Captain Commando
First North American arcade flyer of Captain Commando.
Developer(s)	Capcom
Publisher(s)	Capcom
Designer(s)	Akira Yasuda Junichi Ohno
Artist(s)	Akira Yasuda
Composer(s)	Masaki Izutani Shun Nishigaki
Platform(s)	Arcade, Super NES, PlayStation, PlayStation 2, Xbox, PSP, GameTap
Release date(s)	November 1991, Arcade 1995, Super NES 1998, PlayStation 2006, PlayStation 2, Xbox, PSP
Genre(s)	Beat 'em up
Mode(s)	Up to 4 players simultaneously
Input methods	Joystick; 2 buttons
Cabinet	Upright
Arcade system	CPS-1
Display	Horizontal, Raster, resolution 384 x 224

Captain Commando (キャプテンコマンドー, Kyaputen Komandō^?) is a 1991 beat 'em up arcade game developed and published by Capcom. The game features a reimagined version of Captain Commando, a character who was originally a fictional spokesman used by Capcom to address the player in the packaging and manuals of their early console games.

[edit] Plot

The game is set in a futuristic version of Metro City, the setting of Capcom's other beat 'em up, Final Fight, and features several loose ties with the characters and settings from that game. The year is 2026. The world is filled with crime. Captain Commando and his three faithful Commando Companions rise up to erase this crime from Planet Earth and from all the Galaxy. But the futuristic criminals they have to fight are endowed with a secret, hidden, evil power. Many of them are Super Criminals, with ability beyond that of ordinary mortals. The leader of all Super Criminals is Scumocide (known as Genocide in Japan).

[edit] The Commando Team

• Captain Commando (キャプテンコマンドー, Kyaputen Komandō^?) - The hero of this game and leader of the "Commando Team." Besides his natural gifts of a powerful mind and strong body, he also uses his "Energy Gloves," capable of shooting mighty bolts of fire and electricity.^[1] His sure-killing technique is the "Captain Corridor". Striking the ground with his Energy Gloves cause an electric shock which kills everyone around him. Captain Commando's dash attacks are "Captain Cannon" (also known as "Captain Fire") and "Captain Kick."^[1] Captain Cannon torches the enemy with a blast of flame. Captain Kick can hit several enemies at once. Captain Commando can also grab his opponent and kick their stomach or throw their whole body. Other things he uses are the "Captain Goggles", the "Captain Protector", the "Captain Gaunlet" and the "Captain Boots".^[1] His Captain Goggles can help him identify a criminal's face at a distance of 2 km, by comparing with data base. His Captain Protector is made of super-tough material called "Captain Ceramic", which makes it stand up to trillion degree heat. His Captain Gaunlet multiplies Captain's power 48 times, making it easy for him to smash a thick iron plate.^[1] And his Captain Boots can make it possible for him to take a 100-meter fall with no injuries to himself nor with any damage to the boots.^[1]

• Mack the Knife (known in Japan as Jennety (ジェネティー, Jenetī^?)) - A mummy-like alien from outer space.^[1] "Mack the Knife", his English name, is based on the song of the same name made popular in the mid 1950's by Louis Armstrong. He is also known as the Mummy Commando in the character select screen. He always seems interesting and collected. As weapons he uses sub-sonic knives which melt any enemy he hits. His sure-killing technique is the "Spinning Attack."^[1] Spinning round like a top, his bandages lash his enemies like whips. Mack's dash attacks are "Double Trouble" and "Sky Assault." Double Trouble sticks his enemy with both knives and Sky Assault is an airborne version of Double Trouble.^[1] Mack can also grab his enemy and either stick or throw them. Other things he has are the "Captain Cap", the "Genetic Bandage", the "Genetic Knife" and the "Gravity Controllers." His Captain Cap is his hat, which is a souvenir from the first meeting with Captain Commando.^[1] His Genetic Bandage is his life-sustaining equipment for survival on Earth. His Genetic Knife melts all matter. And his Gravity Controllers are his pair of shoes that adjust the gravitational pull to where it's best for the battles.^[1]

• Ginzu the Ninja (known in Japan as Sho (翔, Shō^?)) - A highly trained ninja and successor to Bushin-ryu Ninpo, a fictional fighting style based on Ninjutsu that was also inherited by Guy from Final Fight, also by Capcom. "Ginzu the Ninja", his English name, comes from the Ginsu kitchen knives which were introduced in the 1970s and were made famous later by its TV advertising campaign. This explains why his signature line is "I'll slice'em! I'll dice'em!" in some parts of the arcade cabinets. His Japanese name, Sho, is based on Sho Kosugi, who is a Japanese actor known for his portrayals of ninjas in various movies in the 1980s. Ginzu is also known as the Ninja Commando in the character select screen. His razor-sharp sword is capable of cutting an opponent in two.^[2] His sure-killing technique is his "Smoke Bomb." After creating a smoke screen around his body, the smoke explodes, killing his enemies that are adjacent.^[2] Ginzu's dash attacks are "Iaizuki" and "Flying Katana." Iaizuki pierces several enemies at once. Flying Katana cuts the enemies from above while jumping.^[2] Ginzu can grab his opponents and either kick their stomach or do a shoulder throw or overhead throw. Other things he is equipped with are his "Ninja Eyes", his "Servant Sword" and his "Ninja Suit". His Ninja Eye can support him in picking out enemies 500 meters ahead in pitch dark. His Servant Sword serves no one nor nothing but him.^[2] Named "Lightning Light," it cuts things at atomic levels. And his "Ninja Suit" is tougher than iron and softer than silk.^[2]

• Baby Head (known in Japan as Hoover (フーバー, Fūbā^?)) - A super genius baby who fights using a robot of his own design. Baby Head is also known as the Baby Commando in the character select screen. His robot is both strong and quick. His sure-killing technique is his "Knee Rocket" which launches a missile from the robot's knee.^[2] Missiles are constantly manufactured within the robot. Baby Head's dash attacks are "Rolling Punch" and "Elbow Smash."^[2] Rolling Punch is a strong punch that spins like a drill. Elbow Smash crushes the enemy under an elbow blow coming off a jump.^[2] Baby Head can grab his enemies and do either a knee kick, a "Pile-driver" or a "Fling-away." Other features he uses are the "Talking Machine", the "Stable Cradle", the "Silverfist Vehicle", the "Missile Launcher" and the "Jet Hover." His Talking Machine resembles a baby pacifier. It allows him to speak the 3 million languages of the cosmo. The Stable Cradle keeps the robot from rocking, no matter how far it's tilted. The Silverfist Vehicle has 12,000 horsepower, 582 kilograms (1280.4 pounds) of bodyweight, and it mounts fuzzy-logic control. Baby Head's friends call it "Baby Carriage." The Missile Launcher is a missile production facility built inside the leg, as well as in the Silvervest Vehicle. And the Jet Hover is used for high-speed position shifting.^[2]

[edit] Gameplay

Please help improve this article by expanding it. Further information might be found on the talk page. (August 2009)

Screenshot of Captain Commando (arcade version).

Captain Commando is similar to Capcom's Final Fight series, which is an archetypal side scrolling beat-em-up game. One to four players can move their chosen characters from left to right through each level (most of which are split into 3 or more scenes), fighting with the enemy characters who appear, until they reach a confrontation with a stronger boss character at the end of the level. Once that boss is beaten, the players automatically move on to the next stage. Enemies appear from both sides of the screen and from out of doorways or entrances set into the background, and the player(s) must defeat all of them to progress. If the players try to simply travel through the levels without fighting, the screen will stop scrolling until all current enemies have been defeated, before allowing the players to continue progress. Enemies may move outside the confines of the screen, but players may not. There is a time limit to each stage.

Players choose from the four different members of the "Commando Team". The Commandos must fight their way through an army of genetically engineered super-criminals, traveling through a bank, a museum, and an aquarium, among other locations. Their quest eventually leads to an interplanetary journey to Callisto, where the evil mastermind "Scumocide" (known in the Japanese version as "Genocide") awaits.

Some main differences that stood out in this game at the time of its release were: the option to play with four players simultaneously, the ability to run and launch an attack (whether on the ground or an aerial one) for some distinct techniques, and mecha (robots) that the players can ride. The camera is risen. The characters can add some variation in their combos by pressing forward during their attacks.

[edit] Development

Earlier depictions of Captain Commando from the rear packaging of Capcom's NES games. The rendition on the left was featured in games released between 1986 and 1987, while the rendition on the right are from games released in 1989.

The origin of Captain Commando as a character predates his appearance in his self-titled game. In the packaging and manuals of many of Capcom's earlier titles for the Nintendo Entertainment System in North America released between 1986 and 1989. All of Capcom's games released for the NES between 1986 and 1987 (1942, Commando, Ghosts 'n Goblins, Mega Man, Trojan, Section Z and Gun Smoke) were released as part of the "Captain Commando Challenge Series" and featured a drawing of the Captain on the back of the packaging, which depicted him as a "futuristic" space hero wielding a raygun on each hand and two large medallions around his neck with the letter "C" engraved on each. Each game's instruction manual also featured a "Special Message" from the Captain addressed to the owner of the game, congratulating the player for purchasing one of Capcom's products. Additionally the instruction manual for Section Z identified the otherwise nameless player character as being Captain Commando himself.

A revised version of the Captain Commando character appeared again in Capcom's NES lineup in 1989 (Strider, Mega Man 2, Willow, and Duck Tales). The artwork on the rear packaging of those games featured an illustration of Captain Commando wearing a pilot suit in front of a fighter jet, holding a helmet under his right arm, with an alien chimp sitting on his right shoulder. The text above the artwork featured a message from the Captain advising the reader to "look to (him) for up-to-date reports reports for all the exciting action games from Capcom", followed by the Captain's apparent handwritten signature.

[edit] Ports and related releases

A Super NES port was released in 1995. This port only allows up to two players. The Sega Genesis/Mega Drive and Sega CD/Mega-CD ports were planned, but cancelled quietly; however, their prototypes exist.^[3] A PlayStation port was released in Japan only on September 17, 1998, by New Inc. This port allows up to three players with the use of a multiplayer adapter. The original CPS game is included in emulated form in the compilations Capcom Classics Collection: Remixed for the PlayStation Portable and Capcom Classics Collection Volume 2 for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox, both released in 2006.

Captain Commando would return as a player character in the fighting game Marvel vs Capcom in 1998, as one of the characters representing Capcom. The Captain has a transformation sequence prior to each match which depicts him in a suit (or in a cowboy outfit) before donning his superhero costume. His "Commando Strike" special move, as well as both of his Hyper Combos (the "Captain Sword" and the "Captain Storm"), has him summoning his Commando Companions to attack his opponent. The Captain's victory quotes consist of random Capcom trivia, while his ending is a homage to the ending in his original game. This incarnation of Captain Commando also appears in the sequel, Marvel vs. Capcom 2. Besides the Marvel vs. Capcom games, Captain Commando also appears in three other cross-overs: Capcom World 2, Namco × Capcom, and the SNK vs. Capcom: Card Fighters Clash series.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Captain Commando (arcade version) at GameFAQs
• Captain Commando (Super NES version) at GameFAQs
• Captain Commando (PlayStation version) at GameFAQs
• Captain Commando at the Killer List of Videogames
• Captain Commando at arcade-history
• Captain Commando at MobyGames