Commandos 2: HD Remaster

The freedom to tackle the magnificent levels almost any way you choose, remains one of C2’s most beguiling attractions.

Commandos 2 - HD Remaster is a disappointingly lacklustre port of a real-time tactics classic. This is a game that's showing its age in many ways but, with the right tweaks, some decent control implementation and squashing of bugs, it could have had its moment to shine with modern audiences. As it is, the irritations and annoyances expected in revisiting a game of this vintage are exacerbated to no end with shoddy, unwieldy controls, unexpected performance problems and a general lack of care. The graphics have been updated here, but everything else remains much as it was – with the added frustration of bugs, glitches and long loading times.

Perhaps I've been spoiled by modern games that built upon this predecessor, perhaps it was the clunky translation to console, or perhaps it was simply my impatience with the frequent loading times. Whatever the reason, this legend of the genre fell well below my expectations. If you are a fan of the original game, then by all accounts this remaster does wonders for the visuals and would probably be an easy recommendation. In this case, do yourself at least the favor of avoiding it on Switch.

There is very little to recommend about Commandos 2 - HD REMASTER. The controls are absolutely horrendous, the field of view crippling, the load times unbearable, the randomness of events stifling, and the general inability to do what you want to do annoying, to name a few of the problems. This game represents a cash grab attempt to cash in on an old series, but the one behind it forgot to do much in the way of actually even improving it.

Much like it’s namesake – Commandos 2: HD Remaster is the remaster no one suspected. Like a Commando, it just appeared out of nowhere, unexpected, unannounced but unnecessary? This HD Remaster is based on Commandos 2: Men of Courage which is a 2001 strategy game created by the now-defunct Pyro Studios and published by Eidos Interactive. Commandos 2: Men of Courage was a punishing strategy game that saw you take control of a team of Commandos during World War 2. At the time it featured some incredibly detailed settings and some fantastic sandbox-style maps from war-torn towns to sprawling Kriegsmarine bases, to even the dense jungles of Japan.

The legendary tactics game Commandos 2 is back with an HD remaster, but does it live up to the hefty reputation of the original? With sharper visuals but finicky controls, it is hard to fall back in love. Find out where we land in our review.

Commandos 2 – HD Remaster takes a fun but difficult real-time tactics PC game and makes it less fun but more difficult on the Nintendo Switch. The celebrated core gameplay remains, but clunky controls and some annoying bugs will make you wish you'd gone with the computer version.

Commandos 2 HD Remaster brings us back one of the great classics of the last 20 years, with a renewed control, better graphics, and all the essence of the original. It is a must buy for both fans of the original game and those who have not tried it.

Well-regarded games from past generations getting a remaster are almost always a mixed bag...

Commandos 2 remains a must have game for fans of classic RTS games, although it gives its age in some mechanics already outdated. The HD remastering, especially on the PlayStation 4, however, brings so many gaffes of the adaptation that enjoying the title ends up requiring a much greater effort than it should.