30 Aug, 2011
Title: Toy Soldiers Cold War
Platform: XBLA
Developer: Signal Studios
Publisher: Microsoft Games Studio
Tagline: Relive all your childhood GI Joe battles from your youth
Family Friendly: There are guns and other weapons, but all are presented in a light-hearted manner, with no blood or garish death sequences. Maybe keep the youngest away, but kids above the age of seven should be fine.
My most impressionable years as a young adult fell in from 1981-1990, which was about the time that the Cold War reached its highest point, and came to its somewhat quiet demise. I remember all the movies that told Americans that the Soviets were evil people, and we cherished heroes on the big screen like Rambo, the Wolverines and all others that stood for liberty, freedom and the American way. Of course, that was a skewed view coming from my time, but it was how kids grew up during that time. The developers at Signal Studios must have come from that same mold, as Toy Soldiers Cold War takes those thoughts and premises from the 1980s and has put them together in a light-hearted view for all to enjoy, and have a few laughs in the process. It also helps that Toy Soldiers Cold War is a really good game, building on the premise of the original, but taking the title to a setting less frequented in today’s games.
In Toy Soldiers Cold War, the Soviets have finally done the unthinkable – they have crossed over the boundaries of Eastern Europe and South America to lay waste to the capitalist empire known as America. Of course in this case, the action is happening as if from the imagination of a child, as the battles take place inside of a toy box, with settings recreated to look like places that come from history. You visit the jungles of South America, the Berlin Wall and even end up defending the shores of the US. The only thing between the toy box falling prey to the enemy is the shrewd placement of defenses by the player.
Toy Soldiers Cold War, like its predecessor, plays out in a simple tower defense pattern, as you have specific spots that you can entrench defensive capabilities, like machine gun nests, anti-tank weaponry and more. All the weapons are for the most part, based on real life counterparts from the time, with a few exceptions, like the makeshift chemical weapon, which is basically a can of hairspray or something to that effect, which gasses enemies as they come through. The concept follows standard traditions of tower defense, but adds one great touch – you can jump into any of the defenses and man them for yourself.
And Toy Soldiers Cold War will demand that you handle this micro-management often. Not because it is required, or necessary, but because it is where you end up having the most fun. Jumping into a machine gun nest and mowing down waves of enemies is highly enjoyable, and becomes the best way to unlock special attacks, called Barrages. These special attacks range from artillery strikes to the commando unit, which is, for lack of a better description, a thinly veiled reference to Rambo. Even the commando’s entrance is epic, as he falls from the sky in an action figure package, busting forth with a rocket launcher and M-60 to become a one man wrecking crew.
Half the enjoyment from Toy Soldiers Cold War is the nostalgia factor, which played out heavily for me. I remember a lot of the stereotypes and the genuine fear that the cold war brought to me personally, and it was a lot of fun to see it play out in such a humorous way. The setting also helps, as it takes the franchise from the “been there, done that” World War I/II era and moves it to a less conventional battle point. Sure, there were lots of games that focused on the cold war in the 1980’s, but we don’t see a lot of that now, 20 years removed from the fall of the Berlin Wall. It was a refreshing change of pace and really does help the game tremendously.
Toy Soldiers Cold War offers up a dozen or so levels that play out quickly, allowing someone to jump in, play a level and then quit if needed. I never found myself investing more than 20-25 minutes at a time, You can also have a friend jump in to play co-op with you, which is an absolute blast, and there is competitive multiplayer, but it only allows play on three maps. There are also a ton of medals, challenges and unlockables that add a ton of depth for those that are completionists.
About the only sticking point that I had with the game over my time with it would be the subpar AI that manages your turrets. I said before that you do not have to manage your turrets, as they will fire on their own, but the AI seems to be less efficient at taking out the incoming enemy. I found that if I did not keep on a turrent or two through the entire battle, that I would end up having some enemy units break through my defenses. Like I said before, jumping into the turrets is a huge part of the game, and is highly enjoyable, but you sometimes wish that you could trust the other turrets to hold the fort on their own, without your intervention.
Toy Soldiers Cold War does offer up quite a bit of enjoyment for its price tag. It mixes in a huge helping of nostalgia with fun tower defense mechanics, and interesting environments, always keeping the player in the heat of the moment. Sure, the era may not appeal to everyone, but core mechanics will give all players a ton of entertainment.
The Good
- Levels are very challenging
- Unique setting
- Lots of depth for those that want to dig into the game
The Bad
- AI not the most efficient
- Later levels are overly tough
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