GENRE
	Action
	DEVELOPER
	3DO
	PUBLISHER
	Global Star Software
	NUMBER OF PLAYERS
	1-4
	CONNECTIVITY
	no
	BUY NOW AT

Trip Hawkins fought the good fight, alright. After leaving Electronic Arts -- which he more or less pioneered -- he formed the now defunct 3DO, who experienced moderate success with their Army Men and High Heat Baseball games. The keyword in that sentence is, of course, success. The previous successes of the series (Army Men, that is) have spawned a stronghold of sequels, offshoots, and offshoot sequels. Just short of forty, in fact. Army Men: Sarges War, however, isn’t your typical Army Men game. Originally a GameCube exclusive when 3DO was attached to publish, Sarge’s War features a darker and more macabre aura than all other titles in the series that came before it. Sarge is a broken, beaten (plastic) man bent on revenge. He has nothing to lose; alone in the world, it’s up to Sarge to annihilate the rehabilitated Tan Army, if only as a means of fulfilling his own thirst for vengeance.

Sarge’s War takes place after all the other existing Army Men games. The Green and Tan armies have entered into a truce of sorts, embarking upon a new era of peace in the microscopic world of toys. In fact, their official peace summit is but a few days away. However, as we all know, old habits die hard. Days prior to said summit, a rogue faction of the Tan army has been discovered, seemingly bent on raising war. Naturally, the colonel commissions Sarge to investigate the nature of this resistance. Several levels in, you the player discover that this threat is oh so much more than an insignificant little band. Constructing this shrouded army is a new, diabolical enemy-- one Colonel Malice. The ever-scheming Malice, for reasons you’ll discover by the set of the game, seeks only to eliminate the Green Army -- even if it means murdering other Tan soldiers. Likewise, at the end of one of Sarge’s early missions he learns that Malice has planted a large-scale bomb in the statue meant to commemorate the newfound peace between the two warring armies. When the bomb goes off, much of the main Green and Tan armies are destroyed. This includes Vicky from Portal Runner and your tough as nails superior, “The Colonel”. With your entire squad sent to the abyss, only one thing remains…

You must eliminate the remaining rogue elements of the sinister Tan Army once and for all.

visuals

Well constructed, generation appropriate polygons and lighting elements provide a satisfactory face to the non-stop gunplay that characterizes Sarge’s War. Of course, I can give you a few specific examples.

Whisping flames smolder from the remains of your little world, fallen and battered by the explosive Tan war machine. Water spirals swiftly down the drain of a sink as light drops from above create proportionate ripples. Torrents of smoke gasp for life as they rise ever-so-slightly into the air above. When applicable, the sun that blazes beyond site can be seen via the tint of red that punctuates the sky. The dark red sky is a motif synonymous with the themes of death and betrayal, as is played out through the entire duration of the game. As publisher Global Star themselves have stated on the back of the box, your missions will take you through a “gritty world of toy-on-toy combat”. Indeed, the sometimes humorous elements of the previous games are practically non-existent in Sarge’s War. The lifeless, yet Tan-infested locales fit this theme just right.

audio

I’d be lying if I told you that Howard Shore, best known for his musical work on the Lord of the Rings trilogy, composed this game’s soundtrack. However, I don’t see how that’d come of much surprise. Due to the nature of the title, the melodic undertones are for the most part very downbeat. Only the most climactic of moments, which are few (despite the ongoing action), warrant any sort of adrenaline inducing note combos.

Like any game with a military theme, the game player is constantly bombarded by a whirlwind of gunshots, explosions, and shrapnel. Environmental matter, such as the freight trains, cranes, and the aforementioned water and fire, permeate their own unique audio as well. Of course, characters let out a variety of different sounds based on the amount of pain they endure. Moreover, however, is the substantial amount of voice-work put in by Jim Cummings, who’s low, resonating vocals brings to life the virtual Sergeant Hawk (Sarge) we know and love. There is also lots of bit-work for miscellaneous green/tan soldiers, Vikki, and the malevolent Malice. You can experience these splendidly pieced together sounds not only during cut-scenes, but in-game when a situation calls for a character to speak.

gameplay

‘SW is a mid-range run-n-gun game layed out in a level by level, mission-based format. There are several areas to push your way through, each of which contains multiple sections. The mission objectives apply to the whole area, as opposed to the secular sections.

For defense, Sarge can equip himself with light and/or heavy armor. After that, it’s all a matter of how your plastic shell can hold out. Like a great many games, this level of durability is measured via a depleting life bar. If they are in the level, Sarge can also grab hold of a large gun turret and fire off a hail of bullets at oncoming (and they always do come in these instances) forces.

Under normal circumstances, Sarge has a modest array of weapons of that vary in degree of speed and power. By default you start off with a carbine rifle, a firearm that will never run out of ammunition. Naturally, the weapon is on the weaker (weakest) side. On the blunt end of the spectrum, you’ll be enjoying yourself with a collection of flamethrowers, rocket launchers, and automatic rifles.

Though secondary objectives don’t land you any bonuses, they do exist to supplement the essentials. The game, from start to finish, is an exercise in destruction. Despite a few new requirements that pop up mid-level, the experience never gets any deeper than that.

multiplayer

Though not the focus of the game, developer 3DO has included a variety of deathmatch modes to extend the replay value of this disc. While nothing spectacular, each option is a fine way to pass the time with a couple of chums.

overall

After a multitude of complaints leveled towards 3DO for rehashing its Army Men games, I believe that Sarge’s War was their intermittent answer. Though it lacks any original mechanics, and has a somewhat shallow premise, Sarge’s War is very finely polished. So polished, in fact, that you may just slip up (grasp the pun?) as a gamer and ignore the game outright. That’s shameful, as the latest Army Men outing is way above average. And, for as low as fifteen dollars in some outlets, you really can’t go wrong.

7.0/10