Captain Commando
Encyclopedia
is a futuristic side-scrolling beat 'em up
game originally developed and published by Capcom
as a coin-operated video game
, and later ported to several other platforms. It was the seventeenth title produced for the company's CP System hardware. The game stars the titular superhero
who was originally conceived as a fictional spokesman used by Capcom USA in the company's console games during the late 1980s.
- The Mummy Commando, a mummy
-like alien
from outer space
. As weapons he uses sub-sonic knives which melt any enemy he hits. His sure-killing technique is the "Spinning Attack." 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. Mack also can 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. 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.. Mack's name comes from the Bertolt Brecht
song of the same name
.
- The Ninja Commando, a highly trained ninja
and successor to Bushin-ryu Ninpo, a fighting style of Ninjutsu that was also inherited by Guy (from Final Fight
). His razor-sharp sword is capable of cutting an opponent in two. 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. Ginzu's dash attacks are "Iaizuki" and "Flying Katana." Iaizuki pierces several enemies at once. Flying Katana cuts the enemies from above while jumping. 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. Named "Lightning Light," it cuts things at atomic levels. And his "Ninja Suit" is tougher than iron and softer than silk.
- The Baby Commando, a super genius infant
who fights using a robot of his own design. His robot is both strong and quick. His sure-killing technique is his "Knee Rocket" which launches a missile from the robot's knee. Missiles are constantly manufactured within the robot. Baby Head's dash attacks are "Rolling Punch" and "Elbow Smash." Rolling Punch is a strong punch that spins like a drill. Elbow Smash crushes the enemy under an elbow blow coming off a jump. 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.
Captain Commando follows the same gameplay established in Capcom's previous beat-'em-up Final Fight
. The arcade version allows up to two, three, or even four players simultaneously depending on the game's settings. The player can select between any of the four "commandos" (Mack, Captain, Ginzu, or Baby-Head) as their character, with each player controlling a different character. The player's objective as usual is to move towards the end of each stage, defeat every adversary who gets in their way while avoiding any traps that they may throw at the player's way before eventually fighting the boss
awaiting at the final area of each stage. The game consists of a total of nine stages.
The control configuration is exactly like Final Fight, with an eight-way joystick for moving the character left or right, as well as towards or away from the background, along with two action buttons for attacking and jumping. The player can perform numerous combination of attacks while standing or jumping, including grabbing the enemy, as well as a special attack by pressing the attack and jump simultaneously that will drain a portion of the player's vitality. An addition to the controls is the ability to dash by pushing the joystick left or right twice. The player can perform a running attack or even a running jump attack.
Like in Final Fight, the player can pick up health-restoring food items hidden inside barrels and other destructible objects to restore their vitality, as well as other bonus items to increase their score. Weapons also can be picked up, such as three different types of firearms, as well as shurikens that can only be used by Ginzu. Players also can ride certain robots by dismounting their riders and then jumping over the robot. The robots has their own vitality gauge and if they sustains enough damage, it will be destroyed. There are three types of robots in the game: a punching robot, a flame-throwing robot, and a freezing robot. Unlike Final Fight, weapons can be carried when the player makes the transition to a new area until the stage is completed.
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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 and . All of Capcom's games released for the NES between and (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 (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 and the Capcom logo in the style of one of the Data East
logos above them. The text above the artwork featured a message from the Captain advising the reader to "look to (him) for up-to-date reports for all the exciting action games from Capcom", followed by the Captain's apparent handwritten signature.
16 Meg port was released in . This port only allows up to two players. A PlayStation port was released in Japan only on September 17, , 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 . A Sega CD version was announced but canceled with the end of the system, sometime before the port of the SNES version.
Captain Commando would return as a player character in the fighting game
Marvel vs Capcom in , 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 in Marvel vs. Capcom 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.
Beat 'em up
Beat 'em up is a video game genre featuring melee combat between the protagonist and a large number of underpowered antagonists. These games typically take place in urban settings and feature crime-fighting and revenge-based plots, though some games may employ historical or fantasy themes...
game originally developed and published by Capcom
Capcom
is a Japanese developer and publisher of video games, known for creating multi-million-selling franchises such as Devil May Cry, Chaos Legion, Street Fighter, Mega Man and Resident Evil. Capcom developed and published Bionic Commando, Lost Planet and Dark Void too, but they are less known. Its...
as a coin-operated video game
Arcade game
An arcade game is a coin-operated entertainment machine, usually installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars, and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, and merchandisers...
, and later ported to several other platforms. It was the seventeenth title produced for the company's CP System hardware. The game stars the titular superhero
Superhero
A superhero is a type of stock character, possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers", dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototypical superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes — ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas —...
who was originally conceived as a fictional spokesman used by Capcom USA in the company's console games during the late 1980s.
Story
Captain Commando is set in a crime-ridden future in the year 2026, where a superhero named Captain Commando, assisted by his three faithful Commando Companions rise up to protect the Earth and all the Galaxy from a gang of super-powered criminals.Characters
- 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. His sure-killing technique is the "Captain Collider". 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." Captain Cannon torches the enemy with a blast of flame. Captain Kick can hit several enemies at once, whether on the ground or in the air. Captain Commando also can 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". 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 "Captanium", 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. 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.- The Mummy Commando, a mummy
Mummy
A mummy is a body, human or animal, whose skin and organs have been preserved by either intentional or incidental exposure to chemicals, extreme coldness , very low humidity, or lack of air when bodies are submerged in bogs, so that the recovered body will not decay further if kept in cool and dry...
-like alien
Extraterrestrial life
Extraterrestrial life is defined as life that does not originate from Earth...
from outer space
Outer space
Outer space is the void that exists between celestial bodies, including the Earth. It is not completely empty, but consists of a hard vacuum containing a low density of particles: predominantly a plasma of hydrogen and helium, as well as electromagnetic radiation, magnetic fields, and neutrinos....
. As weapons he uses sub-sonic knives which melt any enemy he hits. His sure-killing technique is the "Spinning Attack." 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. Mack also can 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. 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.. Mack's name comes from the Bertolt Brecht
Bertolt Brecht
Bertolt Brecht was a German poet, playwright, and theatre director.An influential theatre practitioner of the 20th century, Brecht made equally significant contributions to dramaturgy and theatrical production, the latter particularly through the seismic impact of the tours undertaken by the...
song of the same name
Mack the Knife
"Mack the Knife" or "The Ballad of Mack the Knife", originally "Die Moritat von Mackie Messer", is a song composed by Kurt Weill with lyrics by Bertolt Brecht for their music drama Die Dreigroschenoper, or, as it is known in English, The Threepenny Opera. It premiered in Berlin in 1928 at the...
.
- The Ninja Commando, a highly trained ninja
Ninja
A or was a covert agent or mercenary of feudal Japan specializing in unorthodox arts of war. The functions of the ninja included espionage, sabotage, infiltration, and assassination, as well as open combat in certain situations...
and successor to Bushin-ryu Ninpo, a fighting style of Ninjutsu that was also inherited by Guy (from Final Fight
Final Fight
is a side-scrolling beat-'em-up game originally released by Capcom as a coin-operated video game in . It was the seventh game released by Capcom for their CP System arcade game hardware...
). His razor-sharp sword is capable of cutting an opponent in two. 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. Ginzu's dash attacks are "Iaizuki" and "Flying Katana." Iaizuki pierces several enemies at once. Flying Katana cuts the enemies from above while jumping. 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. Named "Lightning Light," it cuts things at atomic levels. And his "Ninja Suit" is tougher than iron and softer than silk.
- The Baby Commando, a super genius infant
Infant
A newborn or baby is the very young offspring of a human or other mammal. A newborn is an infant who is within hours, days, or up to a few weeks from birth. In medical contexts, newborn or neonate refers to an infant in the first 28 days after birth...
who fights using a robot of his own design. His robot is both strong and quick. His sure-killing technique is his "Knee Rocket" which launches a missile from the robot's knee. Missiles are constantly manufactured within the robot. Baby Head's dash attacks are "Rolling Punch" and "Elbow Smash." Rolling Punch is a strong punch that spins like a drill. Elbow Smash crushes the enemy under an elbow blow coming off a jump. 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.
Gameplay
Final Fight
is a side-scrolling beat-'em-up game originally released by Capcom as a coin-operated video game in . It was the seventh game released by Capcom for their CP System arcade game hardware...
. The arcade version allows up to two, three, or even four players simultaneously depending on the game's settings. The player can select between any of the four "commandos" (Mack, Captain, Ginzu, or Baby-Head) as their character, with each player controlling a different character. The player's objective as usual is to move towards the end of each stage, defeat every adversary who gets in their way while avoiding any traps that they may throw at the player's way before eventually fighting the boss
Boss (video games)
A boss is an enemy-based challenge which is found in video games. A fight with a boss character is commonly referred to as a boss battle or boss fight...
awaiting at the final area of each stage. The game consists of a total of nine stages.
The control configuration is exactly like Final Fight, with an eight-way joystick for moving the character left or right, as well as towards or away from the background, along with two action buttons for attacking and jumping. The player can perform numerous combination of attacks while standing or jumping, including grabbing the enemy, as well as a special attack by pressing the attack and jump simultaneously that will drain a portion of the player's vitality. An addition to the controls is the ability to dash by pushing the joystick left or right twice. The player can perform a running attack or even a running jump attack.
Like in Final Fight, the player can pick up health-restoring food items hidden inside barrels and other destructible objects to restore their vitality, as well as other bonus items to increase their score. Weapons also can be picked up, such as three different types of firearms, as well as shurikens that can only be used by Ginzu. Players also can ride certain robots by dismounting their riders and then jumping over the robot. The robots has their own vitality gauge and if they sustains enough damage, it will be destroyed. There are three types of robots in the game: a punching robot, a flame-throwing robot, and a freezing robot. Unlike Final Fight, weapons can be carried when the player makes the transition to a new area until the stage is completed.
Development
Nintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
in North America released between and . All of Capcom's games released for the NES between and (1942, Commando, Ghosts 'n Goblins
Ghosts 'n Goblins
is a 1985 platform game developed by Capcom for video arcades and has since been released on several other platforms. It is the first game in the Ghosts'n Goblins franchise.-Gameplay:...
, Mega Man
Mega Man (video game)
Mega Man, known as in Japan, is a video game developed and published by Capcom for the Nintendo Entertainment System . It is the first game in the original Mega Man series and the entire Mega Man franchise...
, Trojan
Trojan (video game)
is a side-scrolling action game produced by Capcom originally released as a coin operated video game in . The arcade version was distributed in North America by Romstar. A home version for the Nintendo Entertainment System was released during the same year. The original coin-op version is included...
, Section Z
Section Z
is a side-view shoot-'em-up by Capcom originally released as a coin-operated video game in . A home version was released for the Nintendo Entertainment System in . The original coin-op game is included in Capcom Classics Collection Vol...
and Gun Smoke
Gun Smoke
Gun Smoke may refer to:* Gunsmoke, the radio and television drama* Gun.Smoke, the arcade game...
) 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
Raygun
Rayguns are a type of fictional directed-energy weapon. They have various alternate names: ray gun, death ray, beam gun, blaster, laser gun, phaser, etc. They are a well-known feature of science fiction; for such stories they typically have the general function of guns...
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
Player character
A player character or playable character is a character in a video game or role playing game who is controlled or controllable by a player, and is typically a protagonist of the story told in the course of the game. A player character is a persona of the player who controls it. Player characters...
as being Captain Commando himself.
A revised version of the Captain Commando character appeared again in Capcom's NES lineup in (Strider
Strider (NES)
Strider is a side-scrolling action adventure game released by Capcom for the Nintendo Entertainment System in North America in . While the development of the NES version of Strider was produced in tandem with the arcade version, the Japanese version for the Famicom was never released...
, Mega Man 2
Mega Man 2
Mega Man 2, known in Japan as , is a platform game developed and published by Capcom for the Nintendo Entertainment System. It is the second installment in the original Mega Man series. The game was released in Japan in 1988, and in North America and PAL regions the following years. Mega Man 2...
, Willow
Willow (video game)
Willow is a platform game based on the 1988 film of the same name. It was developed by Capcom and released as an arcade and a NES game in .-Storyline:...
, 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 and the Capcom logo in the style of one of the Data East
Data East
also abbreviated as DECO, was a Japanese video game developer and publisher. The company was in operation from 1976 to 2003, when it declared bankruptcy...
logos above them. The text above the artwork featured a message from the Captain advising the reader to "look to (him) for up-to-date reports for all the exciting action games from Capcom", followed by the Captain's apparent handwritten signature.
Home versions and related releases
A Super NESSuper Nintendo Entertainment System
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System is a 16-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, Australasia , and South America between 1990 and 1993. In Japan and Southeast Asia, the system is called the , or SFC for short...
16 Meg port was released in . This port only allows up to two players. A PlayStation port was released in Japan only on September 17, , 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
Capcom Classics Collection
Capcom Classics Collection is a compilation of arcade games released by Capcom for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox on September 27, 2005. It was developed by Digital Eclipse Software . A second volume, Capcom Classics Collection Vol...
for the PlayStation Portable
PlayStation Portable
The is a handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Corporation Development of the console was announced during E3 2003, and it was unveiled on , 2004, at a Sony press conference before E3 2004...
and Capcom Classics Collection Volume 2 for the PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
and Xbox
Xbox
The Xbox is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Microsoft. It was released on November 15, 2001 in North America, February 22, 2002 in Japan, and March 14, 2002 in Australia and Europe and is the predecessor to the Xbox 360. It was Microsoft's first foray into the gaming console...
, both released in . A Sega CD version was announced but canceled with the end of the system, sometime before the port of the SNES version.
Captain Commando would return as a player character in the fighting game
Fighting game
Fighting game is a video game genre where the player controls an on-screen character and engages in close combat with an opponent. These characters tend to be of equal power and fight matches consisting of several rounds, which take place in an arena. Players must master techniques such as...
Marvel vs Capcom in , 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 in Marvel vs. Capcom 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
Capcom World 2
is a quiz game released in exclusively in Japan by Capcom in as a coin-operated video game. It was the 20th game released by Capcom for their CP System hardware, as well as Capcom's fifth quiz game for the arcade...
, Namco × Capcom, and the SNK vs. Capcom: Card Fighters Clash
SNK vs. Capcom: Card Fighters Clash
SNK vs. Capcom: Card Fighters Clash is a series of SNK Playmore games between 1999 and 2006 for hand-held consoles.This game has a CCG theme, spun off from the popular series of fighting games by SNK and Capcom, and also including references to many other kinds of games from both companies. The...
series.
External links
- Captain Commando at arcade-history