Commandos: Behind enemy lines

Commandos: Behind Enemy Lines is a real-time tactics - computer game , whose action in the Second World War is located. It is the first part of the four-part Commandos series by the Spanish developer Pyro Studios . It was released for Windows in August 1998 by the British publisher Eidos Interactive . In March 1999, an expansion with the title Commandos: On behalf of honor appeared .

action

During the Second World War, a small Allied unit acted behind enemy lines and tried to win the war with targeted pin pricks . This command group consists of various specialists from different areas of expertise who can complement each other.

Gameplay

The player controls his command group in real time . The aim is to switch off the opponent as silently as possible or to sneak past him. The objectives of the mission are usually to destroy certain objects, such as radar stations , dams or a train . The playing field is viewed from a bird's eye view. The commands are located at a fixed point at the beginning of each mission. The opposing soldiers are on patrol or stand in a permanent place. An enemy's field of vision can be displayed; it is divided into a near area, in which the player is definitely seen, and a distant area, in which the commands can crawl around without being spotted.

The game offers a total of 20 main missions, which are of increasing difficulty. In addition, there is a short tutorial for each individual command in which the specialists' skills can be tried out. Through different campaigns, the player is brought to different locations of the Second World War. For example in Norway , North Africa , France and Germany .

In total, the command team consists of six specialists: Green Beret , Sniper , Marine , Engineer , Driver and Spy . Often the player only has certain characters to choose from in order to complete the missions.

Multiplayer mode

Commandos: Behind enemy lines has a multiplayer mode that allows players to tackle the 20 well-known missions together. However, two PCs are required for this multiplayer mode.

Changes to the German version and indexing

The German version of the game and the expansion have been changed in some elements. The depiction of blood splatters has been removed and no corpses can be seen of killed soldiers, only a symbolic grave with a death cross. Nevertheless, corpses can also be carried away and deposited elsewhere in this type of representation. Furthermore, representations of swastikas and similar Nazi symbols were alienated in the game , the corresponding vocabulary in the texts was replaced and video sequences with Nazi reference were removed without replacement.

The original English version was confiscated on June 24, 1999 by the Kassel District Court in accordance with Section 86a of the Criminal Code (Ref .: 132 Js 32822.9 / 98-201 Gs) and indexed on June 30, 1999 with the announcement of the Federal Examination Office for writings harmful to minors .

reception

Commandos: Behind enemy lines and the expansion were received positively by computer game magazines.

"More detailed, demanding tactical thrill" is how GameStar summed up the game Commandos: Behind Enemy Lines in its July 1998 issue . Editor-in-chief Jörg Langer praised the “turning away from the rest of the real-time all sorts” , which meant that after two or three hits a pawn is already done. Langer followed up and claimed "if you want to have a sense of achievement within ten minutes, you shouldn't do this game."

The expansion was also well received by GameStar in its May issue a year later. Gunnar Lott judged that the game made sense "improved and even more difficult." At the same time, however, he noted that eight levels were not enough for the retail price at the time.

On behalf of honor (add-on)

Commandos: On behalf of honor

Original title

Commandos: Beyond the Call of Duty

Erstveröffent-
lichung

March 30, 1999

platform

Windows

Game mode

Single player , multiplayer

Keyboard , mouse

1 CD-ROM

German English

A year later, on March 30, 1999, the stand-alone expansion Commandos appeared: On behalf of the honor . The game followed the identical plot: The command group, consisting of the six specialists known from the main program, acted behind the enemy lines through targeted and very tactical actions. The game offered eight new main missions, with the first levels being very large compared to the main program. In addition to the eight assignments, the player has two tutorials at his disposal, in which one could familiarize himself with three specialists. In addition, the commandos were given new capabilities. For example, enemy soldiers can be knocked unconscious and handcuffed. The game can be played without the main program and also has the familiar multiplayer mode.

Web links

Commandos: Behind enemy lines at MobyGames (English)
Commandos: On behalf of the honor at MobyGames (English)

Individual evidence

↑ sectional reports
↑ Federal Testing Office for Media Harmful to Young People (Ed.): BPJM-Aktuell . No. 4/2018 . Bonn 2018.
↑ GameStar.de: Commandos Behind Enemy Lines - accessed on January 11, 2015
↑ Commandos On behalf of honor - accessed on January 11, 2015
↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d PCGamesDatabase.de: Collection of test ratings - accessed on January 11, 2015
↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d PCGamesDatabase.de Commandos On behalf of the honor - Accumulation of reviews - accessed on January 15, 2015
^ Jörg Langer: Commandos . in: GameStar 07/98, IDG-Verlag, Munich 1998
^ Gunnar Lott: Commandos on behalf of honor , in: GameStar 05/99, IDG-Verlag, Munich 1999

[1] sectional reports

[2] Federal Testing Office for Media Harmful to Young People (Ed.): BPJM-Aktuell . No. 4/2018 . Bonn 2018.

[3] GameStar.de: Commandos Behind Enemy Lines - accessed on January 11, 2015

[4] Commandos On behalf of honor - accessed on January 11, 2015

[pcgdb-5] PCGamesDatabase.de: Collection of test ratings - accessed on January 11, 2015

[pcgdb2-6] PCGamesDatabase.de Commandos On behalf of the honor - Accumulation of reviews - accessed on January 15, 2015

[7] Jörg Langer: Commandos . in: GameStar 07/98, IDG-Verlag, Munich 1998

[8] Gunnar Lott: Commandos on behalf of honor , in: GameStar 05/99, IDG-Verlag, Munich 1999