Game Details
| Size | 236 MB |
| Region | USA |
| Genre | Third Person Shooter |
| Format | 7z / BIN |
| Year | April 3, 2000 |
| Console | PSX |
Army Men: World War (2000) marked a major structural pivot for The 3DO Company’s plastic combat franchise. While the Sarge’s Heroes branch leaned heavily into a Saturday-morning cartoon vibe with specific characters and portals into a giant human world, World War stripped away the campy sci-fi elements.
Instead, it positioned itself entirely within the “Plastic World,” delivering a gritty, straightforward tactical shooting campaign modeled explicitly after historical World War II campaigns. On the PS1, it was marketed as the gritty, combat-heavy successor to the best-selling Army Men 3D.
Story & Premise: Grim Plastic Warfare
There are no giant kitchens, oversized toy stores, or missing daughters to rescue here. The Tan Army has launched a massive, sudden global invasion across the borders of the Green Nation.
You control an unnamed, elite Green Army soldier fighting on the absolute frontlines of the conflict. The narrative abandons the character-driven antics of Sarge and Vikki to focus purely on a sweeping military campaign across 15 intense operations. Your goal is strictly tactical: push back the Tan advance, establish a defensive line, and take out the Tan Army’s heavy artillery strongholds.
Back Cover Description
“REAL COMBAT. PLASTIC MEN.”
“He carefully guided his troops through a deadly barrage of enemy fire on over 16 missions covering 5 different terrains. Only the best military minds prevailed in that blazing battle of ground-based infantry.
Tons of weapons are at your disposal: blast away with howitzers, shred enemy plastic with .50 caliber twin machine guns, or quietly spear the enemy with your razor-sharp bayonet. In the follow-up to the best-selling Army Men 3D, this game focuses solely on combat in the Plastic World, with missions heavily inspired by the grueling battles of World War II.
Follow up the firefight with intense multiplayer Action! Outsmart your friends in classic Capture the Flag combat with active computer-controlled units!“
Key Gameplay Features
- Grounded WWII Environments: The game traded out the domestic human households for five stark, military-inspired terrains. Players battle through muddy trench lines, rocky beachheads inspired by D-Day, dense jungles, open countrysides, and crumbling, war-torn cities.
- Heavy Military Arsenal: World War introduced an era-appropriate arsenal of weaponry. Alongside the standard assault rifles and grenades, you can wield specialized tools of destruction including long-range Mortars, heavy stationary Howitzers, Flamethrowers, and a close-quarters Bayonet thrust.
- Artillery and Vehicles: When infantry weapons aren’t enough to breach the Tan fortifications, the gameplay opens up to vehicular warfare. Players can commandeer armored Tanks, fast-moving Jeeps, and heavily armed PT boats to navigate aquatic maps and smash through enemy squads.
- Tactical AI Control: The gameplay places a much heavier emphasis on tactical positioning. You aren’t just a lone wolf; you frequently move alongside AI-controlled Green grunts, utilizing defensive barriers and cover mechanics to survive intense, open-field crossfire.
- Upgraded Multiplayer Capture the Flag: Expanding on Army Men 3D’s formula, the split-screen multiplayer introduces a localized “Capture the Flag” mode across maps like Mountain Mayhem and Crazy Canyon. To make matches feel chaotic, maps feature active, automated computer-controlled squads wandering the arena alongside human players.
Short Review: Gritty Ambition Held Back by Aging Hardware
The Good
- Atmospheric Combat Shift: Changing the franchise’s tone to mimic a classic WWII movie was a refreshing change of pace. Storming a heavily fortified Tan beach while artillery shells explode around you captures a surprisingly tense atmosphere.
- Strong Weapon Variety: The inclusion of heavy vehicles and stationary guns gives the level design an explosive variety, giving you genuinely satisfying ways to clear out clustered enemy bunkers.
The Bad
Stiff Handling and Mechanics: The controls feel rigid compared to contemporary late-era PS1 shooters. Maneuvering vehicles into tight spaces can feel clunky, and the third-person aiming grid can struggle with precision accuracy when targeting distant enemies.
Severe Visual Limitations: Released late in the PlayStation 1’s lifespan, the game pushed the console a bit too hard. It suffers from a muddy, low-detail color palette, incredibly short draw distances (heavy fog obscuring the map), and distracting polygon warping.
Screenshots
