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The intelligence of the Germans has been beefed up considerably, with a noticeable difference in behaviour between the German ranks. Officers will point and shout and will always graciously let his NCOs into a room before himself - usually into a hail of bullets - fun to watch if nothing else. Pyro are aiming for approximately 70 to 80 hours of gameplay, so the number of missions could change from the planned 12, but considering the size of the levels one even accurately maps the entire grounds of Colditz Castle that seems unlikely.

As well as the Colditz mission, there is plenty that borrows from the war movies of our youth. There's a nod to the final battle of Saving Private Ryan, a few choice moments from Where Eagles Dare, plus a rather famous bridge across the river Kwai hopefully your task is to blow it rather than build it. Vehicles will be more integral to success this time around, and there'll be more of them.

Taking control of the tank will of course be the highlight, and if you manage to crew it with two of your men, you can make short work of any retreating Germans. Watching the turret cannon recoil while the tank rolls back on its tracks is truly a work of art in terms of animation. Commandos 2, though some months away, is certainly worth getting excited about. The fact that you can choose which characters you want to take on each mission, as well as start each mission in a number of different places, just goes to show how much Pyro has listened to fans of the original game.

We are promised an easier time of it this time around, with a rich and fully interactive environment to play toy soldiers in. If you're British, you're going to love it. If you're German, as I partially am, you're going to love it even more. Gott im Himmel! There's no doubt about it -Commandos: Behind Enemy Lines was a bloody hard game. If you played it, you can no doubt imagine the scenario: studying the map for hours on end before making a single move; setting up a multiplicity of cameras to capture the viewpoint from every conceivable position; painstakingly mapping out the perfect route in your mind; then moving your soldier slightly more than an inch to your right five seconds later and getting filled with more holes than an explosion in a sieve factory.

Ho hum, time to start again unless you constantly used the quicksave key, you lily-livered scum. Commandos required almost perfect timing as you navigated your team of hardened warriors past countless dangers in order to complete your objectives. To some, it was strategy heaven, to others it was as exciting as defragging the hard drive - but bollocks to that lot, eh?

They didn't get this sequel rammed up the commission pipe, did they? Thankfully, to ease things a tad for the less cerebral among us, the skills exclusive to each member are available to all others in a reduced capacity, meaning that losing one doesn't mean having to start all over again not to say you shouldn't keep all your men intact.

Whatever the case, there are some new cases joining the original line-up Green Beret, spy, driver sniper, sapper, dance instructor and marine.

First off there's an obedient dog by the name of Whisky, aiding you in your continuing assault against the march of fascism. As can probably be guessed, Whisky doesn't have much in the way of special abilities, but he is able to act as delivery boy, shuttling weapons and equipment between team members without attracting that bully Hun's attention.

Of course, it isn't long before the other side is fighting back, placing freshly mown lawns and other dogs' arses in the way of our wily canine's destinations. Oh, and call us sick and wrong, but the chance to strap a barrel-load of explosives on to the dog's back and throw his favourite ball through the window of the nearest Nazi mess hall sounds like a winning tactic.

But you don't have to worry your pretty little heads about inflicting such cruelty on poor old Whisky, animal lovers: chances are he'll never make it past Level 6's 'Sausage Factor mission. Of course, if you're going to have a dog in the game, you're best to balance it out with a bit of skirt as well, aren't you? Step forward Natasha Nikochevski, seductress extraordinaire. Natasha has the enviable ability to turn the enemies' heads in her direction as she pouts and glides, distracting Jerry as our boys sneak past and give them a right good shoeing Natasha letting fly a hefty kick to the Fuhrers as well.

Mind you, with the war going on as long as it did, what with every man being locked up for months on end with nothing but a company of sweaty, grunting males, they might as well have sent in a walrus wearing a blonde wig for precisely the same effect. Or, if we're to believe the more extremes of anti-Nazi propaganda, they could just send in the dog see, boys and girls, didn't we tell you that a barking bomb's the only humane way to an honourable end for our loveable hound?

Then there's Lupin, the thief who sneaks about in the shadows avoiding the guards' detection far more easily than anyone else on the team.

He'll be used for picking pockets and getting past locked doors then. And let's not forget the chance to give minor commands to NPCs, setting up ambushes and decoys to aid you in your violent crusade.

From the footage we've seen, the animation of each character is looking mighty impressive. While die cartoonish look of the original is still retained, the models have been given a thorough working to ensure that they look as realistic in their environment as possible. The backgrounds, too, show a higher level of artistic detail than we've seen before.

The Sim City alike ability to rotate the landscape through degree horizontal increments is a welcome inclusion for those who were irritated when inconveniently placed structures obscured the action. Even better, though, is the news that the all-new interior locations are fully rotatable through a full degrees. Ignoring the fact that the rooms seem to reside in an existentially lightless void, it's a nice touch and should allow you to traverse the claustrophobic confines of bases and barracks with much greater strategic precision.

It also helps that the resolution has been upped to today's cosmetic requirements of x instead of the shoddy x today's resolution equivalent of Brian May. Besides, it's a good job that the resolution's been increased because the playing areas are reportedly far bigger in size than before not that they weren't big enough to do the job last time.

Although to level this out, instead of the 24 missions of the first, the number's been halved to a dozen though Pyro promises that just as much time will be spent playing the game. The PC Speculate-O-Tron keeps its fingers crossed which is a bit hard for a machine, believe me that the large areas don't lead to sloppy play dynamics as the lengthy missions drag on interminably.

Still, early days, eh? It was always a surprise that the original Commandos was such a big hit. It never relied on a flashy campaign or over-hyped enthusiasm to sell it.

Whether it's just because it's a good game or whether it's got anything to do with the post-post-WW2 generation's unconscious desire to re-enact the glory and machismo of war in a disillusioned, slack society is anyone's guess or someone qualified to write about the subject at least.

Whatever the case, it all looks rather delicious. While most improvements seem to be generally cosmetic, here's hoping that the large interactive environments and additional characters lead to something truly special in the play department. We've already had one data disk looking remarkably similar to the original, we don't need another.

However, from the looks of tilings the sequel promises to be much more than that - and we haven't even mentioned the new weapons, realistically modelled vehicles, new AI and obligatory multiplayer mode. That should even the odds quite a bit when Commandos 2 is released in a couple of months. Spain is probably thelast place you'd expect to find a World War II classic.

After all, during the conflict, the country was recovering from the ravages of a Civil War that had left the nation physically and spiritually broken, where brother had slain brother and neighbours condemned lifelong friends to the firing squad.

And while Franco's dictatorship had friendly relations with Hitler, Spain never became personally involved in the war. Gonzo Suarez, the project head and main visionary behind Commandos, pointed out to me that Spain benefited greatly during WWII, perhaps referring as much to the success of the first game as to the consequences of this being a neutral country in such a devastating war.

The original Commandos: Behind Enemy Lines was a huge sleeper hit - to borrow a Hollywood term - in that surprised everyone by sitting at the top of the charts for 15 weeks in the UK and selling consistently throughout Europe. What makes it more extraordinary is that it was an extremely difficult game aimed at hardcore strategists that somehow managed to cross over to the average garnet.

People bought it not really knowing what to expect, became completely addicted and started telling all their friends about it. That gives a game a longevity that all the adverts in the world can't buy. They really like their strategy games hard and thorough over there, although when the German press first saw it they looked so serious and tight-lipped I was convinced they hated it.

But when the reviews came out it was clear they loved it. It's been a long journey for Gonzo though, who started out working in advertising and cinema 24 years ago, up until the rime a Spectrum landed on his lap in I made about six games with them and went independent in , around the time the industry fell apart in this country.

According to Gonzo, the consequences of that crash can still be felt today, and it was only in that he was able to start work on Commandos. But even then it was an uphill struggle. Most of the talent has gone abroad and there's very little investment, so it's quite hard. There's only really three big teams in this country and, after 17 years, I'm practically the grandfather of the industry.

Most of the people who were working when I started out all retired in the early '90s. One of the toughest things making this game was to build a good enough team and make sure we brought all the best people. There are people who are great programmers, but have no experience making computer games, so you have to train them up.

But because there's only three teams, at least what little talent there is isn't completely diluted. But Gonzo is nothing if not tough. His heavy build and strong features go hand-in-hand with the fact that he used to be a boxer. I love contact sport. You can never foresee what's going to happen and you can only work with what's in front of you.

That gives your life a more vital rhythm. Gonzo doesn't speak English, so he stands behind Jon Beltran - the talented lead programmer - telling him what to do. He is a natural leader and strides through the press room like a general briefing foreign troops. He also seems a little nervous, and his eyes twinkle while Jon translates everything he says. He looks like an excited father as he shows off the myriad of details the game possesses and manages to stun even the most cynical of journalists present.

Commandos 2 is just what a sequel should be. Ir rakes the idea of the original and catapults it to a whole new level. Gonzo shows us the thief climbing walls, peeking through windows, hiding under beds and stealing from Nazi soldiers. He shows us the commando, swinging from cables and diving underwater among schools of fish. He shows us the sniper aiming from a window inside a building, soldiers in the street and officers sitting in a room in another building.

He shows us all the vehicles you can drive and the massive, detailed maps of the missions, including a full replica of the Eiffel Tower and a stunning recreation of Colditz. Later I asked him how they managed to capture so much detail and whether they had the chance to visit all the locations in the game.

We did get to see Japan, but that was only because there was a conference there. Wherever we could, we took digital photographs, but most of the research was done back in the office. We have about 40 square metres of World War II books, so we were very well informed. And, of course, whenever you need to find out a niggly little detail, there's always the Internet. One thing that Gonzo is quite keen to make clear from the start is that Commandos 2 is nowhere near as difficult as the first game, which was never designed with mass appeal in mind.

The new game has three difficulty settings, so die-hard fans of the original's near-impossible gameplay will still be able to play in that style, while most of us switch to an enjoyable challenge. That isn't to say that playing on the lowest setting is a breeze. Once you do you'll want to play on the medium difficulty setting at least. Someone who's just spent the best part of Pound on your game is usually willing to spend that time learning.

Not every game has to be pick up and play. I tried out the first mission, and can confirm that even the easiest setting is quite a challenge. It's also incredibly addictive and involving. You'll be happy to know that you can now save at any stage too, so the nerve-wracking frustration we all experienced with Behind Enemy Lines should be a thing of the past.

This game is clearly geared to a much wider audience. And there are few subjects able to command as much attention as World War II. Shooting Nazis has always been acceptable, but you can't get away from the fact that there's a massive entertainment industry built around one of the biggest atrocities in human history.

If you think about it. Star Wars is crammed with atrocities and is considered apt children's viewing. The Empire wipes out whole worlds, killing millions of people. And what about the storm troopers that our heroes so merrily blast away? How many of them are young men of Luke's age who don't really want to be there?

Of course, the evil Empire is closely based on the Third Reich. I asked Gonzo why he thought people are fascinated by such a horrific war.

All wars are horrid, but when a human being is put in such an extreme situation, he is in touch with himself in a way that most people never experience. That is what fascinates people.

Saving Private Ryan, despite the rubbish beginning and ending referring to the modern-day flag-waving and gushing sentimentality of the old man visiting the graves with his family really shows you both the horror and the fascination of the war. Another reason it's such an attractive period is that suddenly our western civilisation couldn't understand how, being so developed culturally and socially, something like this could happen.

It's like a trauma that has affected our whole society. He also reminds us that this was the first great war to be properly documented in all its aspects. Then there are all the photographs, the books written by experts and survivors. This is a good situation when you're making a game, as you don't have to worry about introducing the player into a world, and you can take advantage of all that general knowledge to establish a believable context for the gameplay.

Commandos 2 really tries to capture that sense of adventure you get in great war films like The Great Escape and The Dirty Dozen. In fact, the unfinished code used for the presentation gives it all away in the names of the levels. Another thing it tries to do is bring to mind those derailed models you can't play with because they're made of lead. When you bring those two things together, you start to get a sense of what Commandos is all about. The first game was more of an extremely hard puzzle, while this one looks more to the grand adventures of those films.

Gonzo refuses to be draw n specifically on which films he has borrowed from, but he does explain that the Invasion mode is heavily based on Savin Private Ryan. In this mode you are given command of a group of soldiers outside your core of characters, which you can give orders to. You can tell them to cover a certain area, lie down and wait and effectively set up ambushes. I really wanted to put that in the game. I'm only sorry we won't have time to do some sort of versus mode based on that, where one player could hold the village while another one tries to invade it.

After taking a chance with the first one several other publishers turned it down. Eidos is keen to turn this into a blockbuster title. But were Pyro under any pressure to produce a sequel or did Gonzo really want to do it? His answer is unequivocal. I've already spent five years doing Commandos and I'm ready to move on to something different. I love my job but, after 17 years, I'm also tired of it, so I only want to work on new things that really excite me.

I've no desire to work for two and a half years on a title that doesn't interest me. I wouldn't be capable of doing a job just for the money.

It's not that I don't like money, but I don't want to work on shit. You should only work on things you love, that are worthwhile. Even if you fail, it's better to fail doing something you want than have success with something you don't. This is a man who wants to make a difference to the games world.

And I like people who take a chance and risk their reputation on something original. You can't live in the shadow of your successes. Rut I still want my next game to have the same sense of depth as Commandos and 1 want it to lx? Thai's the secret of a great game: depth and replavability. It should have a coherent and well-developed world you can play in, even if it isn't realistic. Because you're only ever as good as your last game or, if you're very lucky, your game before last.

If you're worried the PC game has been dumbed down so it can be ported to the PS2 and Dreamcast, you shouldn't be. The console version is very different, givinc you direct control over the characters in a Metal Gear Solid-style of gameplay. It looks good, but is more about action than strategy. Gonzo is hoping to make it into the Japanese market as well.

Commandos 2 Is intended to be a big super-production, which is something the Japanese are very good at I want to create something that takes your breath away and then makes you want to play it all again. That is something the Japanese do. The Germans took it well, but I'm not sure what the Japanese will make of It".

Not As Much a strategy game as a wonderful WWII adventure full of brainteasers, Commandos 2 presents a miniature world as rich in detail as any ship-in-a-bottle. If, like me, you gave up on the first Commandos about two minutes into the very first mission because of the insanely high difficulty level, don't be put off from trying the sequel. It's much more approachable and easy to get to grips with.

Once you get used to the mechanics of the game you won't even notice how artificial they are enemy soldiers' line of sight shown with bright green arcs, sound ripples indicating hearing range and so on and you'll just get caught up in the classic comic book feel of it, admiring the scenery and the myriad touches of originality in the process. It won't please everyone, of course. But it's their loss. Whether you're manoeuvring your sniper to a high-rise position inside a giant Buddha to take out a general, or simply figuring out how the hell to orchestrate a seemingly impossible rescue, Commandos 2 is addictive, enjoyable and constantly surprising.

It may not have flashy 3D graphics or even a proper storyline, but that doesn't stop it from being one of the best games of the last couple of years. The early s were hard times. Young men were sent away to war to lose life, limbs and mind, countries were turned to rubble and rationing forced the nation to live on a diet of powdered egg and hot gravel.

Well, if they thought they had it tough they should have tried playing Commandos. Many a hardened journalist has been brought to his knees while playing the World War II strategy bestseller.

The insanely high difficulty level, unforgiving gameplay and the fact that you couldn't save in-game saw you repeatedly restarting levels, only to see your soldiers dead before you knew what was going on. It's a testament to the game's quality that, although it was so demanding it should have been confined to a modest fanbase of hardcore gamers, it became a massive hit, topping every chart in the computer-playing world.

Well, Commandos 2 is not only more accessible, it's also much better looking, immensely playable and quite probably the most detailed game we've ever seen. It gsenrestobe an even bigger hit.

This is a real world miniaturised to fit onto your screen, not some chalked up sketch. There are 12 missions spread out across ten locations. And if you think 12 isn't that many, you haven't taken in our comments about them being huge.

You start off in a Normandy village, devastated by bombings not unlike the one in Saving Private Ryart and occupied by Germans. This is the smallest map in the game, but it will still take you around three to five hours to complete.

There are dozens of buildings, a river you need to cross, loads of Nazis and a big gunfire battle raging on between Allied and German soldiers at one end of the level. Another map has a full-size replica of the Eiffel Tower, which you can explore fully, and another an absolutely enormous aircraft carrier.

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If you continue browsing the site, you agree to the use of cookies on this website. See our User Agreement and Privacy Policy. See our Privacy Policy and User Agreement for details. Published on May 26, Listen Heart of Courage audiobooks free download on your phone now. Get Heart of Courage audiobooks free with mp3 and any best sellers audiobooks free trial.