Category Archives: News & Press

Army Men video games: Manuals, Guides, Magazines, Printed Advertisements

Army Men is from a time before the Internet, a time of print ads, guide books, and physical games with instruction manuals (yes, believe it or not, they came with instructions!). The Internet was relatively new and not the main target market for consumers. So there was also TV advertising… imagine watching your favorite show or MTV and suddenly an Army Men game commercial comes on!

Manuals:

The manuals that came with all the games, CDs, DVDs, cartridges. Each and every one with their game instruction manuals.

Download Army Men PC Manual PDF

Download Army Men Game Boy Color Manual PDF

Download Army Men 3D PS1 Manual PDF

Download Army Men 2 PC Manual PDF

Download Army Men: Toys in Space Manual PDF

Download Army Men: Air Tactics PC Manual PDF

Download Army Men World War PC Manual PDF

Download Army Men: World War PS1 Manual PDF

Download Army Men: World War: Land Sea Air Manual PDF

Download Army Men: World War: Final Front PS1 Manual PDF

Download Army Men: World War: Team Assault PS1 Manual PDF

Download Army Men: Air Attack PS1 Manual PDF

Download Army Men: Air Attack PC Manual PDF

Download Army Men: Air Combat N64 Manual PDF

Download Army Men: Air Combat Game Boy Color Manual PDF

Download Army Men: Air Attack 2 (Blade’s Revenge) PS2 Manual PDF

Download Army Men: Air Attack 2 PS1 Manual PDF (Spanish Versión en Español)

Download Army Men: Sarge’s Heroes PC Manual PDF

Download Army Men: Sarge’s Heroes N64 User Manual PDF

Download Army Men: Sarge’s Heroes Sega Dreamcast Manual PDF

Download Army Men: Sarge’s Heroes 2 PS2 Manual PDF

Download Army Men: Sarge’s Heroes 2 N64 Manual PDF

Download Army Men: Sarge’s Heroes 2 PS1 Manual PDF

Download Army Men: Sarge’s Heroes 2 Game Boy Color Manual PDF

Download Army Men: Green Rogue PS2 Manual PDF

Download Army Men: RTS PC Manual PDF

Download Army Men RTS PS2 Manual PDF

Download Army Men: RTS GameCube Manual PDF

Download Army Men: Sarge’s War PC Manual PDF

Download Army Men: Sarge’s War XBoX Manual PDF

Download Army Men: Soldiers of Misfortune PS2 Manual PDF

Magazines: Reviews, editor guides, ads!

Army Men: Sarge’s Heroes (N64) section from the Nintendo Power magazine, issue #125 (October 1999)

One of the iconic video game magazines of the time, focused on Nintendo only and of course, mainly Nintendo 64, the console of the moment. Nintendo Power was a magazine dedicated to video game news and strategies, launched by Nintendo of America in July/August 1988. Initially, it served as Nintendo’s official print magazine for North America. The publication started as a monthly release by Nintendo of America and later became independent. In December 2007, Future US, a subsidiary of the British publisher Future plc, took over its publication.

In this case, a section with a guide to the first missions of Sarge’s Heroes for Nintendo 64, with some extras, such as tips for multiplayer mode.

Download Army Men: Sarge’s Heroes (N64) section from the Nintendo Power magazine, issue #125

The magazine had a remarkable 24-year run, making it one of the longest-running video game magazines in the United States and Canada. However, on August 21, 2012, Nintendo announced that it would not renew its licensing agreement with Future Publishing, leading to the magazine’s closure in December 2012. The final issue, volume 285, was published on December 11, 2012.

All Nintendo Power Magazines from Archive.org

In addition, a podcast version of Nintendo Power was launched on December 20, 2017, hosted by former Editor-in-Chief Chris Slate. The podcast continued until 2023 and is currently on hiatus as of 2024.

Army Men (PC) section from the Next Generation magazine, November 23, 1996 issue

Next Generation was a video game magazine published by Imagine Media from 1995 to 2002. It focused on the gaming industry, offering in-depth articles, interviews with developers, and reviews of upcoming games and hardware. The magazine was known for its professional tone and emphasis on the business and technical aspects of gaming, rather than just game reviews and cheats. It provided readers with insights into the future of gaming technology and trends.

Download Next Generation Magazine issue from 23 Nov 1996

In this case a sneak peek of Army Men, the then new 3DO game in progress, a year and a half before its release…

Next_Generation Magazine issue from_23_Nov_1996 in Archive.org

Army Men games on the GamePro Magazine Issue 151 (April 2001)

GamePro was a well-known video game magazine that ran from 1989 to 2011. It provided gamers with reviews, previews, tips, and strategies across various gaming platforms. The magazine was recognized for its vibrant layout and engaging content, including a unique rating system and helpful “ProTips” for improving gameplay. GamePro was a key source of gaming news and information during its publication years.

Download complete GamePro Magazine Issue 151 (April 2001)

In this case a sneak peek of the Army Men Playstation 2 launches: Sarge’s Heroes 2, Air Attack 2, Green Rogue & Portal Runner. And for the Playstation 1, Army Men: World War: Final Front.

Toyverse project

Army Men Toyverse projects
Small graphic to explain the Army Men Toy Verse: Several projects under or in the same universe.

What is the Army Men Toyverse project?

Initially our project was going to be a video game only, Army Men Revolution. But currently we are thinking about something broader, not just a video game, but a series of MODs, animations and stories in different formats, mostly interactive, which together we will going to call “Army Men Toyverse”.

Why “Toyverse”? Because it’s not just about the plastic soldiers, but about the other different types of toys, here called “toykinds” which is equivalent to saying “species”, but in this case the “species” of toys. And by Toyverse we mean the entire world they live in, which is not only the Plastic World and the Human World (Real World), but all the other Toy themed worlds. For example the Medieval World, which is like a kind of medieval fantasy world with dragons and characters like Merlin, King Arthur, Dracula, Don Quixote de la Mancha, Frankenstein and Van Helsing, Robin Hood, etc. A world with a very attractive theme for that kind of particular sector of potential players, full of classic characters… copyright-free lol.

And the same thing happens with the Prehistoric World, Space world, Brick World (the world of Army Men equivalents for LEGO) and Action World, the world of action figures and superheroes, among many more. FINALLY, we think it’s better to focus our project on a universe of toys, the Toyverse, also called Microverse, to be able to collaborate with many more people. Without going any further, Attack on Toys is a game that combines Army Men plastic soldiers, action figures and LEGO figures fighting against each other.

It started out as a game of plastic soldiers very much in tune with the Army Men franchise, and after expanding by making Action Figures and LEGO figures playable, it did not lose its essence, its Army Men identity. And on the contrary, it is now played by those people who like LEGO figures and action figures.

But in our case the Real World will be the most important part of the project, which will also involve battles with animals. Anyway, you can read about all these things on this website.

This website is the first step into this Army Men Toyverse project. Is written from the perspective of the Army Men, as if they were the ones describing their historical events and classifying the components of their world and everything related to their Toyverse. Each of the video games is taken as stories of historical events.

We reached an agreement between developers regarding the audience of our fan game:

During all this time, working with other people related to the Army Men videogames fandom, we came to the conclusion that a game just for Army Men fans would not be worth our time and hard work, because there are very few of them. It is not a popular topic. And although there are people interested and potentially interested in plastic soldier games, they are not hard fans of this franchise, but rather “normies”: They liked the games or like the theme, but they are not die-hard fans.
So although it will be a sequel to the 3DO’s Army Men franchise, involving its characters, it will be first a game for new audiences, focused on the “new audience” perspective. So no “only hard Army Men content”. And we are going to make new players have to play the old games to discover key things in the story of Revolution, getting the new audience retroactively interested in playing the old game classics.

Army Men Logo Real Combat Plastic Men

The story:

The story will progress over time, possibly with the release of DLC in the format of campaigns, seasons or chapters (whatever name we will going to use). It will also be developed on this website, and the players will shape that story, interacting with us and throwing out ideas (Maybe you will know how to solve the “mystery boxes” better than us).

At some point our idea is that each player will be a unique character in this universe, even if they look the same than the rest of the plastic soldiers. They can all be made from the same mold, right?.

Our personal mission:

What are our intentions in all this? In addition to wanting to continue the original Army Men franchise and give it a better closure than that bittersweet ending it had in Army Men: Sarge’s War and Army Men: Major Malfunction, we want to use this story to reflect some current issues that are really important for us. Because, why make a hollow game or story with nothing to say or communicate?
Among some of our intentions are to raise more empathy for the environment & fauna of our planet and other humanity planetary issues in general. For the youngest or the smallest kids, the simple intention of teaching new and interesting things. For this reason we will going to introduce certain things like animals into the game and the ability to collect data about our world. Anyway, stuff like that.

The game universe:

Army Men Classic Logo

Everything will take place in a universe we called “Toyverse” that has clearly existed for a long time for us (the spectators) with past events, old known characters, known places, etc. But not that long. Something like the first Star Wars movie, which was implied to be set in a large universe that had already existed for a long time, in a story that have a long time background (from original movies to the time of the prequels).
The main universe will be the Real World (Big World) and you can travel to all types of worlds via Portals. Our idea is to dedicate ourselves to the worlds that people most want us to develop. So it will depend on the interest of the players where the game goes. That does not mean that the Plastic World will be left aside. But at least initially, if no one is interested on it, it will be the last thing to be developed further.

These Army Men (plastic soldiers) come from a world different from ours, as the introduction of Army Men: Sarge’s Heroes says “A world exists quite different from our own (…)” and for them our world, the Giant World which they now call “Real World” is an equivalent for us to what would be another planet. And the same regarding with other worlds to which they can travel via the mysterious Portals.
And what would we do, humans, if we went to other planets?: Study them. For this reason, the Army Men study these strange and new worlds (from their perspective), collecting data and trying to solve the mysteries of their existence, since the Plastic World already suspects that their world of origin is the Other World, the Giant World, which they now call “Real World” because they think it’s the real world they come from (all clues point to it). Who created the Army Men? Who put those mysterious Portals?, with what intention?

But at the same time, it’s been a while since the Army Men plastic soldiers are studying these other worlds, and they have already made the mistake of interfering and changing them. We can quote Plastro and all the chaos that broke out when he arrived to the Real World. The same with Brigitte Bleu, who conquered and commanded with her fatal charm several other worlds (or at least they both tried).
But beyond these 2 known examples, in the time between that and Revolution, other events happened, which, like the Plastro and Bleu examples, always brought Plastic World to the brink of extinction. Therefore, in addition to studying the Real World, the Army Men alliance has created rules not to interfere and do not change these worlds, as much as possible, and even restore the natural order in them. For this reason, some missions for players will range from preserving a giant tree intact, to rescuing and healing an injured animal (even defending it to the death).

To finish with this point, what about humans? Well, nobody knows for sure. Everything indicates that this was their world and their species are no longer here, or at least there are not as many as before. This is a really big world, so that’s hard to check. There are reports of sightings, but none can be truly verified.
Gathering the information they left behind, theories suggest that they self-destructed. That is why the alliance of nations created the rules that apply to the exploration and respect for the preservation of other worlds, as well as their own. Balance will make natural progression harmony reign. The imbalance will cause some worlds to disappear, including the Plastic World.
There are other theories, based on the ideas left by humans, that say that everything is a computer simulation or that it is a parallel world. But these are not taken into consideration by the Alliance’s science division.

But to make this a reality, we need you…

Files from 30 years of work at 3DO found!

We learned from Michael Mendheim’s Twitter account that there are a series of files on paper and, possibly, on some digital medium, of Army Men, as can be read in one of the photos. We’ll keep you posted if any of that ever comes to light.

3DO files
3DO files at the Game History Archive, where we can read Army Men in a box!

Behind the scenes: Army Men: Major Malfunction

Original sources:
  1. Team17 source: https://www.team17.com/team17s-100-games-part-nine-2005-2006-lemmings-worms-army-men

This proves that canonically, Sarge died.

The first very revealing article was Team17’s recalling history of their first 100 games, when celebrating the release of game number one hundred, PLANET ALPHA. In this chapter, they’re heading to 2005 & 2006, a time of both 2D and 3D Worms games and their first foray into work-for-hire projects on both Lemmings and Army Men.

In an unexpected twist, Team17 was granted creative freedom while working on the Army Men franchise. This allowed them to introduce a new main character and even eliminate the recurring character, Sarge, in the opening sequence. This bold move highlights the unique creative liberties Team17 enjoyed during the development process. You can read the complete article in: https://team17.com

1. Team17’s 100 Games – Part Nine: 2005-2006 (Published: Nov 7, 2018)

(…)

48/100
Army Men: Major Malfunction

Army Men Major Malfunction
Year: 2006 | Developer: Team17 | Publisher: Global Star | Format: PlayStation 2, Xbox

When Team17 was founded in 1990 it was entirely possible, thanks to open platforms like the Amiga, for a small group of programmers and artists to make and release their own game. But times changed. As next generation consoles took over, team sizes grew and budgets ballooned. Releasing a game was virtually impossible without publisher support and this meant you had a limited number of ways to get a game made. Either own a best-selling IP or develop for somebody else’s. In this climate, Team17 found itself pitching to publishers for “work-for-hire” projects. Sometimes this led to us working on a game like Lemmings, other times it led to Army Men: Major Malfunction… Perhaps the most surprising game in our entire history.

Recruited to Team17 after a 10-year stint at Rare, Gavin Hood found himself in command of the Army Men project and worked on the pitch. “I had literally only joined the company a few months before and was sitting opposite the head of design,” says Hood. “I remember most of the designers were working hard on a Worms title as it neared the end of production so I was asked to come up with something to pitch. I guess it went okay because we got the deal and I got the chance to lead it.”

Working on someone else’s franchise, you’d think that the publisher would have final say on any creative decisions but actually, as Hood explains, Team17 were given free rein on Army Men and even got away with a few unexpected choices. “We wanted to use a different main character to many of the other Army Men games and not only did we not meet resistance to this, but we even microwaved recurring main character Sarge in the opening sequence to set up the introduction of our own character. I’m actually proud that we were able to melt a series character in the opening of a game and everyone concerned be okay with that!”

Major Malfunction Huey
Army Men Major Malfunction Huey Helicopter

Every game has its unique challenges and for Army Men it was designing a 3D world in the era before off-the-shelf game engines made the process more streamlined. “The programmers wrote a set of tools that, because of the limited time we had, were made to work on development kits using the Xbox Controller,” Hood explains. “We had to place enemies, assign A.I. to them and set their patrols all using an Xbox Pad, even the cutscenes were done in the same way. Using those tools was a nightmare but the advantage was we could throw a load of stuff into a level and just hit play. It was awful to use with a pad but the speed at which we could test ideas and get something into each of the environments is probably the only reason we hit deadlines.”

Army Men Major Malfunction WIP
A WIP CG animation from the Escape From Precinct 17 mission

“It was an interesting game to work on,” concludes Hood. “I remember having grand ideas about what the game would end up being and although it might not have exactly reached those heights there are some things I think we got right. There are a lot of pop culture references in there that I still think we handled well .” Even the subtitle, “Major Malfunction”, was a reference to a line from Stanley Kubrick’s Full Metal Jacket!

“Looking back, the game obviously wasn’t a masterpiece but everyone on the team got everything done in a very short development time with makeshift tools! It probably won’t go down as Team17’s finest hour or be the game I’m proudest of, but I did at least get to buy a lot toy soldiers and put them all over the office!”

(…)

3DO Ships Army Men(TM) — Air Attack(TM) for PlayStation(R) Game Console – News Release November 1, 1999

Original source

https://web.archive.org

Plastic Combat Takes to the Skies

The 3DO Company (ticker: THDO, exchange: NASDAQ)

REDWOOD CITY, Calif., Nov. 3 /PRNewswire/ — The 3DO Company (Nasdaq: THDO) today announced the release of the Army Men — Air Attack game for PlayStation(R) game console. The immensely popular Army Men series now launches into the great blue yonder as helicopters take center stage in a game that evokes fond memories of playing with plastic soldiers. An all-new hero, the brash young Captain Bill Blade, and his Alpha Wolf Squadron take up the Green Army’s cause from the air to sabotage the Tan Army’s nefarious plans.

The Army Men — Air Attack game leads players on a ride through six new worlds ranging from a cold mountain fortress in Their World to cheery battles among sandcastles in Our World. Through 18 missions players may choose from three different co-pilots to help Captain in his crusade to disable the plastic-melting hot iron, extinguish deadly firecrackers, and most importantly, fight the evil Tan nemesis. Missions play homage to classic helicopter game play, and everything in the levels, from weapons and troops to pine cones and snack food, may be manipulated to achieve mission goals, just like playing with toys in your back yard.

Multiplayer options add endless hours of fun. The cooperative mode, in which players combine tactical skills to bring down the Tan menace, is especially suited for players of different skill levels. For example, one player may utilize an arcade action style of play while the other player uses a tactical play style. In Flag Nab-it mode, players face off to infiltrate the other’s base.

“This is a game that gets people’s imaginations fired up,” says Trip Hawkins, chairman and CEO of The 3DO Company. “The Army Men — Air Attack game evokes the magic of playing with toys, using whatever is at hand, whether it’s a bottle rocket or a pine cone, to carry on the fantasy, a fantasy everyone seems to love.”

A multi-million dollar marketing campaign for the Army Men brand features television advertising through the holiday season and a seven-month print campaign in both consumer and gaming magazines and point-of-purchase promotions.

Other upcoming games from the Company include Army Men(TM) — Sarge’s Heroes(TM), Crusaders of Might and Magic(TM), and BattleTanx(TM): Global Assault(TM) for the PlayStation game console, Crusaders of Might and Magic, Family Game Pack(R) Royale, and High Heat Baseball(TM) 2001 for the PC, and Army Men, Vegas Games(R), and BattleTanx for the Game Boy(R) Color.

The 3DO Company, headquartered in Redwood City, Calif., develops, publishes and distributes interactive entertainment software for personal computers, the Internet and advanced entertainment systems such as the PlayStation game console and the Nintendo(R) 64 console. 3DO markets and publishes its products worldwide under multiple brand names including Army Men, BattleTanx, Heroes of Might and Magic(TM), High Heat Baseball, Might and Magic(R), and Meridian 59(TM). More information about 3DO’s products can be found on the Internet at www.3do.com .

This release contains forward-looking statements, which are subject to risks and uncertainties. Potential risks and uncertainties include, without limitation, the Company’s ability to develop and ship future products, market demand and acceptance for the Company’s current and future software products, and the consequences of competitive factors in the marketplace. Further information on potential factors which could affect these forward looking statements and the Company’s financial results are included in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended March 31, 1999 and the Company’s Reports on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarters ended December 31, 1998 and June 30, 1999.

3DO, Air Attack, Army Men, BattleTanx, Crusaders of Might and Magic, Family Game Pack, Heroes of Might and Magic, High Heat Baseball, Meridian 59, Might and Magic, Sarge’s Heroes, Vegas Games, and their respective logos, are trademarks and/or service marks of The 3DO Company in the U.S. and other countries. New World Computing is a division of The 3DO Company.

PlayStation and the PlayStation logos are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.

Nintendo, Nintendo 64 and Game Boy are registered trademarks of Nintendo of America Inc.

All other trademarks and tradenames belong to their respective owners.

SOURCE The 3DO Company

Trip Hawkins, The 3DO Company and other interviews: Army Men highlights!

Original sources:
  1. https://futuregamez.net/3do-interview

1) Trip Hawkins 3DO Interview, September 23, 1999 on futuregamez.net by David Warner ~ Dreamcast Australia

The games industry can be tough at times. Trip Hawkins should know. He built Electronic Arts from nothing to become the largest gaming company in the world. Several years later he left Electronic Arts to form the 3DO company. 3DO designed a console architecture which was developed by Panasonic. Unfortunately the system lacked software support and coupled with a high price ($US700) the system died soon after the Playstation’s and Saturn’s launch. After another failed hardware bid with M2, Trip Hawkins decided that 3DO was better off as a software company. Once again Trip is aiming to create a major software company, and the games so far have proven themselves as world class titles. I thought it would be nice to have a chat to one of the most powerful men in the gaming industry.

Here are the Army Men highlights from this interview you can read in this link: https://futuregamez.net/3do-interview

Trip Hawkins 3DO Interview, September 23, 1999 on futuregamez.net by David Warner ~ Dreamcast Australia
Young Trip Hawkins
Young Trip Hawkins at 3DO

(…)

– What are your thoughts on technology in regards to gaming and gameplay?

Trip: My mission at 3DO is to turn people into lifelong gamers. That’s why I have been making games for over 25 years. That’s also why I have on occasion in the past made forays into the hardware side of the business when I felt it needed to be moved forward in the interest of gamers.

Sony and others have done a great job moving the hardware to where it is now. It’s very exciting to see the capabilities of these systems getting where they are. The medium is the message, after all. I have always felt that great games need to be simple, hot and deep. That’s how I built EA and EA Sports in particular.

And that’s the same philosophy with 3DO’s game brands like Army MenBattleTanxHeroes of Might and Magic, and High Heat Baseball.

(…)

– Can you explain a little about your major 3DO games titles?

Trip: Army Men is a best-seller because people are emotionally enthralled with the idea that some of their favorite toys have come to life in a way that lets their imagination run wild. Our new lines, Army Men: Sarge’s Heroes and Army Men: Air Attack, add new dimensions to this fantasy world. The first is a terrific character adventure action game with a great story. The second is a charming helicopter action game. (…)

(…)

Would you like to see any other 3DO games ported to the Dreamcast?
Trip: Army MenHigh Heat Baseball, and BattleTanx are great brands that would do well on any platform.