Army Men: RTS

 PC
Metascore
67

Mixed or average reviews - based on 9 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 9
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 9
  3. Negative: 0 out of 9
  1. Media and Games Online Network
    80
    It is extremely funny in some places and you won’t be able to stop laughing, it would be a good item for anyone that enjoys a good laugh or use to play with the little soldiers when they where a kid.
  2. IGN
    77
    It's serious, it's primal, it's wacky and it's fun, all at once.
  3. GameSpy
    72
    A perfectly standard real-time strategy game that's tightly implemented and faithful to the series, but doesn't strive to be all it can be.
  5. GameSpot
    71
    Its basic design makes it very easy for players to pick up and enjoy, though die-hard fans of the genre will find it frustrating at times.
  6. Electric Playground
    70
    Really, really funny. Right from the opening cut scene you'll be laughing out loud.
  7. All Game Guide
    60
    Veteran RTS gamers may be put off by the simplicity, but novice players should be able to jump right into the plastic wars quickly.
  8. Adrenaline Vault
    60
    For those who want an "RTS-lite" experience, this release fits the bill exactly.
  9. PC Gamer
    57
    The initially exciting novelty of seeing those plastic men go to war starts to wear thin in short order. [July 2002, p.66]
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  10. Computer Gaming World
    50
    This is about as simple as you can get without stumbling into the action genre. [July 2002, p.74]
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Awards & Rankings

80
#80 Most Discussed PC Game of 2002
36
#36 Most Shared PC Game of 2002

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
8.4

Generally favorable reviews- based on 46 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 36 out of 46
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 46
  3. Negative: 5 out of 46
  1. Dauntless07
    Dec 5, 2011
    8
    I always loved Army Men. As a kid these little plastic guys were one of my favorite toys. You didn't need a lot of brains to understand it; itI always loved Army Men. As a kid these little plastic guys were one of my favorite toys. You didn't need a lot of brains to understand it; it was all so simple. Every figure had a weapon, and knew how to use it. When i first played the Army Men videogames on PS1, I went in with high expectations. Why not? Army Men was the easiest way to take everything we liked about WWII entertainment and put a fresh spin on it. Yet, I found myself disappointed. The games repeatedly failed to actually be fun due to boring gameplay, terrible AI, too few allies to fight alongside, and no was to play campaign with a friend. Then in 2002, 3DO finally got it right with Army Men RTS. Since then, 3DO went bankrupt, and the copyright on this game was not renewed. Meaning you can easily download it off the internet for free; which is how I first played it. This is definitely the best game in the series, though that's not saying much.

    Campaign mode is tons of fun. You get an over the top story with the over the top Army Men characters. What more could you ask for? It feels just like how you played with them as a kid, and that kind of nostalga gives this game an appeal that doesn't die. AI is pretty bad compared to a person, and the missions will all be pretty easy overall, but I'd far rather have this than the missions from other Army Men games which were either easy or rediculously hard.

    Online is where this game really shines. the game is very balanced, and battles tend to come down to skill rather than overpowered units. Not to say there are not overpowered units and cheap strategies, just to say that all players can indulge in them equally. The community for this game is small, but dedicated, and you can find plenty of user created maps to breath new life into online. Unfortunately, finding someone to play a map other than the extremely popular "Doubles" map can be frustrating. Don't worry, there are also mods. My favorites include the MP trainer mod that allows you to experience the multiplayer maps with AI opponents, and the realism mod that brought more believable performance and more balanced costs to units. Even new units are thrown in sometimes, including insects, the chinook, and the vulture from ExF's vulture island.

    the biggest flaw of AMRTS is unit pathfinding. The only thing effective in micro-management is individually giving units orders. It's a very unforgiving situation when you need to move a large mass of units, as factors like unit facing and spacing significantly determine who will win the battle. I would also criticize the lack of effective defensive structures. There are only 3, the guard tower, the pillbox, and the AA gun. Towers are the weakest, but good against infantry/Air only. Pillboxes are stronger, but only about as strong as a single tank, meaning if your pillbox goes up against even just 2 tanks, it will lose. Worse, a tank can park just outside its range and shoot it without fear of retaliation. This wouldn't be so bad if we had some kind of stationary cannon that could shoot ground targets, but for whatever reason, the AA gun can only target air units. Why? It fires huge missiles, and it seems pretty accurate and effective against choppers. Why can't it shoot tanks? Sadly, the only really effective strategy online is building tanks.

    Overall, Army Men RTS is built very safe. It's simple, and fun. under any other title, I'd say just pass this by, but under Army Men, this game does its job very well. Hardcore RTS gamers will find nothing noteworthy here. Pretty much everything has been done better in more difficult RTS games, but what's great about Army Men RTS is its simplicity; making this the perfect game to get into the RTS genre. It's also 100% free; who can argue with that?    … Full Review »
  2. Thegreatone88
    Jun 6, 2002
    10
    The best RTS game i have ever played. i have only played the demo and it rules.
  3. vahunter
    Jul 4, 2023
    10
    This was my childhood game in which I play for hours on end, I really enjoyed playing this game when I was younger and would probably play itThis was my childhood game in which I play for hours on end, I really enjoyed playing this game when I was younger and would probably play it again, I would recommend this game to anyone that likes games like: Company of Heroes, Age of Empires, and Command & Conquer, they all have there unique ways of making a kid happy.… Full Review »
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