John Carpenter's Toxic Commando

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 t...

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.

There are nits to pick with Toxic Commando​​​​​, but how egregious they are will ultimately come down to player preference. Some may find its accessibility a win for the multiplayer experience, while some may find it too easy. Some will appreciate its lack of bloat, while others will want deeper skill trees and more customization. All in all, though, fans of cheesy horror and zombie co-op shooters will find plenty to love in it. John Carpenter's Toxic Commando is not a game-changer, but it doesn't pretend to be, and it's all the better for it.

John Carpenter's Toxic Commando is one of the most polished modern co-op shooters out there, but it might need a few more things beyond its grinding to hook players into this post-apocalyptic mayhem.

John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando is a fast-paced co-op shooter that fully embraces its B-movie horror roots, delivering chaotic gunfights, grotesque enemies, and a thumping synth soundtrack. While its mechanics are familiar and progression is fairly light, the game shines when played with friends, turning every mission into loud, messy fun. It’s a confident, no-nonsense experience that values atmosphere and teamwork over depth, and succeeds by knowing exactly what it wants to be.

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.

Some time far, far in the future, the very last zombie game will be released and its developers will weep, for there will be no more conceivable worlds for undead hordes to conquer. Saber Interactive will have had a big hand in that, as World War Z and its recent The Walking Dead DLC have covered off both fast and slow moving zombies within an early 2000s setting, and now there’s John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando for an 80s inspired sci-fi romp.

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.

Weapons are plentiful, with a wide range of types to help you eliminate foes. Each gun features a variety of attachments, allowing you to upgrade your favourite. There’s also an individual levelling system for every weapon, which can discourage experimentation. While this does support replayability, levelling up each gun separately can feel a little tedious.

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.

It shoots loud, and it feels heavy, but not one element of Toxic Commando can agree on which should be the core focus, leaving a messy tangled web of underdeveloped mechanics for the player to figure out.

In its best moments, John Carpenter's Toxic Commando is an unbelievably good time. Even in its worst moments, it's still a pretty solid zombie shooter with some great set pieces. That being said, any problems with the game can and probably will be fixed in time. The janky bots and frustrating solo player experience definitely make things a little rough around the edges, but underneath that is a fantastic game that will absolutely exceed your expectations if you give it a chance.