Army Men Air Attack
Score: 96% ESRB: Everyone Publisher: 3DO Developer: 3DO Media: CD/1 Players: 1- 2 Genre: Action
Graphics & Sound: One of the things I always eagerly await in an Army Men title is the intro FMV. Done in old newsreel style and filled with humor, Army Men Air Attack certainly doesn't disappoint. The sound effects are very well done and really add alot to the atmosphere of the game. Voice-overs are cheesy, but perfect for the whole 'toys come to life' mood. (That Plastro dude is really disturbing - the perfect bad guy cartoon voice). The graphics are quite good with brilliant explosions and finely detailed levels. (I mean, what picnic is complete without a can of Ham-Like?) Even the loading screen is cool - its a map of the area to be completed, with arrows pointing out your objectives. The onscreen maps were a little hard to read at times, but were generally pretty clear with easily identifiable objectives.
Gameplay: Three words for the tans - Death From Above! You pilot a green army helicopter, aiding tanks and ground troops in defeating Plastro and his tan army any way you can. At your disposal are various cool weapons, but its the surrounding environment that can either be your greatest ally or your worst enemy. Army Men Air Attack forces the player to use their brain. You can get through the first couple of levels just blasting away everything in sight (my usual M.O.), but there quickly comes a time where planning and ingenuity win the battle. See an apple on the ground? Use your winch, grab it up and smash a tan tank. Ants attacking your camp? Snag that donut and drop it by the tan barracks and let the ants do your dirty work. This game is filled with missions that require the player to strategically plan and utilize various elements found throughout the levels and because of this, I found it to be far more fun than the previous Army Men games. Tired of playing with yourself? Grab a friend and play cooperative or head to head. Either way, its all good.
Difficulty: Pretty damn easy for the first 7 or so levels. Strategy is required, but its pretty basic and easy to figure out. Then the difficulty level shoots up there. But that's a good thing. It sucks to win a game the first day or two that you have it. Clear objectives that are easily defined on your overhead map are a great help, as is the auto-aim feature. Just enough difficulty at first to reel you in, with good enough gameplay to keep you coming back for more.
Game Mechanics: Army Men Air Attack uses an overhead view of the helicopter you pilot, which I prefer over the cockpit view. This makes it very easy to tell what's going on. There are 4 different copters and also 4 co-pilots to choose from, each with different strengths and weaknesses to aid you in the various missions throughout 'Their World' and 'Our World'. Your co-pilot advises you as you go through the levels and lets you know when you screw up. Pay special attention to the newspaper story at the end of each mission. Its always nice to see how they'll humiliate THIS failure of yours on the printed page. : / All things considered, Army Men Air Attack is a solid game with intense gameplay and good graphics. Alot of work went into this title and it certainly shows. If you like the Army Men series (and even if you don't), definitely check this one out. Its the best in the series thus far. Kudos to 3DO for this one. ;)
-Psibabe, GameVortex Communications AKA Ashley Perkins
Army Men: Air Combat Army Men: Air Attack 2