Gameplay Today - Because You're Always Gaming

Let me just start off right away by saying that Toy Soldiers: Cold War does a lot of things well, but the thing this tower defense title does best is capture the imagination of a kid from the 1980s. Everything is present. You’ve got Rambo-like lone soldiers and GI Joe-esque graphics plastered everywhere. It’s the finer touches however that really bring this game to life in the minds of kids from the 80s. Things like cassette tapes appearing as make shift set pieces and boom boxes in the background instantly brings the nostalgia of playing with army men into the minds of players that grew up in that time; more so than even the Army Men games of a few years ago that attempted to recapture that magic.

Gameplay in Toy Soldiers: Cold War should be familiar to anyone that has played a tower defense game. You have to analyze the upcoming waves of enemies and then put your strategy for defense into action. You’ll do this by choosing which weapon emplacements you want to use and where to place them. Emplacements vary from machinegun turrets to artillery launchers and just about everything you’d need in between. While turrets are automated and run on their own, you can take control of each one at a time as you see fit and focus the fire on the enemies you find the biggest threat. In addition to controlling your turrets, you can upgrade them up to three times once you have enough cash.

You also build up a turbo as you fight off the surging waves of soviet invaders trying to take over your play set. Once fully charged you gain access to super weapons. Of these, the best is easily when you get to “Go Commando”. This throws you into a first-person rampage using a knock-off of Rambo complete with steroid induced muscles and hilarious one-liners that encapsulate the 1980s’ cold war inspired action movies perfectly. It’s fun to take out one enemy tank after another with artillery, but running through enemy waves with an unlimited ammo machine gun is pure bliss. If turrets aren’t your thing, you can also take control of battery operated vehicles like helicopters. These allow you to leave the confines of your designated area and take the fight to the enemy as they spawn.

If playing alone in the wide variety of modes and mini-games isn’t your thing you can always take the fight to a real life opponent. You would think the fun would actually be intensified here thanks to matching wits with someone else who has all the same tools at their disposal. The problem is things don’t work out as well in practice as they do in theory. Unfortunately you can’t see the area you’re trying to attack unless you send over a scour vehicle to do a little recon. If you don’t, then it boils to just purchasing and sending wave after wave of attacking infantry and hoping your human opponent isn’t doing the same. Unlike the addictive fun that is single player, the multiplayer is more like a coin toss to see who chooses to attack the most and who chooses to defend the most. If both players play balanced, then you’re in for some boredom.

The visuals in Toy Soldiers: Cold War are great and that’s not just because the graphics are solid. It’s the choices in play set pieces. The play fields are nice, but it’s the way they’re designed to give off the feeling that a kid really set them up that really makes everything work. The little touches like bridges made out of cassette tapes (these predated CDs and MP3s kids) create a world that only the mind of Regan era kid could come up with. The audio is equally polished with a soundtrack that feels like it was ripped right out of Top Gun. I can’t say enough about Commando. Hearing the one-liners spout off as you mow down enemies is great. “You Want a War? You Got a War!”

Overall, Toy Soldiers: Cold War is great. Fans of tower defense titles will enjoy the fun and strategy to be had, but it’s gamers over the age of twenty-seven that will really appreciate all the little details that add “flavor” to an already fun game. There are a few issues like the limited number of fixed turret sites on each board and the limited multiplayer action. Neither of these can erase the addictive fun of solo play. You’ll keep coming back for more as you learn new strategies and figure out the best way to fight of the enemy and defend your area. Cold War doesn’t have the flexibility of similar titles like Plants vs Zombies, but what it lacks in depth, it more than makes up for with style.