Firm believers in spectacular denouements and stylish exits, the Spanish devs most outrageous outro is probably the one in “Blind Justice”. After long spells of sneaking and shanking there's sometimes an opportunity to thin remaining opposition a little more speedily and brazenly with the help of a commandeered HMG or AFV. Tempting useable vehicles and static weapons grace many of the maps. Then again, perusing my screenshot folder I'm reminded of the lovely North African port in “Up On the Roof”.Īnd the ruin-ringed railway gun in “Menace of the Leopold”. Or the complicated portion of Le Havre dockside that must be negotiated in “David and Goliath” in order to A) steal the minisub and B) sink Bismarck's sister ship. My favourite location is probably the cable car-served mountaintop radar station that's the target in “Blind Justice”.
While the studio's talented band of artists and cartographers are destined to be best remembered for their contributions to the sequel, their combined efforts on the 1998 title ensure a good portion of the twenty zoomable-but-single-perspective maps linger long in the memory. lovingly draw on Where Eagle Dare (1968), The Guns of Navarone (1961), and The Dirty Dozen (1967) for their mission concepts, and, as a result, CBEL abounds with exotic objectives and avoids sanctimonious hand-wringing. It has cinematic touchstones but they're older and more fanciful. Unlike many other mainstream 1939-45 titles, this one doesn't care a fig about Saving Private Ryan. Pyro's singular Sixties-tinged take on WW2 is another reason I'm willing to forgive and forget the inevitable moments of exasperation. And unlike tough crosswords or sudokus, the solution I eventually settle on probably won't look anything like yours. Like tough crosswords or sudokus, the game's intricate military puzzles can look much less intimidating when viewed through fresh rather than tired eyes. I keep coming back because I know deep-down there must be some way of distracting that guard on the roof of the blockhouse for long enough to knife then carry away the one by the pole barrier there has to be some ruse or combination of ruses that will finally allow me to paddle the dinghy across the river unobserved. Happily, the rage-quits almost always come at the end of multi-hour sessions of thoroughly absorbing sentry slaying and patrol avoiding. After twenty minutes wielding a spanner or a damp cloth I'm usually ready to return to a game that punishes impatience, lack of imagination, and careless quicksaving with the ludological equivalent of a Luger shot to the back of the head. I deal with it by doing household chores. There are various ways of dealing with CBEL fury. I've been playing Commandos: Behind Enemy Lines all week. The interior of my fridge's freezer compartment no longer glitters and my kitchen sink cold tap no longer drips.
The following two sentences aren't unconnected. Is Pyro Studios' debut offering as maddeningly difficult as I remember? Is it still worth playing? Here's wot I think.
My enthusiasm for stealthy team tactics diversions rekindled by the magnificent Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun, I thought it was high time I reacquainted myself with the game that single-handedly established the sub-genre. Commandos: Behind Enemy Lines turned twenty a couple of weeks ago.