John Carpenter's Tox Commando Preview
Other than giving my name, I'm not sure how involved the legendary Escape from New York director was. John Carpenter's Toxic Commando. No matter. What matters is the end product, which is a zombie and monster slayer in four-player co-op mode. Given the director's creative cinematic approach, the game could easily have sprung from his fertile, twisted brain.
I spent some time with a short demo of John Carpenter's Toxic Commander. I can definitely see this appealing to a certain group of gamers, the same gamers who like Arc RaidersLeft 4 Dead or Warhammer Space Marine 2. In other words, a large community of action fans who enjoy experiencing an adrenaline rush with friends.
Better with four
The premise is quite simple. The world is overrun by creepy monsters after the God of Slime frees it from its underground lair. A megacorporation called Obsidian was trying to get to the riches of the Earth's core. Things like this never go well. A mysterious force drew people to the drill site, and when the Slime God was released, it turned the people into mindless husks of zombies. I'm sure there's a not-so-subtle allegory hidden here about the rampant exploitation of the natural world.
Either way, you play as one of four characters—Walter, Ruby, Cato, or Astrid—who conveniently fall into four class types: damage dealer, medic, engineer, and tank. Oh, and all the characters were poisoned by the Slime God infection. This gives them power, but it comes at a cost.
As always, the most successful units are balanced by having all four types and their special skills. Please note that the game can technically be played alone. Recently, many cooperative games have appeared, May be played alone, but it's not much fun alone. Toxic Commando is one of them.
Drive, he said
One of the most striking hooks in John Carpenter's Toxic Commander centers on controlled vehicles. They are not just vehicles, but partners in chaos. The preview featured four different cars and trucks, each with a special lethal type of weapon or skill. For example, an ambulance treats. The police car can explode, and the ATV has a turret. You get the idea.
However, things get a little more interesting than just finding a ride. All vehicles, like characters, can be improved and receive bonuses. Players who aren't actually behind the wheel have options such as operating a turret or shooting from the passenger seat. It's great to always play an active role.
One of the game's standout mechanics is the winch, which has many uses. Sometimes this helps clear the way, sometimes it helps to bring something heavy down on soft enemies. After a very short time playing, you begin to understand how important vehicles are to survival. Overall the driving experience is quite good.
Fierce and Focused
Each mission outside of the home base consists of a series of evolving objectives in a semi-open world. The goals are usually small and lead to a boss in the end. The struggle-assemble-repair-upgrade cycle never stops, and there is virtually no downtime. If you have a moment to take a breather, playing with friends can really come in handy.
In the preview demo, enemy types were limited to a few deadly ones. The Rogues attack in huge and extremely agile hordes in ways that will seem familiar to fans of the genre. My favorite monster was the Stalker with its deadly ambush tactics.
The demo had a few issues with wonky physics and driving controls, some non-zombie bugs, and graphical glitches. However, considering the staggering number of enemies on screen and the difficulty of the combat, the game played quite well.
Classic Carpenter
At first glance, John Carpenter's Toxic Commander looks a lot like all the other zombie horde co-op games out there. However, it does tick a few unique boxes. The script and acting are top notch. Often funny and breaks the fourth wall. The vehicles add a fun new twist. Powerful weapons and freedom to achieve your goals help keep the gameplay fresh every moment. There are many games in this genre, but fans of co-op action and zombie killing should keep John Carpenter's Toxic Commander on their radar.
***PC code provided by publisher for preview purposes***
