Commandos 2: Men of Courage

It can't be recommended over the PC version, let alone wholly recommended in its own right, except to those looking for an extremely tough PS2 action strategy game.

Commandos 2: Men of Courage is the sequel to Commandos: Behind Enemy Lines and Commandos: Beyond the Call of Duty. The games were developed by Pyro Studios, and published by Eidos Interactive. The Mac OS X version of the game was released in May 2010 by Feral Interactive along with Commandos 3: Destination Berlin as part of the Commandos Battle Pack.[1]

The game places the player in command of a squad of commandos and various allies as he sneaks behind enemy lines to accomplish his objectives. The action stretches from 1941 to 1945 and takes place on both the Western Front against the Germans and the Pacific theatre against the Japanese.

Other playable characters

Whiskey, a bull terrier dog whose owner was a member of the French resistance shot by the Nazis. He can be used to distract enemies and pass items between commandos who use a dog whistle to call him. he can detect mines, and move through minefields without setting them off.

A Burmese spiritual leader who does not fight but can be used to carry equipment.

Spike, a mouse given to Paul Toledo by the Burmese Spiritual leader, which can be used to distract enemies.

Wilson, a former Royal Air Force Pilot who was shot down by the Japanese and helps the commandos by distracting enemies with his trumpet and carrying items.

Guinness, a British officer who aids the commandos in destroying a railroad bridge.

Private Smith, an American soldier the commandos have to rescue and keep alive in the face of heavy enemy attacks.

Some missions also give you control of additional generic troops who can also be moved, armed, used to carry supplies and fight; such characters include allied soldiers, a submarine crew, a squad of Gurkhas, and assorted Prisoners of War.

[edit]Missions

The game comprises a total of 21 missions: 2 Training Missions, 10 Main Missions and 9 Bonus missions.

[edit]Plot

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 unit of Gurkhas.

May 1941, on a mission in a German submarine base at La Pallice in La Rochelle, France, commando Paul Toledo, with the help of Natasha Nikochevski, capture an Enigma machine hidden in an officer's safe. Nikochevski then leaves him to assist the main body of commandos when they arrive in the morning to rescue a Royal Navy submarine, the E-423, sheltered and under heavy guard in one of the hangars. They destroy the base's anti-aircraft guns and torpedo warehouse before escaping in the submarine together with its crew.[2]

While in the North Sea, the Royal Navy submarine is caught and forced to surface in the frigid waters after being depth charged by a German destroyer. The enigma machine is confiscated and the entire crew captured with the exception of James Blackwood, who hid in the bow of the submarine. He soon manages to contact Thomas Hancock, who also escaped capture. After rescuing the crew, the commandos proceed to recover the enigma machine and disable the destroyer's main guns & engine. Under orders that the enigma machine be hastily brought to England, Jack O'Hara and Rene Duchamp takeoff in a Fieseler Fi 156, while the rest continue their journey in the submarine.[2]

A year passes and the commandos are deployed to the Pacific Theatre. In Burma, they rescue a spiritual leader and assassinate a Japanese tyrant with the help of Gurkhas. On June 17, 1942, the commandos are sent to northern Thailand, where they rescue a Colonel Guinness, who in turn helps them destroy the bridge over the River Kwai by revealing its structural weakness. The bridge is blown up just as a train of the Japanese high command approaches it.[2]

In July 1942, the commandos land on the strongly fortified Savo Island to disable the large artillery guns, before Operation Watchtower can commence. While on the island, they are assisted by a castaway named Wilson. After destroying the artillery and rescuing a downed American pilot, he returns the favour by piloting a Kawanishi H8K to help them escape the island, but not before telling them of a gold monkey statue which is symbolic to the Japanese. O'Hara steals it as a souvenir.[2]

In Spring of 1944, the commandos are sent to Haiphong, Indochina, destroying the port's fuel depots and infiltrating the Japanese aircraft carrier Shinano. While out at sea, the commandos sabotage the rudder of every A6M Zero and report the carrier's position before taking off in two undamaged Zeroes. The Shinano is then bombed by American F4U Corsairs.[2]

Following their tour of duty in the Pacific, the commandos are recalled to Europe for the Normandy invasion. They rescue a wounded Private Smith and with the help of American soldiers, successfully defend the unnamed French town in Normandy from waves of German infantry and Panzer III tanks. A few months later, Toledo is captured and taken to Colditz Castle where he is to be executed. The commandos save him and they help the POW's housed there escape by disguising them in German uniforms. After the prisoners escape, the commandos acquire top secret documents from three high ranking German officers, revealing plans to devastate Paris with planted explosives before it is liberated.[2]

In August 1944, the entire commando corps arrive in Paris and succeed in disabling the detonator, before leaving the city in an airship from top of the Eiffel Tower.

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