2098: Cyber Commando tackles troubles with Uranus

While Ace Combat 3: Electrosphere very much laid the groundwork for what was to come in the UGSF series from Namco, and Cyber Sled very much feels like something of a prototype for the game we’re looking at today, it’s arguably Cyber Commando, originally released to arcades in 1994, which marks the true beginning point of the series from a narrative perspective.

Although set in 2098, the story of Cyber Commando begins eight years earlier. With Earth’s population rapidly spiralling out of control, representatives from each nation come together in 2090 to establish the United Government. That same year, the new organisation places an order to construct a “space island colony” known as Uranus — apparently oblivious to the existence of a planet which already has that name — which forms the setting for Cyber Commando.

In an attempt to establish order under the new government, the participating nations dismantle their military forces and reassemble them under the United Government banner. That leads to the establishment of the UGA (United Government Army), the UGAF (United Government Air Force — surely ripe for exploration in a future Ace Combat), the UGN (United Government Navy) and, of course, the reason we’re here: the UGSF (United Government Space Force).

Yes, Cyber Commando marks the first point in the UGSF series where you actually play the role of an UGSF team member. Specifically, you’re a member of the UGSF Special Attack Team, known as Cyber Commando, and your job is to re-take the newly constructed Uranus from the rebel forces that are attempting to occupy it.

The way you achieve this is remarkably similar to how Cyber Sled unfolded. You pick one of several different hovering tank-like machines and take it into combat against a series of opponents. Blast your way through sufficient opponents in one area of the colony and you move on to the next; obliterate everyone in your path and you liberate the colony from the rebel forces. (Canonically, the colony is then subsequently abandoned in later years, making the whole exercise feel a bit pointless, but it’s the thought that counts.)

Cyber Commando is very obviously Cyber Sled’s successor. The flat-shaded polygons of the original arcade version have been replaced with texture-mapped visuals, but the core gameplay is almost identical. Slip and slide around the arena in your vehicle, then blast your opponent until their health bar is depleted using both your guns and missiles, both of which automatically lock on to your target when you have visual contact.

Cyber Commando didn’t get a home port, so if you want to play it you’ll have to emulate the arcade version — and that means getting your head around a somewhat challenging control scheme. Veterans of the original arcade version of Cyber Sled will be right at home, but for those accustomed to the fairly simple controls of Cyber Sled’s PlayStation port, there will be a bit of an adjustment period — plus a touch of MAME reconfiguration to get things working just right.

You control your vehicle with two analogue sticks, you see, a bit like in classic tank arcade games such as Atari’s Battlezone. Push both sticks forward and you’ll go forward; push one stick forward but not the other and you’ll turn. You can also push either stick sideways to strafe sideways, which is something a real tank can’t do, but a very welcome addition to your mobility in Cyber Commando.

Getting your head around how to turn and face your opponent efficiently is probably the biggest challenge with Cyber Commando’s controls, but once you get a feel for it, the dual analogue sticks approach works very well — and the difference in execution from today’s twin-stick first-person shooter models does a nice job in making it feel like you’re throwing a vehicle around instead of just controlling a person.

Ammunition is quite limited in Cyber Commando, meaning you’ll need to try and take careful shots that are guaranteed to hit where possible, otherwise you’ll need to make yourself a bit vulnerable as you chase down the various collectible weapons around the stage. You’ll also need to contend with your opponents having a variety of different weapons to bring to bear against you, and learning the game is as much about figuring out how to avoid various attack types as it is learning the stages.

The stages themselves are nicely designed. Eschewing the abstract stadium-style designs of Cyber Sled, Cyber Commando’s locales are instead clearly intended to actually look like small areas of the Uranus colony. In one stage, for example, you can zip around and spot vending machines, advertising posters and a tourist map; it helps feel like the whole experience just has a bit more narrative context than Cyber Sled which, despite its status as an official part of the UGSF timeline, felt a bit like it existed in a void.

The varied stages — and the fact you fight several opponents in succession rather than just one at a time — makes Cyber Commando’s single-player mode feel a bit more satisfying than Cyber Sled’s, too. There’s a real sense that you’re battling your way onwards with a mission to accomplish, even though the actual opponents you’ll be coming up against will be mostly familiar to Cyber Sled veterans!

Like its predecessor, Cyber Commando probably won’t keep you busy for a long time — but then, as an arcade game, that was never its intention anyway. What we do have here is an enjoyable, fast-paced, smoothly moving combat tank experience that is a good bit of fun to have a blast on for a few minutes before moving on to something with a bit more substance to it.

Which is good, because despite also starting its life as an arcade game, the next entry in the series most definitely has more substance to it. But that’s a story for next time!

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Pete Davison

Pete is Rice Digital's editor, and a proud champion of any and all games involving pretty girls hanging out, saving the world or both. His first waifu was Rit from Rod Land.

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