'Fins' (Marine Commando)

Real name: James Blackwood
Date of birth: 3 August, 1911
Place of birth: Melbourne, Australia
An Oxford alumni and Naval Engineer. He was a member of the University rowing team that won the world famous regatta between Oxford and Cambridge for three consecutive years. He is a fantastic swimmer and was the first person to swim across the English Channel on a bet. In 1935 he enlisted in the Navy. He was promoted to Captain in 1936 and was demoted to Sergeant two years later, due to an 'incident' during a stopover in Hawaii. Further problems made the General Staff give him the option of being expelled from the Navy or entering the Commando Corps as an ordinary soldier, to the latter of which he did. Image File history File links Tacher_02. ...

Character: Blackwood has alcohol problems which are apparently under control. He also loves gambling. His skills as a sailor make him invaluable in any mission that involves naval operations.

Game Attributes: The Marine is a specialist trained for aquatic and amphibious assault based missions. With his harpoon gun and his diving equipment he is able to spend hours underwater without worrying about oxygen supply or about danger he may encounter at sea. He also carries a zodiak (inflatable boat) to row across waters, transporting his comrades in a mission. On land he has complete mastery of throwing knives and carries a grappling hook which he is able to use to climb buildings, walls and trees. When he collects a couple more knives, his lethality and efficiency increases dramatically.

'Fireman' (Sapper)

Real name: Thomas Hancock
Date of birth: 14 January, 1911
Place of birth: Liverpool, England
In 1933 he started working as a fire-fighter in the Fire Department in his hometown of Liverpool. In 1934 he joined the high-risk Explosive Department. In 1939 he enlisted in the army and the following year he volunteered for the Commandos. During the assault on St. Nazaire, he was responsible for the explosions that caused a great number of casualties in the German garrison and rendered the installations useless. He was captured during this operation and after 4 escape attempts in two months, he managed to escape and return to England. Image File history File links Pionier_02. ...

Character: The Sapper has outstanding valour and daring in combat to the point of rashness. He has vast knowledge and experience with explosives. His special skill is the creation of explosives using almost any kind of material. He is probably the most light-hearted of all the commandos and enjoys a good night out at the pub.

Game Attributes: An expert in calculating, placing and developing explosives such as time bombs and remote bombs, he is the Commando responsible for causing widespread destruction. The materials he carries in his backpack are always delicate but heavy, forcing him to move slowly. He can operate other weapons such as bazookas, flamethrowers and mine detectors. He can detect and deactivate mines to then use them at a later stage. He is also able to prepare minefields in areas where enemy foot soldiers and/or vehicles will pass, causing maximum damage and confusion.

'Brooklyn' (Driver)

Real name: Samuel Brooklyn
Date of birth: 4 April, 1910
Place of birth: Brooklyn, USA
An ex-con, the Driver was convicted of grand theft, burglary, and other such felonies in 1937. Before his prison sentence he managed to escape to England with a new identity. He became known as Sid Perkins. As soon as U.S. Agents pursued Perkins, he immediately enlisted in the British Army. Two years later he collaborated with the Foreign Office in testing vehicles and arms stolen from the enemy. Impressed by his knowledge and skills, Paddy Maine enlisted Sid into the Commandos in 1941. In one of his early missions he destroyed eight German fighter planes with a jeep's machine gun and, after running out of ammo, he destroyed four more by crashing his jeep into them. From this action he suffered severe burns. Image File history File links Fahrer_02. ...

Character: Sid tends to be a very mistrustful character. Though he does not have a good relationship with his fellow Commandos, his wide range of knowledge and ability to drive and repair all sorts of land vehicles proves him to be a worthy member of the Commandos team.

Game Attributes: The driver's main purpose on each mission is to drive various vehicles during the level. He becomes most useful when a mission involves an escape truck for all the commandos once the mission is complete. During the mission, he is useful in operating German positions such as artillery and mounted machine guns. He is also equipped with a submachine gun which fires a three round burst into any enemy. However, it has a magazine of twenty rounds which limits the amount of times it can be used. The driver is also the primary medic of the team. In Commandos 2, the driver can throw various gas grenades and molotov cocktails. With the help of the Sapper, he can also set booby traps that can trigger an explosion. However, the driver is not used in Commandos 3.

'Frenchy' (Spy)

Real name: Rene Duchamp
Date of birth: 20 November, 1911
Place of birth: Lyon, France
In 1934 Duchamp joined the French Secret Service and between 1935 and 1938 was the Chief of Security at the French Embassy in Berlin. After the German invasion in 1940 he joined the Resistance. Soon after he was contacted by the Commando corps about becoming a part time member. Since then he has collaborated frequently with them in special operations, participating in numerous sabotages and responsible for the destruction of at least three trains, fourteen tanks and over fifty land vehicles. His information about the German troops is essential for the British Secret Service. Image File history File links Spion_03. ...

Character: Rene has amiable character and is great at making conversation. He harbours a feeling of absolute hatred towards the Nazis. The skills he learned while he was in the Secret Service have made him expert in communications and techniques of infiltration and sabotage and has a natural instinct for imitation which probrably earned him his other nickname "Spooky". Beside speaking French, he can speak English, German, Russian and Italian absolutely fluently.

Game Attributes: Being fluent in five languages allows him to infiltrate enemy lines wearing a stolen enemy uniform and divert or give deceptive orders to enemy soldiers. His attack involves silent and cautious movement and he attempts to use minimum force if possible. His preferred weapon is a syringe loaded with a lethal poison which eliminates his enemies in complete silence. He can lift bodies and hide them to avoid raising the alarm. The Spy is the team's medic when neither the Driver nor the Sniper are deployed on the mission.

'Lupin' (Thief)

Real name: Paul Toledo
Date of birth: March 1, 1916
Place of birth: Paris, France
Paul is a recent addition to the group of Commandos. He grew up in an orphanage in the suburbs of Paris. He ran away at the age of 10 from the orphanage into the hands of a young pick-pocket gang. Two years later in 1928 he was arrested and put in a remand home. As he got older, he chose a career in crime as an expert thief. In 1940 he stole Rene Duchamp's suitcase, thinking he was a German officer. He was surprised when he found important documents inside the suitcase and decided to put them in the hands of the French resistance. After that incident he was recommended by Duchamp to the Commandos and has been of great help since then. Image File history File links Dieb. ...

Character: Being the smallest and fastest of all of the Commandos Lupin is quiet, soft spoken, and reserved. Because of his loyalty, he soon gained the friendship from his fellow Commandos. His tiny frame allows him to break through enemy lines through avenues other men would be unable to do. He has mastered several forms of martial arts and he enjoys stalking and picking the pockets of enemy soldiers.

Game Attributes: Paul does not appear in Commandos: Behind Enemy Lines. His small stature is more than compensated by his agility to access small areas, break into houses, climb poles, swing on wires, climb walls, hide, pick locks and a host of other "ninja like" talents. He can also open safes with his tools. In Commandos 3, the thief is given the ability to silently kill enemies using a strangulation cord. He is the fastest in the Commandos group.

Minor Characters

'Lips' meets a wounded ally in Commandos 2. The ally dies of his injuries and leaves the care of his dog, Whiskey, to the commandos.

Image File history File links Commandos2_Whiskey_Natasha. ... Image File history File links Commandos2_Whiskey_Natasha. ... Promotional artwork for the Commandos series. ...

'Lips' (Seductress) by the name Natasha

'Lips' is the nickname of Natasha Van De Zand, a Dutch contact, who first appears in Commandos: Beyond the Call of Duty. However, in Commandos: Men of courage, her name was changed to Natasha Nikochevski and her birth place to Kiev, Soviet Union. An interpersonal relationship is some relationship or connection between two people. ... Location Map of Ukraine with Kiev highlighted. ...

Natasha's primary ability is distraction, which she does with a combination of her natural charm, sexy clothes and lipstick. She can effectively handle a sniper rifle and can walk around freely, although she will be attacked if spotted by a commander.This character is not widely used in the game. Lipstick is a cosmetic product containing pigments, oils, waxes, and emollients that applies color and texture to the lips. ... The M40, United States Marine Corps standard-issue sniper rifle Sniper rifle is a term most frequently applied to rifles used by military or law enforcement to ensure accurate placement of shots at greater ranges than other small arms. ... Commander is a military rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. ...

Whiskey (Dog)

Whiskey, a bull terrier, was found with a wounded ally in The Night of the Wolves in Commandos 2: Men of Courage. The commandos decided to take care of him after his owner died. The Bull Terrier is a breed of dog in the terrier family. ...

Whiskey is ideal for transferring items between commandos, because he can move quickly and enemy soldiers won't attack him. A high-pitched whistle is used to call Whiskey. Whiskey has been trained to run up to soldiers and bark loudly, which distracts them for a small amount of time. The Sapper benefits greatly from Whiskey's ability to sniff out mines quickly. A whistle is a one-note woodwind instrument which produces sound from a stream of forced air. ...

Whiskey can run around at a fast pace or be carried by the commandos.

Games

There are five games in the series, which are listed here in the order they were released:

Commandos: Behind Enemy Lines

Commandos: Behind Enemy Lines (CBEL) was released on July 1, 1998. It was published by Eidos Interactive, and developed by Pyro Studios. It features 20 missions. The view is isometric with tactical gameplay. The graphics are beautifully rendered and the missions are nostalgically reminiscent of some novels/hollywood movies, for example: July 1 is the 182nd day of the year (183rd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 183 days remaining. ... 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean [1]. // Coated in ice, power and telephone lines sag and often break, resulting in power outages. ... Eidos Interactive is a publisher of video and computer games based in the United Kingdom. ... Pyro Studios is a video game developer based in Madrid (Spain), that was founded in 1996 with the purpose of developing quality video games. ...

• 3rd mission (Reverse Engineering): The dam-busting climax is similar to "Force 10 from Navarone".
• 4th mission (Restore Pride): Taking down the German villa (to cause confusion in the Wehrmacht's middle-level * command) is akin to "The Dirty Dozen".
• 5th mission: The cable car revives memories of "Where Eagles Dare".
• 14th mission (D-Day Kickoff): Destruction of coastal batteries, the plot for "The Guns of Navarone".
• 15th mission (End of the Butcher): An assassination mission as in "Dirty Dozen: Next Mission".
• 18th mission (Force of Circumstance): Blowing up the bridge, a la "The Bridge on the River Kwai".

A Sega Mega Drive/Genesis version of Commandos: Behind enemy Lines, with the first 5 missions, was also made by Russian homebrew programmers. Force 10 From Navarone Force 10 from Navarone is a 1978 war film very loosely based on upon Alistair MacLeans 1968 novel Force 10 From Navarone. ... The Dirty Dozen is a 1967 war film directed by Robert Aldrich from the novel by E.M. Nathanson. ... Where Eagles Dare is a 1968 movie directed by Brian G. Hutton and starring Richard Burton, Clint Eastwood, and Mary Ure. ... The Guns of Navarone is a 1957 novel about World War II by British thriller writer Alistair MacLean that was made into a film in 1961. ... The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) was an Anglo-American World War II war film based on the novel Le Pont de la Rivière Kwaï by French writer Pierre Boulle. ...

Commandos: Beyond the Call of Duty

Commandos: Beyond the Call of Duty, a set of new Commandos missions issued as a standalone game, was released on March 31, 1999. Despite it being much shorter than Behind Enemy Lines, it is more difficult. It has 8 missions, with locations including Yugoslavia and Crete. March 31 is the 90th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (91st in leap years), with 275 days remaining. ... 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ...

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 Ghurkas.

Image File history File links Commandos2. ... Image File history File links Commandos2. ... Gurkha Soldiers (1896) Wives and children of Gurkha Soldiers (1896) Gurkha (or Gorkha) are a people from Nepal who take their name from the former city-state of Gorkha, which went on to found the Kingdom of Nepal later on. ...

Commandos 2: Men of Courage

Main article: Commandos 2: Men of Courage

A full sequel, released in 2001, was rebuilt with a 3D engine, more interactive environments, more skills for the commandos, and new characters. Like its predecessor, it drew heavily from war films, as shown in titles of levels such as "Bridge Over the River Kwai" and "Saving Private Smith". The game received even greater praise than its predecessor, and sold well in the United States and Europe. Improvements to playable characters in the game included the ability to move bodies, handle explosives, and allowing all characters to drive vehicles (paving the way for the Driver's expulsion from the series in the next instalment). 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The war film is a film genre that has to do with warfare, usually focusing on naval, air, or land battles, but sometimes focusing instead on prisoners of war, covert operations, military training, or other related subjects. ...

Several new characters were added to the series in this sequel: A thief called Paul "Lupin" Toledo, a dog called Whiskey and Wilson, a shipwrecked sailor claiming to be from the Light Brigade.

Some existing characters were changed slightly:

• The name of the Seductress was changed from Natasha Van De Zand to Natasha Nikochevski.
• The name of the Green Beret changed from Jack O'Hara to Jerry McHale. His nickname was changed from Butcher to Tiny.
• The nickname of the Sapper changed from Fireman to Inferno.
• The nickname of the Spy changed from Frenchy to Spooky.

All the nicknames were reverted to their originals in Commandos 3: Destination Berlin.

Commandos 3: Destination Berlin

This is the third sequel in the series and was released in October, 2003. In this game the mouse wheel can be used to rotate the player's vantage point. It was the first in the series to use a true 3D engine. 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The middle button is the scroll wheel. ...

Commandos: Strike Force

Released during the first months of 2006, this game makes a departure from the first three games. Although the missions are set-up in a similar fashion (several different objectives, some to be achieved through stealth, others through use of force) and in most occasions the player is allowed to change between different characters, this is the first game in the series to apply a first-person perspective, like many other World War II inspired games, in contrast to the overhead view of the earlier games. Hence, the game is far more similar to the Medal of Honor or Call of Duty games than to earlier entries of the series. Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... Medal of Honor (MOH) is the name of a series of first-person shooter games set in World War II. The first game was developed by DreamWorks Interactive (currently known as EA Los Angeles) and published by Electronic Arts in 1999 for the PlayStation game console. ... Call of Duty (released October 29, 2003) is a first-person shooter video game based on the Quake III engine. ...

Although it is still early to comment the success of the game or to reproduce gaming reviews, the game is attracting mainly negative comments, those coming specially coming from fans of the earlier games in the series, who think the game is way too easy (the earlier games in the series have a fame of being very tough), too similar to other first-person shooter games and that its gameplay, being more action oriented, has little to do with the preceding titles. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

On the other hand, there seems to be a minor group of users who think the game is more accessible and visually appealing than other entries of the series. At this moment (December 2006) it is difficult to predict what the ultimate fate of the game will be, as well if Pyro Studios plans to continue releasing more games in the same vein as this one or if they will return to a more strategical approach. Pyro Studios is a video game developer based in Madrid (Spain), that was founded in 1996 with the purpose of developing quality video games. ...

External links

• Commandos: Behind Enemy Lines (official website)
• Commandos: Beyond the Call of Duty (official website)
• Commandos 2: Men of Courage (official website)
• Commandos 3: Destination Berlin (official website)
• Commandos: Strike Force (official website)
• CommandosFansite.com (official fansite)
• Commandos Battle Pack for Mac OS X