$19.99Battlezone: Combat Commander General and gunner at once
Command the war from orbit, then climb into a cockpit and fight it yourself across the solar system.
Is Battlezone: Combat Commander worth it?
Battlezone: Combat Commander is worth it if…
- you want to command an army and still pull the trigger yourself
- you like strategy that moves fast and puts you under pressure
- you enjoy teaming up with friends against a shared enemy
- you have a soft spot for late-90s sci-fi, updated for modern screens
Screenshots
Two games in one cockpit
Most strategy games put you in the sky. This one puts you in the seat. You gather bio-metal, build your base and order your battalion, and then you climb into a tank and fight the battle from the driver's position, calling the shots while firing them. Hop out to scout on foot, or take an enemy vehicle and turn it against its former owners. Your orders keep running while your hands are on the controls, so the fight never waits for you to decide whether you are a commander or a pilot. The answer, every time, is both.
A battalion that learns
Your units are not interchangeable pawns. Every crew gains combat experience, and it shows: new units fight like recruits, while veterans strafe, pick the right weapon for the target and pull back when a fight is lost. Losing a seasoned tank to a reckless push stings in a way losing a fresh one never does, so you start protecting your best crews the way you protect your own hull. With more than 30 unit types, from ground troops to towering walkers and air support, there is a lot of personality to grow attached to.
Can you play it with friends?
Can you play it with friends?
Yes, and in more ways than one. Multiplayer includes a classic Deathmatch mode for head-to-head fights, plus a co-operative mode called MPI where you and your friends split the work of offence, defence and scrap collection to beat the map together. Cross-play lets people on different platforms join the same match, so nobody has to sit out. The co-op mode is a highlight: managing your own base while a teammate's tanks cover your flank is exactly the kind of chaos this hybrid was built for.
Is it only worth playing for nostalgia?
No. The campaign's story, voice acting and music hold up on their own, and the remaster adds a modern renderer, retextured terrain and Workshop support for community maps, vehicles and mods. If the hybrid idea sounds interesting at all, the game stands on its own.
What is the catch?
It is an honest remaster, not a rebuild, so some old quirks came along: unit pathfinding can be clumsy and there is no autosave, so save often. The campaign also has a mission or two with strict failure conditions that can force a restart. None of it breaks the game, but patience with 1999's habits helps.
Do you need to be good at both shooters and strategy games?
No. The two halves feed each other instead of testing you separately. If your aim is shaky, you can lean on your units and fight from a safer vehicle; if base-building is not your strength, you can win fights yourself and let your battalion handle the rest. It rewards both skills without demanding mastery of either.
