TSJ Writes About John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando Video Game Pt. 2
Full disclosure: parts of this article are a reposting of my “early thoughts” about the game from last Saturday. I’ve also added one pro and one con to the list below.
Here’s another quick update about my adventures battling zombies in John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando.
I continue to have loads of fun with this game. My squad has now completed another mission.
- Mission 1: The Drop
- Mission 2: Church of the Damned
- Mission 3: High Octane
The maps for each are expansive and full of mutated zombies. There are hordes wandering the containment zone, just waiting to attack at that final stand at each mission’s conclusion. Think of it as each level’s “final boss” … in the case of Toxic Commando, you have to make a “last stand” with the equipment you’ve collected and perks you’ve unlocked.
The game released a couple of weeks ago, and I purchased it at the X-Box store; after tax it was approximately $60 CAD. In the US, it’s $39.99. I’m playing on an X-Box Series X.
Game Details
Carpenter wrote the story and the game’s score. Saber Interactive developed it and Focus Entertainment is the publisher.
Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, and Windows (available on Steam).
Gameplay: First Person Shooter (FPS), Cooperative.
Modes: Single or multiplayer.
Story
From Steam:
Pick a character and team up with three friends ‘cause it’s time to save the world. Experience intense FPS action as you obliterate hordes of terrifying monsters! You may not be on the best team of mercenaries, but you are… a Toxic Commando!
From Focus Entertainment:
Take control of one of the commandos, team up with your friends and send the Sludge God and its horde of things-that-should-never-be back to the underworld. Choose the class that matches your playstyle, pile into your favorite ride, and unload an array of gunfire, grenades, special abilities, and freaking katanas as you save the planet.
TSJ’s Early Impressions
I’m playing with three close friends, and that has really made this experience joyful. There are similarities to Call of Duty, such as leveling-up weapons, adding attachments, skins, and increasing weapon tiers. The story is very entertaining and cheesy, which I appreciate. It features a scientist’s radical attempt to tap an unlimited source of energy deep in the Earth’s crust, which has unleashed all hell on the surface. The area has been walled off to protect humanity, and a team (you and your squad) has infiltrated the containment zone to drive the evil hordes back from where they came. There is definitely a “B-Movie” aesthetic to this as well, which I celebrate. Driving vehicles is fun, the tutorial was effective, the monsters are challenging, and there are indeed hordes of zombies. What I like best (so far) is that each level seems to end with a “last stand” where you have to hold back a pack of monsters and zombies for a determined amount of time. This is hilarious and is a great callback to my memories of playing COD: Black Ops 2 (Zombies). The more you explore each level, the more likely you’ll have the necessary equipment to make that last stand. Here is my quick list of positives:
Pros:
- The gameplay and graphics are excellent
- Carpenter’s score is wonderful and distinctive
- The story is compelling
- If you are familiar with COD zombies (or zombie games in general), then this has a bloody and gruesome sense of familiarity
- There is a lot to see here … we’re still early in the game and I feel as though a great deal of story is still coming
- The weapons are fun
- Vehicles have turrets to chew up the zombies, and also winches to help navigate tough terrain and pull hatches off large containers to reveal ammo and equipment
- The squad is made up of four people, and ideally each should have a certain skill (much like D&D): Strike, Medic, Operator, and Defender. You gain skill points as you play and can increase your player abilities as you progress
- Playing with people you know is great fun and is likely the best way to experience this game — some of the events are hilarious, as when one of your squad gets picked up and slammed to the ground repeatedly by a “Wacker”
Cons:
- There is a learning curve here, but after the first level, things fall into place
- The other members of the squad really improve the experience. If you don’t have a squad, it might not be as entertaining — but still fun
- The expense
- It takes a long time to acquire enough points to upgrade your weapon and character
Each session is full of laughter, engagement, and light problem solving. So far it is very, very entertaining. Kudos to Focus Entertainment, and, of course, John Carpenter!
As I continue to play the game and complete missions, I’ll post more about it here at Life After Gateway. Watch this space!
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A Blanket of Steel by Timothy S. Johnston and from Fitzhenry & Whiteside, LTD. is the recipient of the 2024 GLOBAL Thriller Award GRAND PRIZE and the 2024 CYGNUS Award First in Category.
— Timothy S. Johnston, 10 April 2026
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Praise for Timothy S. Johnston’s A Blanket of Steel
“Fans of Clive Cussler’s NUMA Files will be delighted with Timothy S. Johnston’s undersea novels. Truman McClusky and Dirk Pitt are cut from the same adventurer’s cloth.” — Nick Cutter, author of The Deep and The Troop
“Action that ranges from close range combat to torpedo-fueled attacks. The result is a thriller that keeps moving from confrontation to confrontation … with constant danger and the vast depths of the ocean as a setting, there is always reason to keep reading.” — Kirkus Reviews
“Read the book and prepare to be blown away by one of the best writers I have ever had the pleasure to read. Timothy S. Johnston is simply amazing.” — FIVE Stars from Readers’ Favorite
“A Blanket of Steel is not simply a ‘daring do’ thriller … It’s prescient.” — Amazing Stories
“A priority selection. An action-packed story that is hard to put down. A Blanket of Steel is outstanding.” — D. Donovan, Sr. Reviewer, Midwest Book Review
“Innovative technology, Mac taking risks no one else would dare and thinking his way through to brilliant solutions … But the stakes are higher than they’ve ever been before. This is it. The countdown to the final battle … Johnston does an excellent job of keeping the tension taut as he plays with the reader’s perceptions of characters we thought we knew and trusted …” — SFcrowsnest
“Expect to be left breathless. Trust me here. Please. I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN.” — Michael Libling, author of The Serial Killer’s Son Takes A Wife and Hollywood North: A Novel in Six Reels
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A BLANKET OF STEEL is out now!
WATCH THE GRIPPING BOOK TRAILER HERE.
FOR PURCHASE OPTIONS CLICK HERE
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A Blanket of Steel from Timothy S. Johnston and Fitzhenry & Whiteside, Ltd.
Book Cover & Jacket Copy:
AN UNSTOPPABLE THREAT!
A mysterious assassin has murdered Cliff Sim, Chief Security Officer of the underwater colony, Trieste. Cliff was a mountain of a man, highly trained, and impossible to defeat in combat. And yet …
Someone brutally beat him and left his broken body in a secret Chinese facility at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean.
And included a calling card for Truman McClusky, Mayor of Trieste.
Taunting him.
Mac has led the underwater colonies in their fight against the world’s superpowers. Climate change has devastated the surface; nations suffer famine, drought, rebellion, rising waters, and apocalyptic coastal flooding. But now, as Mac leads the underwater colonies to freedom and independence, he’s faced with the gravest threat of his life: a Russian assassin, hellbent on killing Mac and everyone he cares for. Now Mac must uncover the identity of the killer, face him in combat, and at the same time lead people in battle against the largest underwater force ever assembled. It’s Mac’s final test, and to win the war, he must use every tool at his disposal, including the most surprising and devastating underwater weapons ever invented.
If Mac fails, all hope is lost for the future of human colonization on the ocean floors.
But the assassin could be anyone …
Watch your back, Mac.
A Blanket of Steel is the most gripping thriller yet in The Rise of Oceania.
FOR PURCHASE OPTIONS CLICK HERE
The other books in The Rise of Oceania series by Timothy S Johnston:
The War Beneath 9781771484718
The Savage Deeps 9781771485067
Fatal Depth 9781554555574
An Island of Light 9781554555819
The Shadow of War 9781554556007
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TSJ’s Awards
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THE WAR BENEATH: FIRST PLACE 2018 GLOBAL THRILLER Action / Adventure Category Winner, 2019 Silver Falchion Award Finalist, 2018 CLUE Award Semi-Finalist, 2019 Kindle Book Awards Semi-Finalist, & 2019 CYGNUS Award Shortlister
THE SAVAGE DEEPS: FIRST PLACE 2020 CYGNUS Award Winner, 2019 GLOBAL THRILLER Awards Finalist, 2022 Kindle Book Awards Semi-Finalist; 2019 CLUE Award Shortlister
FATAL DEPTH: FIRST PLACE 2021 GLOBAL THRILLER Award Winner, 2022 Silver Falchion Award Finalist (Best Action Adventure), 2021 CYGNUS Award Semi-Finalist
