Commando, the Video Game by Capcom Co., Ltd. [Japan]

Type of the machine : Video Game
Commando © 1985 Capcom.

Vertically scrolling shoot'em up in which the player takes on the role of a highly trained commando soldier. The mission is to rescue captives and destroy enemy bases and strongholds, killing as many enemy soldiers as possible in the process. The commando carries only 2 weapons : a limited-range machine gun with unlimited shots, and a limited supply of hand grenades. Extra grenades can be picked up as the player progresses through the levels.

Main CPU : Z80 (@ 4 Mhz)
Sound CPU : Z80 (@ 3 Mhz)
Sound Chips : (2x) YM2203 (@ 1.5 Mhz)

Screen orientation : Vertical
Video resolution : 224 x 256 pixels
Screen refresh : 60.00 Hz
Palette colors : 256

Players : 2
Control : 8-way joystick
Buttons : 2

Released in May 1985.
Licensed to Data East for US manufacture and distribution (July 1985). Commando was the first (and the only) game that Capcom licensed to Data East.

This game is known in Japan as "Senjou no Ookami" (translates as 'Battlefield of the Wolf') and is known as "Space Invasion" for the West German marketplace.

The main character is Super Joe from "Bionic Commando" and "The Speed Rumbler".

Tim Balderramos holds the official record for this game with 10,051,200 points on July 5, 1986.

Bandai released a boardgame based on this video game (same name) : A simple roll-and-move type game, with symbols on the board indicating what happens when you land on that spot. There are multiple choices on which direction to go, but not too much in the way of required thinking. There are many different boards that you progress through, each 'board' representing one 'stage' of the game.

Alfa Records released a limited-edition soundtrack album for this game (Capcom Game Music - 28XA-94) on 25/08/1986.

* The arch bridge is a dangerous spot so watch for grenade attacks from above. Be careful of trucks and jeeps that may try to run over you. Do not fall into rivers or ponds. Trees, walls and other obstacles may be used for cover.

* Here's a good way to kill enemy soldiers without going anywhere near them : at the end of each area, when the enemy soldiers are pouring out of the gate from their compound, move your commando to the bottom of the screen and shoot down. Your shots will come down from the top of the screen, killing the soldiers as they come out of the gate.

* This tip will let you rack up big points and all the extra men you can : on the first stage, there is a cliff on the right-hand side of the screen. The enemy troops will jump off the end of this cliff and attack you. If you walk until the enemy troops START jumping off, and then stop, you can just stand there and keep killing them until you either get sick of playing or reach the maximum amount of extra men the game allows. If you plan on playing through the rest of the game you should stop as soon as you reach the maximum amount of extra men, as the longer you just sit there, the harder and faster the enemies become, making the rest of the game substantially more difficult.

1. Commando (1985)
2. Mercs (1990)
3. Commando 3 (2007, XBOX 360 - "XBLA", Playstation 3 - "PSN")

Designed by : Tokuro Fujiwara
Music by : Tamayo Kawamoto

Consoles :

Nintendo Famicom (1986)
Mattel Intellivision (1987)
Atari 2600 (1988)
Atari 7800 (1989)
Sony PlayStation (1998, "Capcom Generation 4")
Sony PlayStation (1998, "Capcom Generations - Blazing Guns")
Sega Saturn (1998, "Capcom Generation 4")
Sony PlayStation 2 (2005, "Capcom Classics Collection")
Microsoft XBOX (2005, "Capcom Classics Collection")
Sony PSP (2006, "Capcom Classics Collection Reloaded")

Computers :

Commodore C64 (1985)
Amstrad CPC (1985)
PC [Booter] (1986)
Sinclair ZX Spectrum (1986)
Commodore 16 (1986)
Commodore Plus/4 (1986)
Apple II (1987)
Atari ST (1989)
Commodore Amiga (1989)
PC [CD-ROM] (2003, "Capcom Arcade Hits 3") : also includes PDA version for HP/Compaq iPaq Pocket PC's.
PC [CD-ROM] (2003, "Capcom Coin-Op Collection Volume 1")

Game's rom.
Machine's picture.