If you cringe at the first ten minutes of Saving Private Ryan, then this game is not for you.  If, on the other hand, you are entertained by the constant clatter of machinegun fire raining down on enemy soldiers, Beachhead 2002 is your cup of tea.  The sequel to Beachhead 2000 doesn’t go far from the original concept of placing you in a bunker as the lone soldier holding off an advancing horde.

Though the original game was a thinly veiled mockup of the famous D-Day beach invasion through German eyes, (a sort of Private Ryan in reverse), BH 2002 changes the scenery to a nondescript mountainous region and varies up the weapons and enemy uniforms.  You get the sense that you are fighting the North Vietnamese army, in France, in 2002.  Strange, but engrossing, in a Tetris meets Medal of Honor kind of way.

The game has no real “ending” and just keeps throwing baddies at you, until you beat your last high score or your fingers give out.  Scenarios change from day to night, and you might be using an anti-tank gun in one mission, and a pistol and flashlight the next.

The Early Bird gets the Kill:
The key to staying alive in the game is to shoot your enemies from as far away as possible.  If you let soldiers or enemy tanks get too close, it gets a lot tougher to clear the screen, and you’ll find the invaders sneaking right up to your nose before you can do anything about it.

A Tank in the Sand is Worth 12 Soldiers in the Bunker:
When you see enemy land vehicles rolling toward you, be sure to make them a top priority.  If you wait too long to destroy an Armored Personnel Carrier you may be unpleasantly surprised when a dozen soldiers spill forth from it.  Once the soldiers scatter to assault your position, you’ll find yourself spinning round and round to get them all.  Avoid dizziness and hit those APCs with missiles or cannon shells before they unload their troops.

Look Out Above:
Friendly planes will swing by from time to time and drop crates around the battlefield.  In the Beachhead 2002 universe, you can replenish your health and ammo by shooting at those crates.  During the more difficult later scenes, neglecting those ammo crates is not a good idea; you will run out of ammunition at the perfectly wrong time.

Spread the Love (and Shrapnel):
Enemy soldiers can catch fire if they are close enough to exploding shells, vehicles and grenades.  If you are too slow to destroy an APC before it spits out soldiers, target it as soon as soldiers emerge and you have a good chance of taking out a few bad guys when it explodes.

Beachhead 2002 Cheats:
Press 1  Infinite Ammo
Press 2  Invincible
Press +  Skip Level

Hint:
Press [space] while firing to cycle between the cannon and machine gun, and cause your shells to explode in a puff of black smoke.

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