Commando

Commando is Capcom's conversion of its own arcade run-and-gun, released in Japan as Senjou no Ookami (Wolf of the Battlefield). One soldier advances up a vertically scrolling battlefield, freeing prisoners of war as he goes.

The NES version is a much harder and more methodical game than the arcade original. Grenades are unlimited - the arcade gave you a limited stock - so the tactical layer becomes about when to use them: they arc over cover, clear groups, and are the only answer to the pillboxes that otherwise force you to approach. Enemy soldiers throw grenades on a timer, so standing still is always losing. The prisoner rescues are optional for survival but earn the score, and the game ends with a single fortified gate that you have to be genuinely prepared for.

• ▸Unlimited grenades - a deliberate change from the arcade version
• ▸Vertically scrolling battlefield with pillboxes and fortifications
• ▸Optional prisoner rescues that drive the score
• ▸Enemy grenade timers that punish standing still