John Carpenter's Toxic Commando

Toxic Commando is a solid mix of the thrills of a co-op extraction shooter and the avaricious joys of the loot n' shooter. Every level has plenty to do and goodies to collect, with a good variety between high-octane driving sections and hard-fought point defence against waves of undead. Carpenter has displayed that his action-adventure chops are just as formidable in the gaming realm as they are on the silver screen.

John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando delivers pure co-op chaos with confidence and flair. Massive hordes, satisfying weapon variety, inventive vehicles, and clever salvage/defense mechanics create consistently thrilling missions. Class progression, skill trees, and temporary heavy weapons encourage experimentation and strategic play. Performance dips are minor in comparison to the spectacle, and while the game doesn’t reinvent the genre, it refines a familiar formula in ways that feel fresh, especially with friends. Overall, it’s a high-energy, replayable co-op experience that shines brightest in teamwork-driven chaos.

John Carpenter's Toxic Commando is such a chaotic and thrilling action co-op, where each mission offers solid fun and visually appealing combat consistently.

John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando is bursting at the seams with how much gameplay depth, artisanal vision, and genre innovation it manages to pack within its very few open-world levels. Had it the scope to contain its quality, it would’ve been the best horde-shooter for everyone out there, though it still may be for some. It’s simply too awesome for its own good.

John Carpenter's Toxic Commando is a high-octane love letter to 80s action-horror. By blending the chaotic scale of the Swarm Engine with satisfying arcade gunplay and heavy-duty vehicular combat, Saber Interactive has crafted a co-op experience that prioritizes pure, unadulterated fun. While it leans heavily on genre tropes, its infectious energy, neon-drenched aesthetic, and pulse-pounding synth soundtrack make it an essential play for fans of cooperative shooters.

It may not be groundbreaking, but Toxic Commando still delivers unadulterated fun. No grind, no chores, just good old-fashioned zombie shooting. With three friends along for the ride, spreading mayhem across the map, it becomes a truly satisfying experience. As a bonus, John Carpenter’s signature synth soundtrack perfectly brings the grindhouse atmosphere to life.

Perhaps John Carpenter's Toxic Commando is far from offering anything new in a market already quite saturated with cooperative shooters for up to four people against demonic enemies. But this may be its greatest virtue, as the game refines everything that came before and, as a result, offers a light, balanced and an enjoyable adventure, especially playing alongside good friends.

John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando obviously has echoes of titles like Left 4 Dead and Back 4 Blood in it. As a cooperative horde shooter it doesn’t stray from the pack in a way that is too experimental to prevent casual fun. Despite the gritty and realistic aesthetic, the open-ended maps offer numerous engaging objectives meant to challenge groups of players. By combining familiar elements of character classes and tangible upgrades, Saber Interactive has borrowed from its best titles to create a cohesive power climb that is best with friends biting back with enough fangs that challenges are fresh and fun.

John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando delivers a solid cooperative shooter, featuring consistent gunplay, class-based progression and an engaging skill tree that encourages different strategies between runs. Its open mission structure creates meaningful risk-reward decisions, while defense segments against large hordes keep the combat intense. Despite repetitive mission design, limited enemy variety and technically simple visuals, the game compensates with a steady pace, a strong soundtrack by John Carpenter and a cooperative experience that shines when played with friends.

Toxic Commando is a fun cooperative zombie shooter that shines when played with friends. Its large maps, brutal zombie hordes and flexible class system provide plenty of chaotic action, even if the pacing occasionally suffers from the open level design. Vehicles and progression add variety, but sometimes slow the flow of combat. While it doesn’t quite reach the heights of genre classics like Left 4 Dead, it’s still an entertaining co-op experience for players looking for their next zombie-slaying session.

John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando isn’t the new king of cooperative zombie shooters, but it’s still a fun, solid title brimming with personality. It has some noticeable rough edges, especially when played solo or if you’re looking for more generous and refined progression systems, but when played with friends, as intended, it really comes into its own. It’s a loud, brutal, and delightfully trashy experience, capable of offering several hours of chaos and fun to anyone willing to get swept up in its madcap spectacle.

John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando doesn’t set out to revolutionize the genre, and that is precisely one of its greatest strengths. Rather than striving for unnecessary complexity, it focuses on delivering a straightforward, entertaining experience that stays true to its inspiration.

Dated mission structure and zombie design hold back Toxic Commando to an extent, but Saber Interactive still executed on a couple of fresh ideas. The Swarm Engine’s impressive zombie hordes, satisfying gunplay, and MudRunner-style vehicle physics that shouldn’t work but do are reason enough to grab a few friends and start blasting the undead.

John Carpenter's Toxic Commando is a cooperative shooter that gets straight to the point: a chaotic zombie party with an '80s aesthetic. Its most spectacular moments, when hundreds of enemies advance toward your team while turrets spit fire, are fun, and the addition of vehicles and open maps introduces fresh ideas into a rather exploited genre. However, the game rarely manages to overcome the feeling that it is combining elements already seen in other titles, and the feeling of repetition sets in very quickly.

As entertaining as Toxic Commando can be, I dare say the next time I want to replay a Horde Shooter I’ll go back to something with a proper structure like WWZ or even Aliens: Fireteam Elite. In fact, my enthusiasm for replaying it is petering out already and that’s a real shame. The shooting and driving feel really nice while the bigger battles are genuinely great, but they’re framed in an overall package that fails to stand out, has no real identity, and few compelling reasons to keep returning. A classic case of being equal parts good and forgettable.

John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando delivers a positive surprise by offering one of the best recent experiences in the zombie horde genre, surpassing several failed attempts from the industry. The game focuses on open maps, exploration before the main missions, and the use of vehicles with different abilities to vary the gameplay. Even with varied missions and a fun gameplay loop, the slow progression of the skill tree and the natural fatigue of the genre can become tiring over time, but the game still works well as a fun cooperative experience with friends.

John Carpenter's Toxic Commando doesn't break out so much as cater to the Left4Dead-leaning, even with its more open-ended approach and use of vehicles. It works more often than not - just don't expect it to aspire to much more.

A competent Left 4 Dead clone that seems to have gained little from the association with John Carpenter, but it is a sensibly priced diversion for those that want a new co-op shooter to play with friends.

In a world of shooters that take themselves far too seriously, John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando is that punch of slime in the face that makes you laugh while you’re drowning in it: a co-op game that lives for nights spent with friends. It’s Left 4 Dead wearing B-movie makeup, with vehicles mowing down zombies like grass and a soundtrack that takes you straight back to the VHS of The Thing.

John Carpenter's Toxic Commando delivers a loud, chaotic co-op bloodbath with a healthy dose of 80s kitsch. While other multiplayer competitors strive for polished, strategic gameplay, the trash team crashes the party here, roaring and behaving like complete hooligans. More splatter, monsters and non-stop action could hardly fit into a multiplayer shooter, and this is achieved here in a technically impressive way. Oh, and pigs like to roll around in the mud. That fits, because the Mudrunner influences and the poison slick monsters are on top of that. Nevertheless, the game suffers from a very tough progression system and a pacing that can hardly be improved upon after the furious start. Nevertheless, if you're in the mood for technically impressive mass battles with an immensely high enemy density and whimsical off-road excursions with three friends, you'll find a unique shooter package here that will make fans of World War Z particularly happy.

Bearing the legacy of Left 4 Dead and Back 4 Blood, John Carpenter's Toxic Commando lands with an almighty bang when it comes to gunplay and spectacle defence sequences against armies of undead numbering in the thousands. It's unfortunately saddled with lame writing and meagre fresh ideas, which can thankfully be ignored as you unleash armageddon with bullets and explosions with your friends.

John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando is a fun, over-the-top co-operative shooter. The use of Saber’s Horde Engine creates thrilling moments where you face off against hundreds of bloodthirsty zombies at once. Although the game bears Carpenter’s name, it doesn’t fully capture his signature style and instead blends in with the many zombie shooters currently available. If you’re looking to scratch that Left 4 Dead itch, this will suffice; however, it ultimately blends into the horde it’s trying to outgun.

Offroading, massive hordes, and synth-driven tension create a unique Carpenter-inspired experience, even if the grind can feel punishing.

John Carpenter's Toxic Commando is a decent zombie horde shooter made better with friends, but one that, despite its short run time, can feel overly repetitive and uninspired.

There are some genuinely standout moments, but I can't help but look back at the likes of Left 4 Dead and just wish Toxic Commando had that same level of charm. It's just missing something—a little personality—a hook, the kind that made Left 4 Dead endlessly replayable.

Effective entertainment for those nostalgic for Left 4 Dead. It attempts to introduce its own innovations to the formula, and although it doesn't always work, it's still fun. Just make sure you play it in multiplayer mode.

John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando is a blast with a full squad, offering clever class mechanics and fun vehicular segments that keep the missions moving. But once the initial adrenaline wears off, the shallow story and basic progression become hard to ignore. It’s a fun distraction that lacks innovation, struggling to stand out in an overcrowded genre.