Army Men

Army Men
Developers	The 3DO Company Lord Iheanacho Productions Global Star Software
Publishers	The 3DO Company Global Star Software Destination Software
First release	Army Men 1998
Latest release	Army Men III 2011
Spin-offs	Portal Runner

Army Men is a series of video games developed by 3DO and Global Star Software. It is based on various conflicts between four kinds of plastic army men, distinguished by their color: the Green, the Tan, the Blue, and the Grey. Two other factions, the Red and the Orange, as well as a much smaller army, the Black, also contribute to the story. Two additional factions, the Galactic Army and the Alien Army, were introduced in Army Men: Toys in Space.

Contents 1 Factions 2 Games 3 The Plastic World 4 End of 3DO 5 Criticism 6 References 7 External links

Factions

• Green – The protagonists in the series, the Green are a representation the U.S. Army of the Vietnam era. . In the first few army men games, the political balance is unstable, and they are fighting against the Tan and the Blue, with the Grey being sometimes allies, sometimes enemies. In Army Men: World War, the Green side with the Blue against the Tan. In Army Men: Sarge's Heroes, the Blue are spies for the Tan, and the Grey are allied with the Green.

• Tan – The Tan are the usual antagonists of the series, with influence from the real-world German and Japanese armies of WW2.. They started the current war with the Green when they invaded three main areas of the Green Nation: the Desert, Alpine, and Bayou regions. At the beginning of the game, they have a partial alliance with the Blue Information Network, though this alliance remains solid throughout the series.

• Grey – The first encounter with Grey forces is in the original PC game, especially in the Bayou campaign, but not common. While they are both at war with the Green, they are also at war with each other and Sarge finds himself in a three-way shooting match. Shortly after, Sarge discovers the Grey have formed an alliance with the Tan in order to generate some rather bizarre weapons of mass-destruction Seen in the later games as a magnifier glass.

• Blue – The Blue Army (often with a French influence) seem to have very fluid alliances. They are rarely seen on the front lines. The Blue Army's real talents lie in espionage, sabotage and other kinds of covert missions. The Blue Nation is often depicted as working toward anything they see beneficial, often meaning that they offer their services for a charge. In some of the games, they have an alliance with the Green Army, but in others they are on the opposite side.

• Red – They appear in the Multiplayer mode in "Sarge's War". One of them is rescued from Dr. Madd's castle. Additionally, in Sarge's Heroes, there is a cut-scene where Shrap is rescued from the spider machine. Although they are really supposed to be gray.

• Orange – They are mentioned only in Sarge's Heroes 2, when General Plastro is bragging about conquering all the nations in the plastic world. Not related to the Orange Aliens. Not much is really known about the Orange as they are never really seen and only mentioned. However, in the multiplayer mode of Army Men RTS, you can play as the Orange army.

• Black – Like Orange, they are not involved in any of conflicts, and appear about as much as the Red. Black civilians are seen in a level in Toys In Space. As zombies in Army Men II, they also may occasionally sport a black-colored limb or head.

• The Aliens – The main enemies in Toys in Space. They appear only in Portal Runner and Toys in Space. As Tina Tomorrow secures an alliance with Sarge, the aliens form an alliance with the Tan Empire and join in their quest for domination by providing a whole new armada of lethal creatures and deadly new weapons to make Sarge's life miserable.

• The Galactic Army – Allies of the Green Army in Toys in Space. They only appear in that game. Led by Tina Tomorrow, the Galactic Army is light blue in color. The main army is female with the support troopers (e.g. Mini-Gunners) being male. The Galactic Army provides a number of unique weapons to assist Sarge through Toys in Space.

• The Cult – Only appears in two levels of Army Men 2. They are composed of Blue, Green, Tan, and Gray soldiers, as well as suicide bombers, led by an AWOL Colonel from the Green Army. Sarge was originally tasked to locate the Colonel, but after learning of the Colonel's insanity, he is ordered to kill him instead along with his cult followers.

• Malice's Tans – They only appear in Army Men: Sarge's War. They are responsible for planting the bomb in the statue and delivering it to the Green/Tan peace ceremony which destroyed it, with all Greens (except Sarge and the remnants of the Green Army) and all of General Plastro's Tans caught in the blast.

• Bugs and Insects – While not always seen in the Army Men Series, Bugs and Insects appear in Army Men: Air Attack (2), Army Men RTS and several other games. They are usually hostile to every army and pack some heavy firepower.

• Dr. Madd's Creations – The demented Grey doctor's creations range from the walking dead to mutated, mutilated varieties of insects. The doctor is often seen working for the Tan nation, however, due to his mental instability, it is believed that his reasons for experimentation stem from his state of mind, rather than to please Plastro's desires. These creatures are trained to attack only the Green Army and their allies, though they may sometimes harm the enemy.

• Other Toys – Other everyday toys, such as action figures, robots, and even Lego figurines make an appearance in the series. Other species of plastic include (or sometimes include metallic) creatures. They are used and controlled by every nation. These "other" toys are very commonly used in the Air Attack games.

• Purple – The purple army are usually just high ranking soldiers in the blue army although rarely seen they do play a role commanding most of the blue army.

• Knights,Dragons,& Dinosaurs; Knights vs. Dragons and Dinosaurs both make their only appearance in "Portal Runner".

Games

Title	Release date	Platforms	Information
Army Men	1998	Windows, Game Boy Color	The first game of the series. It was originally released for PC, then was later ported to Game Boy Color. Regarded as a classic by fans, this is one of the few games to actually display Sarge and his squad as merely pawns in a bigger battle. Two features that make this game almost unique in the series are its storytelling (Black and white spoofs of World War II-style newsreels), and the fact that it often depicts fighting that doesn't involve the main characters. Many fans of the series as well as reviewers rate this game the highest.
Army Men II	1999	Windows, Game Boy Color	This game is a direct sequel to the first game. The enemies in this game are diverse, ranging from suicide bombers, to zombies, cult members or cockroaches. There is also a wide range of battlefields, such as a kitchen in the "Real World", or a tank factory in the "Plastic World".
Army Men: Toys in Space	1999	Windows	This sequel introduces two new armies: the Space Troops and the Aliens. It introduced a science fiction element not present in any other Army Men games. It also reorganized the control of squads and brought in new weapons and units such as Alien Laser Troopers, Tina's Freeze Ray and her Mini-gun Troopers as well as a small selection of new vehicles.
Army Men: Air Attack	1999	PlayStation, Nintendo 64, Windows	The main character in this game is a Green Air Cavalry pilot named Captain William Blade. This game has 16 missions with three extra helicopters to unlock. The available helicopters are a Huey, Chinook, Super Stallion, and an Apache. There are also four co-pilots to unlock. Their names are "Woodstock", "Rawhide", "Hardcore", and "Sgt. Hawk". There is also a Mr. Yuk Spoof that can be seen in the fifth mission. This game was also known as Air Combat on the Nintendo 64.
Army Men: Sarge's Heroes	1999	Windows, PlayStation, Nintendo 64, Dreamcast	This is a console to PC port of the PlayStation game of the same name. This is the first game in the series to appear on Nintendo 64 or Dreamcast. In this game, Sergeant Hawk must reassemble his squad of captured soldiers. General Plastro unveils his new "Super Weapons" (household items and toys) that were taken from the "Alternate World" through portals that connect to the "Plastic World". Sergeant Hawk must use his "Bravo Company Commandos" to help him defeat General Plastro and the Tan Army.
Army Men: Air Tactics	1999	Windows	In this title, the player controlled character was Captain Blade of the Green Airborne Cavalry. This is an overhead view flight simulator in which the player can fly a number of different helicopters. Captain Blade's main responsibility is to act as aerial support for Sarge and his men. This game introduced abilities such as lifting heavy objects and transporting them to other locations, landing on the ground to load/unload soldiers and features unique airborne combat not seen in any of the other games.
Army Men 3D	1999	PlayStation	This installment is a 3-dimensional remake of the original "Army Men" game. The main character's goal is to collect the tinker toy keys which lead him to a Portal to the Real World.
Army Men: World War	2000	Windows, PlayStation	The first of the World War titles. This game focuses solely on combat in the "Plastic World", with most of the missions being based on World War II. The PC game starts with a D-Day style landing after which there are a number of missions that all have themes from World War II lore, such as "A Bridge Too Far". This is the only game in the series where vehicles can not be controlled by enemy forces. This game is the only PC game in the series without an appearance by Sarge. This game also has an in-depth system for organizing large numbers of soldiers under the player's command. This game was also known as "Operation Meltdown" outside the US and Canada.
Army Men: World War - Land, Sea and Air	2000	PlayStation	This installment is a sequel to "Army Men: World War". The game is made up of five operations with three missions in each one.
Army Men: Sarge's Heroes 2	2000	PlayStation, PlayStation 2, Game Boy Color, Nintendo 64	This is the sequel to Sarge's Heroes. It introduces several new characters, and the concept of "Plastrification". Plastrification, according to Dr. Madd, is a condition that occurs when a soldier from the "Plastic World" spends too much time in the "Real World" causing the hardening of the limbs and the forming of a plastic base. However, the character Bridgette Bleu has developed a serum that reverses the effects of plastrification.
Army Men: Operation Green	2001	Game Boy Advance	In this game, the player can take control of a generic Green soldier in a 3-D isometric world. This title is set almost exclusively in the Plastic World, and several vehicles are available to drive.
Army Men: World War - Final Front sometimes referred to as 'Lock N load'	2001	PlayStation	This game features four fronts with three missions in each one. The Tan Army once again launches an unprovoked attack upon the Green Army, so the Green retaliate by attacking the Tan capital. When they discover that the Tan have created weapons of mass destruction, they declare a full-scale war against the Tan and deploy their forces worldwide to destroy the revived Tan Army and its new weapons. This game introduces submarine warfare to the World War titles.
Army Men: Green Rogue sometimes referred to as 'Omega Soldier'	2001	PlayStation, PlayStation 2	Set during the time of "Sarge's Heroes", the Green Army creates a super soldier composed of DNA spliced from all the members of Bravo Company. Plastro tries to capture the super soldier, but the crash-landing of the helicopter transporting it inadvertently awakens Omega Soldier, causing a one-man rampage against Tan forces. Unique to this game is the fact that all of Omega Soldier's weapons are made of metal instead of plastic.
Army Men: Advance	2001	Game Boy Advance	The player can choose between Sarge, or Vikki, and receives several objectives by radio, such as recruiting fellow squad members, escaping from prison, or breaking into enemy installations.
Army Men: Air Attack 2 sometimes referred to as "Blade's Revenge"	2001	PlayStation, PlayStation 2	The sequel to Army Men: Air Attack. It includes 2 new helicopters, the "King Cobra" and the "Osprey", in addition to the Chinook and Apache. There is a new co-pilot named "Bombshell". In this game each co-pilot has a special secondary weapon which can only be used by that co-pilot.
Portal Runner	2001	PlayStation 2, Game Boy Color	This spin-off of Sarge's Heroes focused on Vikki Grimm and Bridgette Bleu. In this game, Bridgette Bleu traps Vikki Grimm in another dimension through the use of a portal. Vikki and a lion named Leo must find the right portal to take them back to the "Plastic World".
Army Men World War: Team Assault	2002	PlayStation	The last game released in the World War series and the last one released for the PlayStation.
Army Men: Air Combat - The Elite Missions	2003	Nintendo GameCube	The Final game in the air combat series gave gamers the same experience from the N64 original with upgraded features, graphics, and new levels.
Army Men: RTS	2002	Windows, PlayStation 2, Nintendo GameCube	This game was one of the last Army Men titles released before The 3DO Company filed for bankruptcy. This Army Men installment is a 3D Real Time Strategy game. It provided a brand new perspective on the Army Men game - base building, and a fully 3D camera. The game does provide some unique elements such as collecting the melted plastic after a battle and recycling it to create a fresh supply of troops. It is also unique (along with Army Men: Sarge's War) in that all of the soldiers in these games are equipped with metal weapons, grenades and minesweepers as opposed to most other games in the series, which offer plastic weapons. This may have been used to give clarity to what the individual soldiers were holding, which would be more difficult with colored weaponry.
Army Men: Turf Wars	2002	Game Boy Advance	This is a shoot 'em up game for the Game Boy Advance. The Tan Army has struck once again and has taken over a Green Army base. Colonel Grimm has formed a two-man team: Sergeant Hawk and a blue spy to fight the Tan Army.
Army Men: Sarge's War	2004	Windows, PlayStation 2, Xbox, Nintendo GameCube	Sarge's War is the last game to follow the series. Lord Malice has formed a secret militia of Tans, who have attacked the Green and Tan nations at the Green-Tan peace ceremony. Everyone, including Colonel Grimm, Vikki, and General Plastro, have been killed. However, Sergeant Hawk and Malice's militia have survived. Sarge then seeks revenge on Lord Malice. This game was initially developed by the 3DO Company, but after 3DO filed for bankruptcy, the game was purchased, completed, and released by Crave Entertainment. The game's tone is darker and more realistic than its predecessors; for example, when Sarge is shot, holes will appear in his body.
Army Men: Major Malfunction	2006	PlayStation 2, Xbox	Major Malfunction was released by Global Software. The main character is a soldier named Private Anderson and the villain is a character named "Major Malfunction", The game received largely negative reviews, although graphically it is regarded as the "best looking" game in the series.
Army Men: Soldiers of Misfortune	2008	PlayStation 2, Wii, Nintendo DS	Soldiers of Misfortune is the latest game of the series, published by Destination Software, Inc. The plot of Soldiers of Misfortune is a major departure from the rest of the series. No reference is made to the regular Army Men characters, or to any of the events that occurred in past games. The player assumes the role of a young boy named Timmy, who imagines himself as a toy soldier and uses weapons such as a miniature dart. This game is not officially part of the series, and is not considered canonical. The game was a failure and received largely negative reviews similar to Major Malfunction, many fans consider Soldiers of Misfortune to be the worst game in the series.
Army Men: Mobile Ops	2010	Mobile	The newest mobile game brings back the original story: the war between the Green and the Tan army.
Army Men III	2011	Windows	This game is a direct sequel to the original Army Men II game. Instead of Sarge, you play as Wallace Aron Niles. The Grey Doctor sends a horde of monsters to invade the plastic world. The enemies of this game are also diverse, introducing monsters from the previous game as well as monsters from Sarges Heroes 2 (e.g. the War Trooper). This game is NOT an official part of the series but a fan made "indie" game.[1]

The Plastic World

Much is unknown about the Plastic World, mainly because it is never shown on a map or discussed for an extended period of time, though there are certain things that can be inferred.

There is a Pacific island area (stated in "World War"). The eastern part of the world houses the Blue Nation (a border is seen but it is unknown if this is another country), while the Western part houses the Tan. It is unknown where the Green, Orange, and Red Nations reside, as it is never stated.

The Gray Nation is in the western area as well because it borders the Tan nation according to Army Men. The only thing known about the Green Nation's homeland is that it contains desert, alpine, and bayou regions.

As seen in Army Men (the first game in the series) during the beginning movie, it is revealed that the Green Nation is almost completely surrounded by Tan territory. The bayou is in the south.

End of 3DO

Army Men: RTS was the last Army Men game to be released by the 3DO Company before they filed for chapter eleven bankruptcy. The major franchises were auctioned off, and Army Men was purchased by Global Star Software (now known as 2K Play).

In 2004, Global Star published Sarge's War. The PS2 and Xbox versions were completed by some members of the original Sarge's War development team from 3DO. Global Star then released Army Men: Major Malfunction for the Xbox (as well as for the PlayStation 2 in limited regions), and planned a Nintendo DS version, which was not released. Army Men: Mobile Ops is currently the latest game in the series. Future installments are possible, but unlikely, due to the poor critical and commercial performance of Major Malfunction and Soldiers of Misfortune.

Criticism

While originally well-received, each title seemed to decline in quality. The Army Men series has been heavily criticized by several parts of the video game media, including X-Play^[2] and Seanbaby of EGM,^[3] for the frequency and declining quality of each new title.

Reviews frequently emphasize the series' lack of consistency. Gameplay constantly changed in a game from version to version. There is also an inconsistency in the time period in which the series takes place. Many of the games, such as the Sarge's Heroes games, employ World War II and Vietnam war era weaponry (Ex. the M16 assault rifle and the M2 flamethrower), whereas the Air Attack/Air Combat games use helicopters from the Vietnam War era.

References

http://www.gamespot.com/army-men/reviews/2538043/army-men-review/platform/pc http://www.indiedb.com/games/army-men-3

External links

• Army Men series at MobyGames

Army Men series Original series Army Men II III Toys in Space 3D Sarge's Heroes series Sarge's Heroes Sarge's Heroes 2 Green Rogue RTS Sarge's War Major Malfunction Air Attack series Air Attack Air Tactics Air Attack 2 The Elite Missions World War series World at War Land, Sea and Air Final Front Team Assault Handheld games Operation Green Advance Turf Wars Mobile Ops Spin-offs Portal Runner Soldiers of Misfortune