Army Men: Sarge's War
- April 16, 2003 00:00 AM PST
Army Men titles have been inconsistent at best and haven't represented 3DO�s finest hour. Sarge�s War, however�
Almost everyone has fond childhood memories of playing with small, green plastic army men�be it storming a sandbox or leading an assault on your little sister�s dollhouse. Army Men: Sarge�s War�the umpteenth entry in a seemingly weekly offering of games�is one of the best in the series with exciting gameplay and clever mission objectives.In essentially a scaled-down Medal of Honor, you�ll take control of Sarge, commander of the Green Army. Following a massacre of his men at the hands of the Tan Army, Sarge must complete several missions via third-person view. You�ll collect a variety of weapons and explosives and blow enemies into small plastic pieces, while keeping a sharp eye open for hidden extraneous objectives. The carnage is as violent as it can be with plastic, and the visuals pull their weight�most of the time. Although the frame rate occasionally lags and clumsy camera angles abound, Sarge�s special effects frequently go above and beyond the call of duty. Ample audio effects follow Sarge�s crusade every step of the way, and competent controls keep the mean green machine under tight command.
Sarge�s most notable flaw is the steep difficulty of its later missions. It becomes increasingly easy to walk into an ambush near the end of long campaigns�which forces you back to square one�and the final battle is more of a war of attrition than a test of learned skills. Despite Sarge�s frustrations, though, this War is worth fighting. Army Men fans will love it; action fans should take a long look.
