Wolf of the Battlefield: Commando 3 is your typical classic top-down shooter that has been modernized for today’s new breeds of players. The game is easy to pick up and surprisingly entertaining. What’s nice about it? Well, there are several components come to mind but one that goes on top of the list is the visual presentation. Top-down shooters have come a long way in terms of their crude almost mosaic graphics. This is not to say that Commando 3’s sharp visuals are revolutionary or groundbreaking; it’s just that it's good to see classic shooters making a comeback with cutting-edge designs and a more casual-oriented gameplay. And that’s pretty much the package you’ll get with Commando 3. Needless to say, the game is also a challenge when you don’t have the luxury of “continues” when your lives run out.

Speaking of gameplay, you can definitely appreciate the huge difference in the type of frantic action you have now than what you have been used to in the past! Capcom's Wolf of the Battlefield: Commando 3 certainly shows its nostalgic roots but comes out a much better shooter with lots of firepower and great intensity. The animation is incredibly smooth and the controls couldn’t get any simpler, thanks to the dual-stick combat system. All you have to do is use your left stick for moving your character, and the right-stick for shooting your weapon. The shoulder buttons are also there to do extra damage, and they are your secondary explosives. While RT gives you a fair amount of destruction from grenades, it’s the LT button that will literally obliterate your foes into dust! Pressing LT activates your character’s signature M-Crash, which sends out a powerful atomic wave that wipes out everything on the screen. It’s really fun to use M-Crash just for its enormous explosion but its usage is limited to three per life. You can pick up additional M-Crash by collecting the power-up M that looks a lot like a briefcase.

There are several power-ups in the game and you’d have to destroy the crates to get them. The “Pow” icons are the most important power-up you’ll find to upgrade your firing ability; it amplifies your weapon’s potency to create greater damage as well as increase the size of its shooting coverage. The other power-ups that you’ll pickup along the way include flamethrowers, rocket launchers, a spread gun, and the standard machine gun. Though these weapons add a nice varying degree of firepower to your arsenal, you can’t carry more than one at a time. As a result, you’ll have to consistently bust open crates to switch weapons. Needless to say, the machine gun and the rocket launcher are your most effective weapons for surviving hordes of enemies. The other collectibles you’ll also pickup are health packs , award icons, and secret items.

One of the best parts about Wolf of the Battlefield: Commando 3’s gameplay is the ability to drive vehicles. You’ll be able to get in a fast humvee or in a huge slow-moving tank! These vehicles are huge but not indestructible. After so many hits and driving over land mines, your vehicle will explode, leaving you expose yet again to open fire. Because of their massive scale, you can plow hundreds of enemies in seconds, saving you time and effort in completing the level. The only downside to driving is that it can sometimes be a bit tricky to control. Graphically, the game looks very clean and nicely textured though some of the maps could use more varieties. Nevertheless, the characters and environment are surprisingly detailed and well animated. In the audio department, the music is quite good in many respects but it just needs to pick up the pace in certain part of the levels where the action is heating up. The sound effects are amazing. From enemies shooting from high towers to various artillery tanks shooting up missiles, each arsenal delivers its own unique destructive impact.

What’s going to get you really hooked with this game is the multiplayer experience. If you think the single player mode is good, then you can expect another echelon of entertainment through split-screen or via online. There’s no substitute to the excitement that you have with a buddy, blasting the living hell out enemies’ compounds. What’s more is that boss fights have suddenly become more interesting and driving the vehicles has turned into a mowing mayhem! At any rate, Commando 3 is a solid top-down shooter that’s really fun and easy to pick up. It has all the amenities of a great classic shooter plus destructible environment, driving scenarios, and best of all, cooperative play. The only thing we’ve missed is not having the ability to carry more than one primary weapon. Other than that, it’s a convincing interpretation of an ultramodern warfare. Besides, you get a free Street Fighter II HD Remix beta to test out for a few months.