With this new GOG release, I found myself revisiting this game and was surprised how quickly I was sucked in again. I've played my fair share of Diablo 2 and 3, and this game continues to stand on its own. Is it better than those titles? In the grand analysis, I'd say probably not (so perhaps it deserves 4.5 stars). But the atmosphere, combat, and progression here have a certain addictive formula that's different enough from D2 and D3 that those games don't quite scratch the same itch. The graphics here have aged (but remain perfectly fine), and you do have to click your mouse a lot, but otherwise there's not much in D1 that feels dated. If it came out for the first time in 2019, I'm sure it would be considered an indie "hidden gem". And the inclusion of Hellfire deserves much praise. I never really got much time in with the expansion, and it had been impossible to buy legitimately for many years until GOG's work here. Hellfire adds a bunch of things, but really the two huge positives are quality-of-life changes: the addition of the Search spell to find items on the ground, and the ability to play single-player on Nightmare and Hell difficulties, making single-player the go-to choice, and allowing us to experience all the quests that don't fire on multiplayer. So three cheers for GOG, and if this is at all your kind of game, you owe it to yourself to dig in. Even if you've played it before without Hellfire, I'd suggest you take another look now.
I played these games here on GOG for the first time, so no nostalgia factor for me. Commandos 2 is just a delight (haven't really begun to dig into 3). It lacks realism, but it allows for several different play styles and ways to subdue your enemies. My favorite? Have your sapper sneak up and plant a land mine, then have your spy, dressed in an officer's uniform, tell a soldier, "Hey, go walk over there. I think I heard something." KABOOM! Even on Very Hard, most of the levels in Commandos 2 are pretty easy unless you are taking the hardcore stealth approach, but it's just a good time throughout.
