Commando (Arcade, Capcom)

Commando
Also known as: Senjou no Ookami (JP), Space Invasion (DE) Developer: Capcom Publishers: Capcom (JP), Data East (US) Platform: Arcade (custom) Released in JP: May 1985 Released in US: August 1985 Released in EU: May 1985 Released in AS: 1985 This game has unused graphics. This game has unused text. This game has regional differences.

Commando is the quasi-predecessor to Bionic Commando. You are Super Joe, a super-soldier taxed with fighting an opposing army by himself. Manly!

Unused Graphics

	An alternate copyright notice from "COPCOM" is at the start of the first graphics ROM. Although unused in the arcade version, the copyright notice in the Japanese Famicom release is based on this one, modified to read "©1986 CAPCOM" instead.
	All of the characters on the High Score entry screen spin when shot except the Rb/Delete character. Nonetheless, the Rb/Delete character also has graphics for spinning.
	Alternate, more detailed designs of the Japanese and World's game logos. These designs are part of the foreground layer graphics ROM, not the text layer. While this means that a wider palette is available, it also means that these logos have no transparency and would have to be against a black background. The Japanese Famicom version does use the alternate Senjou no Ookami logo – albeit with a reduced color palette – but the US NES version does not use the respective Commando one.
	This, on the other hand, is a completely unused game title! It's stored right after the used Commando logo, and might have been an alternate title for the International versions.
	Small point value graphics intended for the various soldiers in the game. For whatever reason, these are never used.
	Other point values. The 1,000 and 2,000 graphics are used, but there aren't any enemies that give more than 2,000 points.
	Even larger point graphics, more than any enemy can give. Yes, there are two 5,000 point bonus graphics.
	Two medals, probably meant as bonus items. Maybe they gave the 5,000 and 10,000 point bonuses.
	2 unused frames of Super Joe, looks like they were going to be used for him entering the helicopter that appears at the beginning of the game.
	A watery hole can be found in the object graphics. The palette and design match the bridges found in the game. Enemy grenades could have caused damage to the bridge.

(Source: Original TCRF research)

Unused Text

Alternate copyright strings can be found in each version starting at 7730 in memory.

Region	String
Japan	IF YOU ARE PLAYING THIS VIDEO GAME OUTSIDE OF THE COUNTRY OF JAPAN YOU ARE INVOLVED IN A CRIME
World	IF YOU ARE PLAYING THIS VIDEO GAME IN THE COUNTRY OF JPAN YOU ARE INVOLVED IN A CRIME
North America	IF YOU ARE PLAYING THIS VIDEO GAME OUTSIDE OF THE AMERICA AND CANADA YOU ARE INVOLVED IN A CRIME

These strings match the custom copyright messages used by Data East in their games, or rather, match their openings (they would be followed by STOP centered on the screen and then a longer, legalese block of text). The actual game uses a very different and more standard copyright string:

Japan	World	North America
USE AND EXPORT OF THIS GAME OUTSIDE THE COUNTRY OF JAPAN IS IN VIOLATION OF COPYRIGHT LAW AND CONSTITUTES A CRIMINAL ACT	USE AND EXPORT OF THIS GAME WITH IN THE COUNTRY OF THE JAPAN IS IN VIOLATION OF COPYRIGHT LAW AND CONSTITUTES A CRIMINAL ACT	USE AND EXPORT OF THIS GAME OUTSIDE THE COUNTRY OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND CANADA IS IN VIOLATION OF COPYRIGHT LAW AND CONSTITUTES A CRIMINAL ACT

In fact, even the Data East-distributed US version uses the Capcom message!

(Source: Original TCRF research)

Region Differences

Attract Mode

The Japanese version has an extra screen in Attract Mode advertising a PGC (Play Game Card).

Receive the Capcom Club PGC!!

• Address, full name, age, sex, telephone number
• Original certificate number
• Current favorite games
• Commando high score and game center/arcade where you earned it
• Thoughts on gameplay

(address)

[postal code] 547

3-8-51 Nagayoshi Kawanabe, Hirano-ku, Ōsaka-shi

Capcom Club

Commando PGC clerk

(Translation: Joe)

High Score List

International	North America

Like most early Capcom games, the number of characters per name was shortened from 10 to 3.

Bug Fixes

International	North America

The text giving information on extra lives has a typo in all non-U.S. versions: An erroneous zero.

Additionally, there's a bug in the Japanese version's sound driver that mutes one of the instruments on the Last Area Clear track. This was fixed in all other versions.

Space Invasion

A special version of the game called Space Invasion was made specifically for the West German market.

This is based on the World version of the game, as evidenced by the identical unused copyright string at 7730.

International	West Germany

This version replaces all of the human soldiers with aliens. Or robots. Possibly alien robots.

(Source: Original TCRF research)