BattleZone 2: Combat Commander. PC game Review

Welcome Commander to this review of BattleZone 2: Combat Commander. Or as its called in the recent remaster Battle Zone: Combat commander.
The game got a remaster not to long ago so I jump between the classic '99 game and the modern implementation (you should be able to work out which is which).
As a huge fan of BattleZone '98 I was massively looking forward to it even though I had just started university and didn't have a computer that could play it properly.
If you are interested in getting the classic version running or want to look into making levels or mods, here are some links to help:
bzforum.matesf...
bzscrap.org/

[@Ayan19837]

I just love this game, grew up playing this. I still have the Battle Zone 2 Original Box its contents and the game CD. The best game ever. Thanks for the lovely video.

[@Streamcatcher]

Hear!

[@Ayan19837]

@@Streamcatcher ??

[@Nipseyy]

BRO I OLAYED THIS GAME WHEN I WAS 10 YEARS OLD, IM NOW 22!! this brings back so many memories, btw if you build the coms array you can use overhead mode.

[@GouldFishOnGames]

This and BattleZone '98 are some of my favorite games, they were so good! I always knew about the overhead view but I always wanted to get up to the front lines and lead most charges so I rarely used it.

[@ripsticklord]

I played this game for years as a kid. It has overhead view? I must of played this game for 5 years I never knew that hahahsha

[@Streamcatcher]

Yes, i thought it was genious, to enter overhead view you had to bould a radar post. In the radar post you could enter a screen, then the game would change into a classic RTS overhead game.

[@fleshwound5149]

@@Streamcatcher Yeah I thought the same...

[@doesitlooklikeigiveafk7231]

Damn! I have been thinking about this game for so long i just didn't remember the name of it as I was like 6 years old. It took me 5 minutes of browsing on MobyGames to find some promising screenshots and the nostalgia sold me to buy the remaster. Thanks for the video!

[@GouldFishOnGames]

Its an awesome game, you are going to really enjoy the remaster as its very well done.

[@Cyberbrickmaster1986]

Ah yes, the days when we considered Pluto a planet instead of a dwarf planet, only to later disregard it altogether. Good times! Also, I think we had this game one time about 20 years ago. I currently have Battlezone 98 Redux, from which I bought from GOG.

[@GouldFishOnGames]

BattleZone 98 Redux is very well done, I hope you enjoy it

[@Streamcatcher]

Most underrated game ever with great music score. I wish for a new version based on the Half-like Alyx VR engine or something alike

[@GouldFishOnGames]

Its such a great game, I've been hoping for a new game in the series!

[@jmctavishiii]

One of my favorite games. I wish it were more popular.

[@WhatHoSnorkers]

Lovely vid Mr G. It looks like a good game, with some nice features and a supportive company!

[@DingKong]

I loved Battlezone '98 (and the original 1980 one :-) ) - but the sequel just didn't have it for me. It looked lovely at the time, but it didn't have the grit and weight of the its' predecessor. The ships were too light and the weapon sounds were no longer heavy chainguns and rockets. We now had these 'pew pew pew' pea-shooters. Not bad, but '98 was the pinnacle..

[@GouldFishOnGames]

I agree with you that '98 had this grittiness to the world and the vehicles that worked so well in the setting. It had a great future and old tech vibe that worked really well. The changes between the games do take some getting used to but I do like the greater range of environments and some of the more complex missions.

[@Zockopa]

Imho BZ2 is thanks to the right combination of RTS ,FPS and easy to learn GUI still among the best games in the RTS genre. Personaly i still prefer the patched original version over the remastered one simply because it allows to play the big soloplayer mods like Forgotten Enemies - which is effectivly a fat expansion pack with a long and hard campaign on top - ,Fleshstorm or Epic and the range of IA maps is still way larger.

[@crimelord90]

I grew up on the multiplayer in this game, My nickname was Crimelord. I just learned about the remaster. Did they fix the net code problems when you would fly in the original, you would often see people warp back and forth great distances and debug. I guess I could’ve also been our dial-up Internet in that era lol. I would love to play this again if people still play 3v3 and 4v4

[@GouldFishOnGames]

Never really got the chance to play it in MP, either originally or now. so I can't really say if the net code has been improved. I'd assume its better, but I can't say how popular it is.

[@mikamulperi]

This game has great soundtrack

[@Streamcatcher]

Yes it definitely does!!

[@ludeman]

One of my most favorite games ever

[@GouldFishOnGames]

It is a seriously good game, one that is deserves a sequel!

[@ludeman]

@@GouldFishOnGames Hell ya it does, probably never will. Maybe too much thinking for the average person to enjoy.

[@pierrepauldufour3685]

Yep ... Still playing games under BZBuzz. Miss so much first years of Team speak friends of that time : Regenerator, Time Virus, Revenge , Pestilence. I 'm even sure to have played with the Robert Brothers from Wing Commander a presently Star Citizen.

[@UBAH509]

this game is like Guardians VR, it will be very suitable to port over to VR

[@matnasa8292]

My number 1 game ever, shame i wasnt introduced to the first iteration. Nothing compares to this game

[@GouldFishOnGames]

After the relative flop of the first game I guess they didn't want to spend the money on marketing for the second. Which is a pity as its an amazing game that really deserved a larger fan base. I'll have to cover Battlezone '98 redux at some point!

[@pferreira1983]

What would be great if they remastered it with the sharp detail of the remaster but with the graphical art style of the 1999 original. The new art style looks a little hollow if more realistic.

[@GouldFishOnGames]

I know there were some mods in the works to change the textures and models to be closer to the originals. Not sure if they ever finished it.

[@pferreira1983]

@@GouldFishOnGames That's good to know at least. 👍

[@emanuelbidal3289]

Soy de argentina y lo pude jugar en el 1999 un clasico el juego! Casi 20 despues sale el remasterizado😀😍

[@Streamcatcher]

So this remastered version mostly remastered the visuals? The walking units getting stuck (Ai) is still the same, low poly assets and low textures are still the same? Looking at your review it seems like you show footage of the old and the new game mixed into each other. Or is it all the same game? Thanks for this great review!

[@GouldFishOnGames]

The graphics got some nice improvements with new models, texture and lighting. But they also made some improvements to the AI and the path finding, though some of the changes were done via patches so they were not there when I made the review. The review mostly uses the remastered version, but you can tell which is which as the new version is widescreen.

[@haroldmcbroom7807]

I'd like to see a 3rd title as well! I loved the 1st game, and the second game even better, but surprising enough, I never knew the game had a built in editor, until I saw it in your video. I wish they would make a modern day version of Starflight 2, or even 3, I know the fan base is working on one, but it's iffy with development issues, and I doubt the game will ever be completed in our lifetime. All the garbage Early Access games, and the few games we want never make it...

[@GouldFishOnGames]

Unless you read all the readme's that came with the game you would never know as they didn't really advertise the editor. It was in both BZ 98 and BZ:CC, I remember messing around with it back then but never really making anything that was decent.

[@TheLongasen]

Praetorians toy! Now I want one 💓

[@GouldFishOnGames]

I have to admit I can't even remember when or where I got it from. It was quite a few years ago now! It did come in a pack with a few other figures!

[@gusalvarez4297]

I loved that game

[@andrewuk2781]

It has some g-police feel to it, at least the night parts. UI is very nostalgic and graphics impressive. Some of the ideas, like changing the view, are very creative and impressive.

[@damirbabic7403]

I played battlezone in 97 and 2000 the best game ever made

[@GouldFishOnGames]

They are amazing games, battlezone '98 is one of my top 5 best games of all time.

[@TCrag]

Such a good game.

[@GouldFishOnGames]

Yep its a fav of mine

[@damirbabic7403]

Best battlezone i ever played for hours♥️♥️♥️♥️

[@daktaklakpak5059]

Love the Battlezone games. Sadly, the amount of "battlezone" like games made, you can count on two hands...

[@Thraka5]

A FPS RTS is a lost Art but done right is so awesome. I remember loving Battlezone 98. It was a challenging game though for sure. Is Battlezone 2 easier? I plan on picking up the remaster because The first was an exceptional game.

[@GouldFishOnGames]

Battlezone '98 is such a great game I played though its remaster again not that long ago and its still great. The Combat Commander remaster is also very good, but it does have a few challenging missions. its a little more varied in that you have ones where you have to guide stuff around the map, or go rescue some one. and the units are far more needed then '98. Which it was possible to complete a lot of the missions with out an army (in some ways it was easier to do so). Combat Commander got that balance much better in my opinion. I'd say if you liked '98 then give this a go, I'm sure if you wait a few months it will show up in one of the stream sales it gotten 75% off deals in the past.

[@Thraka5]

@@GouldFishOnGames Eh I can't wait. I want to play it now. I will pick it up. Subbed by the way! So awesome you answered a question from a 2 year old video so quickly I really appreciate that and this review. thank you!

[@GouldFishOnGames]

@@Thraka5 Thanks, I hope you enjoy the rest of the content. I've been planning on doing a BattleZone '98 video at some point so I might try and do that sooner rather then later. I do try to reply to as many of the comments as possible, its still a small channel so I like to talk to those that do comment.

[@Thraka5]

@@GouldFishOnGames Please do and if you have tips and tricks please include those. I have the battlezone redux and plan on playing the soviet campaign which I never did originally.

[@kilroy987]

I really enjoyed Battlezone 1 from '98 - the style of play, the music, the environments, the story. The multiplayer strategy component, though, despite being a toy playground, was really imbalanced and broken when players who knew how to exploit it were playing. I was really looking forward to Battlezone 2 evolving the graphics and multiplayer strategy. In a lot of ways, they delivered a very interesting game - I liked the music, and the strategy element received a lot of fixes. But the explosions weren't as punchy, the strategy element felt slow, the piloting felt lethargic, and the animations and action didn't feel as lively. I would have liked to see this style of game continue to be developed - but I didn't realize it was such a niche interest. Shame, that.

[@ScorpioHR]

Is that a Roman soldier from Settlers 2?

[@GouldFishOnGames]

Yeah, they made these figures for settlers 3. So the are quite old now.

[@ScorpioHR]

@@GouldFishOnGames oh yeah, that was the game for the last hours of LAN parties at friend's back in the early 2000s. Drunk-friendly game :)

[@earnestdillardii909]

Loved this game!

[@damirbabic7403]

Before transformers battlezone was great in early 2000,s i s remember this❤❤❤❤

[@SouIlIl]

Is the game locked at 30 frames a sec or something or is it just constantly laggy?

[@GouldFishOnGames]

The game runs at 60fps, but the vehicles do feel "weighty", so its not the instant movement you might expect in a FPS game. If the footage feels laggy or stuck at 30fps, that would more be my capture setup which I was still coming to grips with at the time.

[@SouIlIl]

@@GouldFishOnGames Thank you for the reply :)

[@evgenvelikiy8039]

cool games!!

[@GouldFishOnGames]

They are, and I hope that more people play them because they are so much fun.