14 DAY TRIAL // Pyro Studios has confirmed to a Holland-based videogame site that it is planning to revive its long running Commandos franchise for a new title. At the moment, the studio is working on a videogame, to be published by SEGA, accompanying the launch of the Planet 51 movie. Taking into consideration that the release date for that project is set for November 30, Pyro could begin work on the fresh Commandos before Christmas this year.
The last game in the series to be released was Strike Force, which came out in 2006. With it, Pyro tried something different by moving the view to first person and emphasizing some of the more action-oriented elements of the franchise.
Most of the fans did not like the change because the overall view of the previous games was eliminated and because it made the game too much like other World War II titles such as Call of Duty or Medal of Honor. Pyro acknowledges that the approach from Strike Force was wrong and is saying that a return to the roots of the series is planned.
It will be interesting to see whether it really delivers on that promise. Behind Enemy Lines, the first iteration, was pretty restrictive and challenging. Most of the characters the player could control were only able to shoot pistols and solely the Sapper could lob grenades and plant explosives.
The results: planning was critical to all missions and taking on the German forces head on was only a sure recipe for failure. Commandos has always been a thinking man’s game and fans have learned to deal with the frustration caused by repeated failure. It remains to be seen whether Pyro can put together a title that provides a similar experience to the first two installments while also attracting new players to the franchise.