Army Men 3d

Army men 3D proves that war is hell.. .in a fun sort of way, letting you watch your toy soldiers duke it out in 3D like you always wanted.

SNIPING PRIVATE RYAN

You play as Sarge, a plastic army soldier with a mission--actually, multiple missions, from search-and-rescue to search-and-destroy. Most objectives require a steady hand (like when sweeping for mines), expert driving skills (when manning jeeps, tanks, and more), and an eagle eye (for sniping). Army Men is Metal Gear Solid without all that messy thinking getting in the way.

The games multiple missions are not easy considering that only a few shots from snipers are enough to end the game, requiring you to recommence from the beginning. That's unfortunate when you're really into a mission--and downright frustrating when it happens for the umpteenth time!

YOU'RE IN THE ARMY NOW

Although there are a variety of weapons and items (such as explosives, grenades, land mines, and flame-throwers), it's hard to see much detail thanks to heavily-pixelated graphics and severe clipping and meshing. From afar, you can't tell an enemy from a tree. Meanwhile, the sound is "could-be" heaven: It could be Command and Conquer, it could be The Dirty Dozen--it could be turned off.

Controlling Sarge is tricky, but manageable. You can shoot low, roll, and get a better sight on a target, but there is no strafing. Driving vehicles and throwing grenades also requires some practice (thank the almighty Patton there's an extensive training mode).

WAR--WHAT IS IT GOOD FOR?

Army Men tries to be all that it can be, but ultimately the game will appeal only to military sadists who have tons of patience and a real bloodthirst for killing the enemy. Sounds like a job for Major Mike.

Army Men 3D is almost here--and if you're sick of seeing preview screens, take a pill because the graphics in this playable disc are a great improvement over previous versions and the game-play is a blast

Utilizing concepts from Command & Conquer and Metal Gear Solid, Army Men consists of standard sneak-and-destroy-then-sneak-back missions, along with a two-player Capture the Flag mode. The missions borrow reasonably from MGS's stealth style, requiring you to duck, roll, crawl, and use camouflage.

In the split-screen Capture the Flag mode, you place your ground troops in vital strategic positions and control your lead character as he goes for the flag. You'd better think about where you position your troops, however, or your plastic army man is off to toy-box heaven. But before you die, you'll get to enjoy the game's visuals, which include some great explosions, nice flamethrower effects, and first- and third-person views (as well as a turret view from your tank).

3DO has assured us that certain unfinished elements--fog, draw-in, and quirky animations--will be worked out for the final release. From what we saw and played, this mission is moving right along.

Everyone played with plastic army men when they were kids, and now 3DOs bringing that batde to life in Army Men 3D. Unlike 3DO's similar C&C-style strategy game for the PC, this blastfest takes you right into the heat of combat with purely action-focused third-person gameplay.

Playing as Sarge, a Green Army veteran, you take on the Tan Army with all the classic weapons: bazookas, flamethrowers, rifles, mortars, and more. Of course, enemies don't bleed or anything--these plastic soldiers melt, shatter, and otherwise fall apart just like the toys.

Sarge can run, crawl, duck, and roll across the 3D landscapes in a style reminiscent of MDK. Vehicles come into play, too, as Sarge can find and drive tanks, jeeps, halftracks, and other vehicles. A two-player split-screen deathmatch mode should add some multiplayer excitement to the game. If 3DO stays on track, this interesting combat title could develop into a PlayStation war worth fighting.

You melted them as a kid. You also blew them up and tortured them in other unspeakable ways. They're little plastic army men, and they're back for revenge in 360's Army Men 3D.

A marked departure from the PC version, a tongue-in-cheek Command & Conquer, Army Men 3D, as the name implies, is a 3D action game. Tan forces are mobilizing for an all-out invasion, and it's up to you to protect the Green way of life! The game stars all of your childhood favorites, including bazooka guy, flamethrower guy, about-to-heave-a-grenade guy and (my personal favorite) crawling-on-his-belly-like-a-reptile guy. While they aren't eternally frozen in a single position like their plastic brethren, these small soldiers do strike some mighty familiar poses during combat, sure to bring childhood memories flooding back. The game also includes a number of popular vehicles for you to commandeer, including jeeps, troop transports, tanks and those rolling death traps--half-tracks. The player primarily controls The Sarge, who must traverse three deadly environments--Desert, Alpine and Bayou--to put an end to the Tan menace. Mission objectives include releasing Green POWs, traversing deadly minefields, knocking out communication towers and--this one is priceless--robbing an enemy plastic stockpile to manufacture reinforcements!

Travel deep enough into the game, and you'll also encounter your brothers-in-arms, the Grays, in addition to those crafty guns for hire, the Blues. (Gray and Blue, in case you don't remember, were two other popular colors for army men.) While they're fewer in number than the Green or the Tan armies, the Gray and the Blue forces may prove powerful enough to tip the balance of power, so use them with caution. While Army Men 3D won't provide as much of a imprint found on real plastic soldiers! Having completed the basic game engine and created the principle art assets, 3DO plans to use the remaining time to add even more sight gags and inside jokes. As fun as the one-player game sounds, two-player contests promise to be even more involving. The developers are cramming in 10 two-player maps, including a Gulliver-sized child's bedroom, which the players are free to customize. Players must strategically deploy their limited troops and vehicles in addition to instructing them to assume an attack or defend posture. Then they are free to kick some plastic booty with their primary soldier.

While they never entirely disappeared from toy shelves, plastic army men are enjoying newfound popularity with a brand-new generation of kids thanks in part to DreamWorks' CG-animated film Toy Story. Such exposure can only benefit a game like Army Men 3D, which is scheduled to invade stores early this year.