Summer of Arcade Review – Toy Soldiers: Cold War

Delhklok

Having not played the first Toy Soldiers, I had no real expectations going in. The first thing that really took me were the actual toy soldiers, they do not appear as little green men; they look like real people! The mixture of first-person shooter and tower defense gives Toy Solders: Cold War an interesting twist of gameplay. Allowing players to take direct control over their own defenses is a double edged sword; on one hand players can more accurately destroy a group of invaders, but at the same time it can also lead to a disastrous overwhelming of enemy forces. The action is fast and fun, even more so if you're like me and enjoy a non-stop barrage of toy soldiers to melt. During the slaughter of the toys, players have a chance to use a special barrage attack that ranges from a tactical nuclear strike, to an invincible commando with unlimited rocket and SMG ammo.

Multiplayer on Xbox Live reminds me of Brutal Legend, in that players are able to control their towers as well as summon in troops to attack the foe, just without the awesome guitar solos. The survival mode offers players a chance to sharpen their skills as well, giving them a never ending supply of things to blow up. With a plethora of target practice mini-games Toy Soldiers: Cold War ensures players will be blowing up little plastic army men in all game types for hours on end.

AirsickKungFu

Two words come to mind when I hear the words "tower defense"; strategy and frustration. The second installment in the Toy Soldiers franchise blends the two wonderfully. It is a very fast paced game where you have to think quickly, but also strategically. Like me, you will probably find yourself trying and retrying to beat certain waves of enemies while only making the smallest change to your towers to make sure that no enemies make it into your toy box.

While the campaign of Toy Soldiers: Cold War may not have much re-playability, there are plenty of other modes to keep you happy. Have a game with a friend over Xbox Live to see if you can jump ahead on the leaderboards, pit yourself against endless waves of enemies in survival mode or try your hand at one of the many minigames Toy Soldiers has to offer. Toy Soldiers: Cold War is definitely a game all Xbox Live Arcade fans should try at least once.

 I remember being not too thrilled with the original Toy Soldiers game last year and I was fairly quick to dismiss it at the time. Going into this sequel I recalled my unimpressed attitude but I still wanted to give it a try. Thankfully, I was pleasantly surprised. Contrary to my initial thoughts of this game, it became obvious to me that I truly did not understand the brilliance of the original Toy Soldiers last year and I clearly needed to give it more time. I am having an absolute blast playing Toy Soldiers: Cold War.

Each mission requires different strategies and disparate turret deployments to be effective against the oncoming waves of enemies. Moving from one turret to another and taking control of it as the different enemies are presented keeps the pace of the action at a frantic high. I even love taking control of the Attack Helicopter and just pelting the enemy soldiers from above!

I love the inclusion of the "Wavelist Rewind" which takes you back to a previously completed wave to allow you to start your deployment again and rethink your strategy. It really wasn't until the 3rd mission that I began to truly grasp the concept and strategies involved in this game and that's when things really began to become clear and the fun ultimately started. Now I need to go back to the first few levels and play them again.

All in all, Toy Soldiers: Cold War is a wonderful follow-up to last year's Toy Soldiers and I'm sure fans of the original will love getting back into the toy box, so to speak. It truly seems this year's Summer of Arcade is full of hits. All five titles available in this collection are worthy of being in my Arcade line-up and I am enjoying them all. With Toy Soldiers being the last game to release, it seems that Summer of Arcade is literally going out with a bang!