Army Men: Air Attack

Army Men: Air Attack (Army Men: Air Combat for the Nintendo 64 and Game Boy Color versions) is a third-person shooter video game developed and published by The 3DO Company for PlayStation, Nintendo 64, Game Boy Color and Microsoft Windows. The game focuses on aerial combat and features the same protagonist, Cpt. William Blade. It is one of the first Army Men games to be powered by a 3D engine where terrain and units are rendered in real-time.

Army Men: Air Attack
Developer(s)The 3DO Company[lower-alpha 1]
Publisher(s)The 3DO Company
SeriesArmy Men
Platform(s)PlayStation, Nintendo 64, Game Boy Color, Microsoft Windows
ReleasePlayStation
  • NA: November 3, 1999[1]
  • EU: March 2000
Nintendo 64
Game Boy Color
  • NA: November 22, 2000[3]
  • EU: November 24, 2000
Windows
  • EU: June 22, 2001
Genre(s)Third-person shooter
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Overview

In Army Men: Air Attack, the evil Tan army is making a move into Green territory. Only one man has the ability to stop their advance: Captain William Blade of the Alpha Wolf Squadron.[4] Blade and his ragtag crew of chopper pilots fly in one of four choppers Huey, Chinook, Super Stallion, or Apache through 16 missions of plastic carnage, going through perilous settings like the "Backyard" and the "Picnic".

Plot

The Green and Tan armies are once again at war, this time by air. Players can select either the Huey, Chinook, Super Stallion or the Apache. In addition to the Tan Army are hordes of insects that players must also fight off. Players must protect tanks, trucks, other helicopters, a train, a teddy bear, and a UFO.

The players pilot one of four helicopters through the treacherous terrain of the backyard, picnic areas, and nearby beaches, engaging in Air-to-Air and Air-to-Ground combat with enemies ranging from battleships to butterflies. They can utilise the unique abilities of each airship to capture giant Teddy Bears, blow up sand castles, and save Sarge from being melted by kids with a magnifying glass. The main character is a Green Air Cavalry pilot named Captain William Blade. This game has over 12 missions with three extra choppers to unlock. The first helicopter is a Huey, then a Chinook, a Super Stallion, and finally an Apache. There are also three extra co-pilots to unlock. The first pilot is 'Woodstock', then 'Rawhide', next is 'Hardcore', and lastly Sergeant Hawk. Captain William Blade, the leader of the newly formed Alpha Wolf Battalion, does battle against the Tan empire in both the real world and plastic world.

An extra co-pilot, ‘Bombshell’ (addressed as Felicity in-game) can be unlocked after beating the game's campaign.

Reception

The Nintendo 64 version received "generally favorable reviews" according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[8] Jeff Lundrigan of NextGen said of the PlayStation version, "It's got lots of cool ideas and good looks. All it needs is more levels, better gameplay balance, and a faster pace."[24] However, Pete Wilson of Official UK PlayStation Magazine said of the same console version, "All things considered, the game's few decent touches, like being able to pick up objects with a grappling hook, are just way too limited to make you want to carry on. Abort mission..."[4]

Four-Eyed Dragon of GamePro said of the PlayStation version in one review, "Cadets new to the squad may enjoy Air Attack's simple, gung-ho gameplay, which lacks any heavy strategizing. But for generals who expect more bang for the buck, Army Men: Air Attack is a war that should be first fought at the local rental store."[28][lower-alpha 4] Scary Larry said that the same console version was "just like the Army reserves - good for a weekend, but a little boring in the long run."[29][lower-alpha 5] Vicious Sid said of the Nintendo 64 version in one review, "Although mundane Campaign missions and slowdown nearly clip this bird's wings, the hilarious multiplayer games make Air Combat a worthy weekend rental. It's hardly a breath of fresh air, but fans of EA's Strike series should definitely fly these unfriendly skies."[30][lower-alpha 6] The D-Pad Destroyer said of the same console version in another review, "It's a pleasure to be able to say that Army Men Air Combat is a good game. While it's not the best game ever on the N64, it's easy to recommend it for chopper-action fans and folks who are dying for a decent military shooter on the Fun Machine. It looks like the little green men over at 3DO have finally found the secret to bringing toys to life."[31][lower-alpha 7]

Notes
  1. Ported to Game Boy Color by Fluid Studios and ported to Microsoft Windows by Aqua Pacific.
  2. In Electronic Gaming Monthly's review of the PlayStation version, two critics gave it each a score of 6/10, one gave it 7/10, and the other gave it 6.5/10.
  3. In GameFan's viewpoint of the PlayStation version, three critics gave it each a score of 81, 85, and 88.
  4. GamePro gave the PlayStation version two 3.5/5 scores for graphics and fun factor, 4.5/5 for sound, and 5/5 for control in one review.
  5. GamePro gave the PlayStation version three 3.5/5 scores for graphics, sound, and fun factor, and 4/5 for control in another review.
  6. GamePro gave the Nintendo 64 version two 4/5 scores for graphics and fun factor, 3.5/5 for sound, and 4.5/5 for control in one review.
  7. GamePro gave the Nintendo 64 version 3.5/5 for graphics, two 4/5 scores for sound and fun factor, and 4.5/5 for control in another review.

References
  1. "3DO Ships Army Men(TM) -- Air Attack(TM) for PlayStation(R) Game Console". The 3DO Company. November 3, 1999. Archived from the original on April 17, 2001.
  2. "3DO Ships Army Men-Air Combat for Nintendo 64; Miniature Military Flies High in the Face of Plastic Peril". The 3DO Company. July 18, 2000. Archived from the original on April 17, 2001.
  3. "3DO Ships New Army Men(R) Games for Game Boy(R) Color". The 3DO Company. November 22, 2000. Archived from the original on October 14, 2001.
  4. Wilton, Pete (February 2000). "Army Men: Air Attack". Official UK PlayStation Magazine. No. 55. Future Publishing. p. 128.
  5. "Army Men: Air Combat for Game Boy Color". GameRankings. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on May 22, 2019. Retrieved September 17, 2022.
  6. "Army Men: Air Combat for Nintendo 64". GameRankings. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on May 12, 2019. Retrieved September 17, 2022.
  7. "Army Men: Air Attack for PlayStation". GameRankings. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on May 1, 2019. Retrieved September 17, 2022.
  8. "Army Men: Air Combat for Nintendo 64 Reviews". Metacritic. Red Ventures. Retrieved May 13, 2015.
  9. Nguyen, Cal. "Army Men: Air Attack (PS) - Review". AllGame. All Media Network. Archived from the original on November 15, 2014. Retrieved May 14, 2015.
  10. Ham, Tom (July 21, 2000). "Army Men: Air Combat (N64)". Gamecenter. CNET. Archived from the original on August 15, 2000. Retrieved September 17, 2022.
  11. Torres, Ricardo (January 7, 2000). "Army Men: Air Attack (PS)". Gamecenter. CNET. Archived from the original on October 8, 2000. Retrieved September 17, 2022.
  12. Davison, John; Smith, Shawn; Johnston, Chris; Hager, Dean (January 2000). "Army Men: Air Attack (PS)". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 126. Ziff Davis. p. 228. Retrieved September 17, 2022.
  13. "Army Men: Air Combat (N64)". Game Informer. No. 87. FuncoLand. July 2000.
  14. "Army Men: Air Attack (PS)". Game Informer. No. 80. FuncoLand. December 1999.
  15. "REVIEW for Army Men: Air Combat (N64)". GameFan. BPA International. 2000.
  16. Mylonas, Eric "ECM"; Ngo, George "Eggo"; Weitzner, Jason "Fury" (December 1999). "Army Men: Air Attack". GameFan. Vol. 7, no. 12. Shinno Media. p. 16. Retrieved September 17, 2022.
  17. Higgins, Geoff "The Judge" (December 1999). "Army Men: Air Attack". GameFan. Vol. 7, no. 12. Shinno Media. p. 45. Retrieved September 17, 2022.
  18. Gerstmann, Jeff (August 2, 2000). "Army Men: Air Combat Review (N64)". GameSpot. Red Ventures. Retrieved May 13, 2015.
  19. Gerstmann, Jeff (October 27, 1999). "Army Men: Air Attack Review (PS)". GameSpot. Red Ventures. Retrieved May 13, 2015.
  20. Harris, Craig (March 14, 2001). "Army Men Air Combat (GBC)". IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved May 13, 2015.
  21. Boulding, Aaron (July 19, 2000). "Army Men: Air Combat (N64)". IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved May 13, 2015.
  22. Perry, Douglass C. (November 23, 1999). "Army Men: Air Attack (PS)". IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved May 13, 2015.
  23. Maddrell, Alan (October 2000). "Army Men: Air Combat (N64)". N64 Magazine. No. 46. Future Publishing. p. 60. Retrieved September 17, 2022.
  24. Lundrigan, Jeff (January 2000). "Army Men: Air Attack (PS)". NextGen. No. 61. Imagine Media. p. 97. Retrieved September 17, 2022.
  25. "Army Men: Air Combat (GBC)". Nintendo Power. Vol. 140. Nintendo of America. January 2001. p. 135.
  26. "Army Men: Air Combat (N64)". Nintendo Power. Vol. 133. Nintendo of America. June 2000. p. 117. Retrieved September 17, 2022.
  27. Rybicki, Joe (December 1999). "Army Men: Air Attack". Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine. Vol. 3, no. 3. Ziff Davis. p. 156. Retrieved September 17, 2022.
  28. Four-Eyed Dragon (December 1999). "Army Men: Air Attack (PS)". GamePro. No. 135. IDG. p. 172. Retrieved September 18, 2022.
  29. Scary Larry (November 24, 1999). "Army Men Air Attack Review for PlayStation on GamePro.com". GamePro. IDG Entertainment. Archived from the original on November 22, 2004. Retrieved September 17, 2022.
  30. Vicious Sid (August 2000). "Army Men: Air Combat (N64)" (PDF). GamePro. No. 143. IDG. p. 94. Retrieved September 17, 2022.
  31. The D-Pad Destroyer (August 11, 2000). "Army Men Air Combat Review for N64 on GamePro.com". GamePro. IDG Entertainment. Archived from the original on December 22, 2004. Retrieved May 14, 2015.
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