Battlezone: Combat Commander Critic Reviews

An excellent remaster of an unappreciated classic from the PC’s golden age, whose unique mix of genres seems more novel than ever.

It’s certainly worth picking up Battlezone: Combat Commander if you like the central premise of an RTS/FPS mash-up as it’s still one of the best games in the Action Strategy genre, but if Rebellion or Big Boat make a proper Battlezone 3 then we hope it’ll focus on the fun more than the frustration.

Battlezone: Combat Commander is a relic of its time. It’s clear this is a love letter to fans of the original, a nicer way to play a game plagued with some unfortunate problems back when it was released.

Battlezone: Combat Commander is a Wing Commander-like experience in a tank. It features a neat story, updated graphics, and some gameplay that might not quite achieve the longevity of entertainment that it desires. It does contain some interesting features to try and keep the gamer engaged, but depending on expectations of the gamer will equal out to whether that engagement holds up.

The story is interesting and giving the FPS nature of Battlezone: Combat Commander, it feels much more 'personal' given the unique hybrid aspect of the game. The strategy elements and the FPS parts do not stack up to modern conventions, but are sufficient enough to work. The real appeal is the fact that this is a hybrid of two very different genres and, while not perfect, considering its 20 year age, it is worth checking out of if this mixture sounds appealing, as the story is indeed fun to experience.

For all of its faults, Battlezone: Combat Commander is fun, unique, and innovative. It could even stand the test of time if the developers had spent their energy updating the game mechanics rather than just the in-game graphics. Ultimately, it's a fun game that should have gotten a lot more love from the remaster than it did. For my part, I will continue to enjoy this old classic like I did when I was a kid, but I will always be disappointed that it isn't all it could be, nay, all that is should be.

Just like Rogue Trooper Redux and the recent Age of Empires remaster, the focus has been almost entirely on upgrading visuals instead of the gameplay. As a result, Battlezone: Combat Commander still feels like a game released nearly 20 years ago.

A great game in its time, but one that has not aged well enough for it to stand up today with just updated visuals, especially when the cutscenes are omitted from that update.