Army Men RTS: does a good job of creating a real-time strategy game based on the classic line of plastic toys.
The Army Men franchise has been
very successful for 3DO over the years, yet few Army Men games since the
original have made it to the PC. It was probably only a matter of time before
an Army Men installment let you control an entire brigade of those little green
plastic men in a real-time strategy game, which is exactly what Army Men: RTS
does. The game originally debuted on the PlayStation 2, but Army Men: RTS feels
right at home on the PC. That's no doubt partly because it was created by
Pandemic Studios, an experienced developer of real-time strategy games. Army
Men: RTS maintains the broad appeal of the series, as its basic design makes it
very easy for players to pick up and enjoy, though die-hard fans of the genre
will find it frustrating at times.
You'll control a variety of
green plastic troops, such as this flamethrower.
Army Men: RTS places the Green
army under your direct control in a series of campaign missions and
single-scenario battles called the "great battles." The campaign has
you chasing after a rogue Green general who joined your archenemy, the Tan
army. Your pursuit will place you on battlefields ranging from a backyard to
kitchen countertops. The owner of the house that's the stage for the battles in
Army Men: RTS must be quite messy--there are toys and garbage spilled all over
the place. The mess is a benefit to you, though. Some of the things lying
around can be used to harvest resources. There are two resources you'll need to
construct an army: plastic and electricity. Plastic can be found in items like
dog bowls and action figures, and you can even harvest some from dead units.
Electricity can be acquired by finding things like watches or flashlights. Some
missions also have power-ups that will boost troops' speed or firepower.
The campaign has varying
objectives for each mission. The Green army will face challenges like having to
destroy a Tan base, capture an infinite source of power, or escape from a
basement infested with ants. Each mission also includes two secondary
objectives called medal goals. Completing one goal will grant you a silver
medal, while finishing both will give you a shiny gold medal. Accumulating
medals will unlock new great battle scenarios. Completing one medal goal in a
mission is easy, but getting both goals can be quite difficult at times. That's
because the goals can conflict with each other. For example, one goal may be to
finish the mission in a certain amount of time, while the other requires you to
find every power-up on the map. You most likely wouldn't find all the power-ups
in time on a mission you're not familiar with.
There's plenty of detail in the
game's supersized environments.
Army Men: RTS plays like a
standard real-time strategy game. While there are some missions where you have
only a small squad of soldiers, most of them allow you to build a base and
produce troops. In these cases, you'll start out with a bulldozer that is used
to build structures like the HQ and the resource depot. The barracks produce
infantry and the garage produces vehicles. All these buildings can be upgraded
to produce advanced units. You can also build defensive structures like a
sentry tower and an AA gun.
The units themselves are well
prepared for the war against the Tan army. There are several types of
infantry--the basic grunt, the grenadier, and the sniper are only a few of the
little green men you'll command. There are also several types of vehicles like
the tank and helicopter that support your infantry, and a medic vehicle can be
deployed to repair units and buildings. You need to field a balanced army in
order to survive encounters with the enemy. Grunts form the backbone of the
Green army, but they get chewed up by just about anything if they don't have
any backup. Part of putting together a balanced military force is knowing the
strengths and weaknesses of the different unit types--for example, tanks can't
fire at air units, mortar men can only attack buildings, and bazooka men are
effective against vehicles. There's quite a bit to keep track of, but not so
much that it gets confusing.
Resources can be extracted from
mundane items, such as this toy robot.
The Green army will often employ
hero units to get the job done. Cutscenes between every mission help add to the
heroes' personalities. Sarge, the tough leader, is found in every mission. The
other heroes are unique versions of other basic troops. Their presence adds
character to the basic elements in the game, and as such it can be depressing
to see them die in a mission.
Overall, Army Men: RTS does a
good job of creating a real-time strategy game based on the classic line of
plastic toys. Although not particularly challenging, the campaign mode will
keep you busy for a while. The lack of a skirmish mode is a drag, but at least
there is a multiplayer mode in which you can challenge your friends to a
plastic duel. The bottom line is that the game is very easy to play and quite
fun despite its limitations. Gamers who have had no RTS experience will be able
to dive right in. Meanwhile, though hard-core RTS players won't find Army Men:
RTS to be one of the more sophisticated games in the genre, they'll at least be
able to enjoy its originality.
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