Commandos: Beyond the Call of Duty

Download Commandos: Beyond the Call of Duty and lead your squad of elite commandos through dangerous WW2 missions! Outsmart your enemies, devise clever strategies, and complete objectives to help turn the tide of war. Accept the challenge and play now!
a game by Eidos Interactive
Platform: PC
Editor Rating: 7.8/10, based on 2 reviews, 3 reviews are shown
User Rating: 7.9/10 - 21 votes
Rate this game:
See also: Download Strategy Games, Military Games, WW2 Games, Call of Duty Series, Games Like Red Alert, Commando Games
Commandos: Beyond the Call of Duty
Commandos: Beyond the Call of Duty
Commandos: Beyond the Call of Duty

I love the Commandos series and Commandos Beyond the Call of Duty was released in 1999 as a stand-alone expansion pack for the awesome Commandos Behind Enemy Lines game. What is weird about this is that while it was released as an expansion pack, you did not need the original game to play it. Think of it as a shorter version of what we already got and you are on the right track.

Once Again, The Mission Comes First

The game gives us eight brand-new missions to complete. What is strange about this is that they do not have anything (from what I could see) to do with the original game. They are kind of just there and feel more like side missions. I am not saying that is a bad thing, but I would have liked more story to go along with these than we actually got. The missions are about what you would expect. Espionage, getting in, taking people out, and trying not to be seen.

These missions in Commandos Beyond the Call of Duty are hard as nails by the way! While this is a stand-alone expansion, I would not suggest you play this to see if Behind Enemy Lines is for you! This is made for people who are already experts at the original game.

Any New Toys?

There is not exactly a ton of new content in the game. Some of the commandos do have a new ability that they can use. You do have a few new items such as smokes that you can leave out as a distraction and handcuffs to, well you know handcuff people. The Spy is kind of cooler in that he can steal uniforms and use them to his advantage. In all honesty, not a ton of new stuff was actually added here which is a bit of a shame and the stuff that was added did not exactly break any new ground.

The Right Commando For The Right Job

Once again, Commandos Beyond the Call of Duty has you needing to make use of your commando’s abilities to complete missions. The enemies for the most part are the same, but there are also wild animals that can get in your way too which is kind of fun. One new addition that I did like was being able to grab an enemy and move them around at gunpoint. For the most part, if you played the first game, you know what to do here. It is just much tougher this time around so you really need to have honed your skills from the original game before jumping in here.

I loved the original game and spent many, many hours with it. I feel that with Commandos Beyond the Call of Duty they did as little as they could. Do not get me wrong, as someone who loves Commandos, I had a great time with this. I just feel that they could have added a lot more, especially as this was a stand-alone expansion. I bet more than a few people bought this and were not impressed with how little content there was. Still, for fans of the series, it is well worth playing through.

7.5

Final Score

Pros:

  • It is more Commandos which is never a bad thing
  • I still like the visual presentation
  • These missions will really test your skills
  • I liked some of the new abilities
  • Using smokes as a distraction is funny

Cons:

  • It is very light on content
  • I would not recommend jumping into this unless you have mastered the original game

Download Commandos: Beyond the Call of Duty

PC

System requirements:

  • PC compatible
  • Operating systems: Windows 10/Windows 8/Windows 7/2000/Vista/WinXP

Game Reviews

This Stand-aloneexpansion pack to Pyro's surprise hit of 1998 is even harder than the first game, if that's possible. It's very much more of the same, with eight new levels ranging from a bombing mission on the Channel islands and a rescue mission in a Belgrade zoo, although, at least there are quite a few gameplay innovations. Many of you might think that the use of cigarettes or a sexy female operative to distract nazi guards were unique to the superb (and far more accessible) sequel, but they - along with some other ideas - are prefigured here.

The problem is that it's so bloody hard, requiring inhuman amounts of patience, a will of iron and the self-control not to smash your PC into shards with frustration. The fact that there is no 3D engine, the Al is unforgiving and the interface is a nightmare (all of which was fixed for Commandos II) only serve to further surround this with an aura of impenetrability.

Only consider this if you completed the first game with few problems and want more of the same, but don't dream of it if your only acquaintance is with the great sequel.

Overview

Last year, Eidos Interactive brought us one of the most refreshing real-time strategy games of the year. With its addictive and challenging gameplay, Commandos: Behind Enemy Lines separated itself from the masses with its unique approach to the strategy game genre. Commandos: Beyond the Call of Duty is basically a mission add-on pack for Commandos: Behind Enemy Lines, adding just eight more missions, a few new weapons and a higher graphics resolution. However, this game is sold as a stand-alone product so you won’t need the original Commandos to play.

Gameplay, Controls, Interface

For those unfamiliar with the original game, the Commandos are a group of World War II era specially-trained soldiers that are known as the "Dirty ? Dozen." You are in control of all six commandos, each of whom specializes in a specific skill, but not all commandos will participate in each mission; usually only three or four Commandos will be at your disposal. Your missions include such tasks as destroying certain buildings or objects, capturing a particular enemy soldier, and/or freeing a fellow commando, for example. A typical mission will have a few objectives that must be completed for the mission to be a success. Unlike other real-time strategy games, you cannot approach the mission with guns blazing, shooting at anyone that moves. Rather, you must employ stealth to get the job done. For example, if you take out an enemy soldier with your gun, other nearby soldiers will hear the gunshot, sound the alarm and will soon have the place crawling with panicking guards. The best way to kill an enemy soldier is to use a quieter weapon such as a knife, then pick up his body and move it to a location where it will not be found by other guards. This may sound easy, but is actually very difficult. Most of the enemy soldiers are situated in a way where they can see each other. By clicking a view icon onto an enemy soldier, you can see his field of view panning back and forth which can help you decide when to make your move on a guard that may be periodically within the other soldier’s view.

Thanks to very different abilities of each commando, there are many different ways to distract and systematically take out each guard. A Marine Commando, "Fins", has special abilities that include a silent but deadly harpoon gun, and he is the only one who can swim if he has an air tank, and can also operate and carry the inflatable boat. "Inferno" carries bombs, grenades, wire cutters and something resembling a bear trap, which he can place on the ground where an enemy soldier may walk. "Tiny’s" special weapons are an Ice Pick/Shovel and an acoustic decoy. He is also the only commando who can pick up and move immobilized guards. There is also a sniper, a driver, a spy, and for the eighth and final mission, you can utilize Natasha "Lips" Van de Zand. Natasha is a civilian who is part of the Dutch resistance. She has the ability to distract enemy guards, regardless of their rank, with the help of her feminine charm in the form of a lipstick icon! All the commandos carry a 9mm pistol and can distract enemy soldiers by throwing a stone behind them or a pack of cigarettes nearby. The sound of the stone will distract their view for a few seconds, and if they see the cigarettes they will immediately head over to pick them up, which may just be the distraction you need to kill a guard that would normally be within his view.

Veteran Commandos players will find some new features in this game. The ability to throw a stone or pack of cigarettes is a new feature, but the biggest addition is the ability to knock out a guard by way of a club, fist or chloroform. Once the enemy soldier is unconscious, he can be handcuffed and forced to go back on patrol at gunpoint and distract other guards as long as he stays within range of your pistol.

Graphics

The most noticeable difference between the original Commandos and this one is the improved graphic resolution. This improves the overall look and feel of the game. The soldiers and objects are all richly detailed and complement the rest of the game.

Audio

One of the best features of this game is the magnificent audio soundtrack and the voice acting of the German soldiers. The music really does a fine job of creating the mood for the game. The only downside is the voices of your commandos, which can become repetitive. "Yes Sir" and "Right away Sir" are repeated far too often after each command.

System Requirements

Minimum: Pentium 166 MHz processor, Windows 95/98, 32 MB RAM, 1 MB SVGA DirectX 6.1 compliant video card, 4X CD-ROM drive, 225 MB hard drive space

Recommended: Pentium 233 MHz or faster, 64 MB RAM, 2 MB SVGA DirectX 6.1 compliant video card, 8X CD-ROM drive

Multiplayer Requirements: Pentium 200 MHz or faster, TCP/IP LAN, 33.6 Kbps or faster internet connection

Bottom Line

Commandos: Beyond the Call of Duty is a VERY difficult game. It is much more difficult than the original. It would sometimes take me days to complete a mission and I had to constantly save and restart the game, to the point of absolute frustration. There is a difficulty setting at the start of your first mission with the choice of "Easy" or "Hard". It should read: "Very Hard" or "Impossible"! My other complaint is the fact that there are only eight missions, compared to the first game in the series, which had 20. Granted, the suggested retail price of this game is only $29.99, but it would have been better if Eidos added another 12 missions and called it a sequel. This game will constantly require you to think and use trial and error to create different strategies. There is no question this is a challenging game and never-ending patience will be vital for success.

Snapshots and Media

PC Screenshots

See Also

Viewing games 1 to 19