Commandos 3: Destination Berlin
Third Commandos installment with true 3D engine and deathmatch mode.
Commandos 3: Destination Berlin is a real-time tactics title and the third game in the Commandos series. Pyro Studios developed it, and Eidos Interactive published it for Windows in October 2003. A Mac OS X version, handled by Feral Interactive, came out in June 2005. This entry marked the series' first use of a fully 3D engine and its first deathmatch multiplayer mode. A remastered edition launched in August 2022 for Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.
**Gameplay** Players control a squad of commandos to finish missions. Unlike earlier games, Destination Berlin omits the Driver (a founding team member) and Natasha "Lips" (introduced in *Commandos: Beyond the Call of Duty*). The playable roster includes the Green Beret, the Sniper, the Marine, the Sapper, the Spy, and the Thief. Core mechanics stay similar to predecessors: all enemies are visible on the map, and a point-and-click interface is used. However, fewer hotkeys exist than in the prior game, forcing players to rely on an action bar. Strategy shifts with the addition of an assault rifle—stronger than a pistol but weaker than a rifle. All units can now use grenades, not just the Sapper as before. The old knapsack inventory display (showing a picture of a commando's items) is replaced by a box system; searching enemy bodies or supply crates opens a smaller box showing capacity. Commandos like the Green Beret and Spy, previously limited to pistols, can now wield any small arm except the sniper rifle. A new cover mode lets players leave commandos waiting at doors or behind cover, where they automatically shoot enemies within range with improved accuracy, enabling ambushes and defensive play. The game splits into three campaigns: Central Europe, Normandy, and Stalingrad. Each campaign uses different characters, and most missions impose a time limit.
**Plot** The tutorial has Jack O'Hara clearing a bunker, Sir Francis T. Woolridge sniping German soldiers, and Thomas Hancock destroying a Panzer III with explosives. The story then jumps to February 21, 1939, where René Duchamp and Paul Toledo infiltrate the German Embassy in London to steal documents from a safe. During the Battle of Stalingrad, Woolridge kills an elite German sniper, lifting a siege on a Soviet command post at the Barmaley Fountain.
Quick Facts
- Title
- Commandos 3: Destination Berlin
- Developer
- Pyro StudiosPorted to Mac OS X by Zonic. Remastered version developed by Raylight Games.
- Publisher
- Eidos InteractiveMac OS X version published by Feral Interactive. Remastered version published by Kalypso Media.
- Designer
- Ignacio Pérez Dolset
- Modes
- Single-player, multiplayer
- Genre
- Real-time tactics
- Series
- Commandos
- Platforms
- Windows / Mac OS X / Nintendo Switch / PlayStation 4 / Xbox One
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Commandos 3: Destination Berlin is the first game in the series to use a true 3D engine and to introduce a deathmatch multiplayer mode. The game is broken into three campaigns: Central Europe, Normandy, and Stalingrad, each using different characters. The available commandos are the Green Beret, the Sniper, the Marine, the Sapper, the Spy, and the Thief; notably, the Driver (from the original team) and Natasha (from Commandos: Beyond the Call of Duty) are absent. Gameplay is largely similar to previous games, with a point-and-click control scheme and all enemies visible on the map, but it has fewer hotkeys and requires pressing buttons on the action bar. New features include an assault rifle, the ability for all units to use grenades, a box inventory system replacing the knapsack, and a cover mode allowing ambushes. Most missions are on a time limit.
Reader's Guide
Commandos 3: Destination Berlin received 'average' reviews according to Metacritic, with criticism for its difficulty due to fewer hotkeys than its predecessors and a locked 800x600 resolution, which was low-end at release. The game received a 'Gold' award from the Asociación Española de Distribuidores y Editores de Software de Entretenimiento (aDeSe) for more than 40,000 sales in Spain during its first 12 months. A remastered version, subtitled HD Remaster, was released in August 2022 for Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. The game's plot follows a tutorial and then shifts to 21 February 1939, with missions involving the Battle of Stalingrad, a betrayal by General Franklin O'Donnell, and events in Saint-Avold and Normandy, culminating in the Normandy landings on June 6, 1944.
Did You Know?
- Commandos 3 is the first in the series to use a true 3D engine and introduce deathmatch multiplayer.
- The Driver and Natasha are absent from this installment.
- The game received a 'Gold' award from aDeSe for over 40,000 sales in Spain in its first 12 months.
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