I'll be honest, I don't recall much of the previous two Commando games.  But immediately after Wolf of the Battlefield: Commando 3 was announced with it's 3 player co-op gameplay I knew the latest game was one I had to check out.  Wolf of the Battlefield isn't necessarily a bad game, but it's not a good one either.  I can't quite place my finger on what it is, it's almost like the game is missing something simple.

WotBC3 plays a bit like Total Carnage, the classic sequel to Smash T.V. from the arcades.  It's a top down dual analog shooter in which you and your buddies take on swarms of seemingly endless bad guys in a gritty war enviornment.  The graphics are crisp and cartoonish with colorful anime style overlays for your special attacks and cut scenes.  You'll find yourself trouncing through 5 levels of gameplay, with the total game length not much longer than 30 to 35 minutes.  It is a bit short, but there are 4 difficulty levels to play through and a few secret areas to uncover.  There's not much here in the way of weapons, you have your standard machine gun, some blue/green glowy gun, rockets, and a flame thrower.   Each weapon can be upgraded 3 times for increasing damage and firing rate.  There are vehicles in the game, but they are few and far between; and even though you can get all 3 of your guys in each vehicle, I found the vehicle controls clunky.  Scoring is based on an ever increasing combo system, with multipliers up to 24x.  You'll lose your combo if you take a hit, so obviously you'll want to avoid that.

The specifics of Co-Op play force players to work together in a few ways, namely by covering each others asses and making sure each player gets their share of weapon upgrades.  There's a continuous stream of spawning bad guys behind you, saw it's much easier if one player is designated as the cover man to watch for these cheap kills.  It is a nice change of pace to have 3 co-op players, each one with their own strengths and weaknesses.  Of course you have the small yet agile female character, the big, brutish tank male character, and your Johnny go lucky all around average guy that's balanced.  Each one has their own "M Attack" which I think stands for massive, or multiple, or mulberry - either way it unleashes an impressive wave of destruction against multiple bad guys.

All in all Wolf of the Battlefield: Commando 3 (ok, seriously? Shorten the name) is a decent game that just lacks inspiration.  There's nothing incredibly wrong with the game, but in an age where our virtual arcades are becoming crowded with similar titles - WotBC3 does nothing to stand above the rest.  It's hard to justify the $10, unless of course you snag it on Xbox Live Arcade, then you'll get into Street Fighter II: HD Remix Beta. 

The Co-Op Experience: 3 player mindless action.  Splash of vehicles, splash of upgradable weapons.

Score: 3 out of 5 

Tags: xbox live arcade 3 player co-op playstation network reviews




  Share

Popular Stories Related to Wolf of the Battlefield: Commando 3

Wolf of the Battlefield: Commando 3 Previewed

The game in the running for "most complex game title ever," Wolf of the Battlefield: Commando 3, has created a bit of (Read More)

PlayStation Network Co-Op Games on Sale, Turkeys on Heads

  Looking for some quick co-op games this long weekend?  PlayStation owners can snag a few co-op titles that are curr(Read More)

Co-Op Release Alert: Wolf of the Battlefield

In a mere 24 hours, give or take, Wolf of the Battlefield: Commando 3 will be released on Xbox Live Arcade (the Playstation Netw(Read More)

---

Reader Comments