Toy Soldiers: Cold War

Last updated
Toy Soldiers: Cold War
Toy-Soldiers-Cold-War Brand ID crop.jpg
Toy Soldiers: Cold War
Developer(s) Signal Studios
Publisher(s) Microsoft Studios
Platform(s) Xbox 360 (Xbox Live Arcade)
Windows Phone
Microsoft Windows
ReleaseXbox 360
August 17, 2011 [1]
Evil Empire and Napalm
April 25, 2012
Windows
October 26, 2012
Genre(s) Action, strategy
Mode(s) Single-player, multiplayer

Toy Soldiers: Cold War is an action strategy video game, developed by Signal Studios. It is the sequel to Toy Soldiers . Toy Soldiers: Cold War features 1980s-era military technology, and is based around the idea of military aggression escalating between the USA and the USSR. Toy Soldiers: Cold War features a blend of third-person action and strategy, similar to the original Toy Soldiers, but with added features and gameplay mechanics.

Contents

Gameplay

In Toy Soldiers: Cold War players control their army using real time strategy and can selectively play as individual units. TS2 CoOp.jpg
In Toy Soldiers: Cold War players control their army using real time strategy and can selectively play as individual units.

Toy Soldiers: Cold War features similar gameplay to the original game, with players trying to repel a Soviet invasion across a diorama towards a toybox in a child's bedroom. Compared to the original game which featured generic World War I battlefields, diorama settings range from jungles and deserts to real world locations such as the streets of Paris and the Great Pyramids.

The game features boss levels with certain large enemies, such as the Antonov winged tank, the Typhoon-class submarine and the final boss, the Russian project R.I.S.E and a number of changes and additions to the gameplay. For example, while players are still able to control vehicles such as tanks or helicopter gunships on the battlefield, time using these vehicles is limited by a battery charge which can be replenished either by collecting floating battery icons or returning the vehicle to its recharge stand. In addition, killstreaks are rewarded with special one-time attacks called "Barrages", which include being given the ability to call an airstrike or control an invincible Rambo -inspired commando for a limited time.

Reception

Pre-release

The announcement of Toy Soldiers: Cold War was made on March 9, 2011, as a lead up to its first public showing at the 2011 PAX East convention in Boston, Massachusetts. [19] Jordan Devore of Destructoid said, "Way to set the bar high, Signal Studios." [20] and Stephen Totilo of Kotaku 's reaction was that, "It looks like a fantastic upgrade." [21]

Toy Soldiers: Cold War made another showing at the 2011 E3 Convention to a positive reception. Along with its inclusion into the Xbox Live 2011 Summer of Arcade promotion, [22] Toy Soldiers: Cold War playable demos were hosted on the show floor. For the event, Signal Studios developed and released a new trailer for the game while also being featured in the Summer of Arcade promotional video. [23] [24] Talking about the barrage types, Arthur Gies of IGN said, "the show-stealer was The Commando. The Commando is, simply put, John Rambo, a John Rambo that carries a machine gun in one hand and a bazooka in the other, a John Rambo who screams things like "You wanted a war!" [25]

Early reviews were generally positive ahead of release. [3] [4] [10] [12] [14] [15] [16] Eurogamer said that while it was a definite improvement over its predecessor, "it can't survive more than a few days of intense play". [6]

Post-release

Toy Soldiers: Cold War was released on Xbox Live on August 17, 2011, and received "favorable" reviews according to the review aggregation website Metacritic. [2]

GamePro said, "If you buy just one tower defense game this year, well, knock yourself out. But if you want a really good action game with some tower defense, some great scoring challenges, some wonderful multiplayer support, some great graphics, and a wonderful sense of humor, you can't go wrong with Toy Soldiers: Cold War." [8] Destructoid called it "a very well-rounded and big package of content that goes beyond what other games in this price-range tend to offer." [4] GameRevolution said, "Even if you're not particularly a fan of tower defense games like me, simply controlling your units, getting combos, and using the special barrage weapons will win you over." [9]

411Mania gave it a score of nine out of ten, saying, "Overall, Toy Soldiers Cold War is definitely worth your time. From hilarious one liners, to great music reminiscent of the 80's, Signal Studios hit one out of the park here. I can honestly say this game is the most fun I've had with an XBLA title in quite some time. Easily the best of what I have played from Microsoft's Summer of Arcade." [26] The Escapist gave it four stars out of five, saying, "The game hits on a lot of levels; it's challenging, full of charm, and genuinely fun. I just wish it wasn't over quite so soon." [17] The Digital Fix gave it eight out of ten, saying, "Toy Soldiers Cold War is a definite improvement on its predecessor and good value for your points on XBLA and whatever minor issues it has along the way are very easily overlooked. Boasting unique gameplay, an excellent premise and one cracking sense of humour it is definitely one of the highlights of this year's Summer of Arcade on XBL. Recommended." [27]

"Toy Soldier[s]: Cold War immediately tapped into my inner child with its colorful and explosive action and is sure to dazzle real-time strategists, model makers and lovers of vintage weapons in the family." – The Washington Times [28]

"Toy Soldiers: Cold War mixes just the right amount of humor, strategy and player control to prove fairly addictive." – Time [18]

During the 15th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards, the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences nominated Toy Soldiers: Cold War for "Strategy/Simulation Game of the Year". [29]

As of year-end 2011 sales of the Xbox 360 version exceeded 248,575 units. [30]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Xbox Live Arcade</span> Digital video game download service

Xbox Live Arcade was a video game digital distribution service that was available for the Xbox and Xbox 360 consoles. It focused on smaller downloadable games from both major publishers and independent game developers. Titles on the service ranged from previously released arcade and console games to brand new games designed for the service, and were priced from a range of 5 to 20 US dollars. While originally requiring a disc to gain access to the service on the original Xbox, the Arcade was integrated into the Xbox 360 along with the rest of the Xbox Live Marketplace with the launch of the new console.

<i>Hydrophobia</i> (video game) Action adventure video game with dynamic water

Hydrophobia is an action adventure video game developed and published by Dark Energy Digital for Microsoft Windows, the PlayStation 3 and by Microsoft Studios for Xbox Live Arcade. The game was released for Xbox Live Arcade on September 29, 2010, as part of Xbox Live's Games Feast promotion, marking the first of three episodes. The PC version was released in 2011.

<i>Bionic Commando Rearmed</i> 2008 video game remake

Bionic Commando Rearmed is an enhanced remake of the 1988 Nintendo Entertainment System version of Bionic Commando. It was developed by Grin and published by Capcom for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation Network, and Xbox Live Arcade, and was released in August 2008. The BlackBerry version was developed and published by Beeline Interactive and released on April 23, 2009. The remake serves as a prelude to the 2009 video game Bionic Commando.

<i>Splosion Man</i> 2009 video game

'Splosion Man is a 2.5D action platform video game developed by Twisted Pixel Games for the Xbox 360, available through the Xbox Live Arcade digital download service. It was released on July 22, 2009, as part of the Xbox Live Summer of Arcade. Players control 'Splosion Man, an escaped science experiment with the ability to explode himself repeatedly, as he works his way through obstacles and traps trying to exit the fictional laboratory known as Big Science.

<i>Droplitz</i> 2009 video game

Droplitz is a puzzle video game developed by Blitz Arcade and published by Atlus USA. It was released for Xbox Live Arcade, PlayStation Network, Microsoft Windows and iOS in June 2009. A sequel called Droplitz Delight was released for Windows Phone in May 2012.

<i>Raskulls</i> 2010 video game

Raskulls is a 2010 action platformer video game developed by Halfbrick Studios and published by Microsoft Game Studios for the Xbox 360 via Xbox Live Arcade. It was released on December 29, 2010. In Raskulls, players must navigate through platform-based levels filled with blocks of varying shape and size. The characters must use their brick-breaking wands to create the fastest route to the end of the level.

<i>Destructoid</i> Video game news website

Destructoid is a website that was founded as a video game-focused blog in March 2006 by Yanier Gonzalez, a Cuban-American cartoonist and author. Enthusiast Gaming acquired the website in 2017 and sold it to Gamurs Group in 2022.

<i>Bomberman Live: Battlefest</i> 2010 video game

Bomberman Live: Battlefest is a 2010 video game for the Xbox 360 console. It was developed by Pi Studios, published by Hudson Soft, and released on December 8, 2010 through Xbox Live Arcade.

<i>Snoopy Flying Ace</i> 2010 video game

Snoopy Flying Ace is a dogfighting video game based on Charles M. Schulz's Peanuts franchise and developed by Smart Bomb Interactive for the Xbox Live Arcade service on the Xbox 360. It was announced on November 10, 2008 and released on June 2, 2010. An unofficial sequel to the 2006 video game Snoopy vs. the Red Baron, it features a similar World War I setting. Snoopy is tasked with defeating several members of the Flying Circus, a special flight squadron in the Luftstreitkräfte, and its commander, Manfred von Richthofen, also known as the Red Baron.

<i>Toy Soldiers</i> (video game) 2010 video game

Toy Soldiers is an action and strategy video game developed by Signal Studios released on Xbox Live Arcade on March 3, 2010. It is featured in the Windows 8 Consumer Preview Store. It has been available since February 29, 2012, debuting alongside the Windows 8 Consumer Preview beta release. The game was officially released for Microsoft Windows on April 27, 2012. A high-definition port, published by Accelerate Games, was released on October 21, 2021, for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Microsoft Windows.

<i>Rushn Attack: Ex-Patriot</i> 2011 video game

Rush'n Attack: Ex-Patriot is a platform game and a sequel to the 1985 game Rush'n Attack. It was developed by Vatra Games and published by Konami. The game follows Sergeant Sid Morrow, an American special agent sent with his team to recover a prisoner from a secret Russian military base.

<i>Swarm</i> (2011 video game) 2011 video game

Swarm is an action-platform video game developed by Hothead Games and published by Ignition Entertainment for PlayStation 3 via the PlayStation Network and for the Xbox 360 via Xbox Live Arcade. The setting revolves around a flock of 50 blue bipedal creatures, dubbed swarmites, and their quest to collect DNA in order to save their race. The player controls the swarmites as a collective, but each swarmite has individual intelligence meaning interaction between the player and the swarm is always dynamic.

<i>Choplifter HD</i> 2012 video game

Choplifter HD is a video game developed by inXile Entertainment and released in 2012-2013. It is a 3D polygonal remake of the 1982 game Choplifter by Dan Gorlin. inXile hired Gorlin to serve as a design consultant for the game. As in the original game, players fly missions in a helicopter, defeating enemies and rescuing people. Originally released for Windows, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, the game was subsequently ported to the Ouya as well as Android devices. Choplifter HD was lauded for being true to the original, retaining the gameplay the series was known for, but was criticized for its high level of difficulty.

<i>Burnout Crash!</i> 2011 video game

Burnout Crash! is a downloadable action racing video game in the Burnout series. It is developed by Criterion Games and published by Electronic Arts for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, iOS via PlayStation Network, Xbox Live Arcade, and iTunes App Store.

<i>Dead Block</i> 2011 video game

Dead Block is a third-person action-strategy video game by German developer Candygun Games and publisher Digital Reality, in which three survivors of a zombie outbreak attempt to keep zombies out of a safehouse. It was released on the Xbox 360 on July 6, 2011 via Xbox Live Arcade, and on the PlayStation 3 via the PlayStation Network on July 20, 2011 in North America and July 27, 2011 in the PAL region. A Microsoft Windows release followed on January 26, 2012.

<i>Trials Evolution</i> 2012 video game

Trials Evolution is a racing video game for the Xbox 360 and Microsoft Windows in which each player controls a motorcycle trials rider who traverses an obstacle course. The game was developed by Ubisoft RedLynx and published by Microsoft Studios. It is a follow-up to Trials HD of 2009 and successor to several preceding Trials games by the same developers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Signal Studios</span>

Signal Studios is a developer of both video games and interactive software applications. The studio was founded by industry veterans, with experience working at some of the world's top studios and publishers, combining many years of knowledge across all disciplines of the games industry.

<i>Rambo: The Video Game</i> 2014 video game

Rambo: The Video Game is an arcade-style rail shooter video game developed by Teyon and published by Reef Entertainment. The game is based on the Rambo franchise and puts the player in the role of John Rambo as he journeys through scenes from each of the three films: First Blood (1982), Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985) and Rambo III (1988).

<i>Toy Soldiers: War Chest</i> 2015 video game

Toy Soldiers: War Chest is an action/strategy video game developed by Signal Studios and published by Ubisoft. The game was released in August 2015 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.

<i>Magical Drop V</i> 2012 video game

Magical Drop V is a 2012 puzzle video game developed by Golgoth Studio and published by UTV Ignition Entertainment for Microsoft Windows. It is the sixth entry in the Magical Drop series, preceding Magical Drop Touch (2009) for iOS and Android platforms. In the game, the player takes control of one of several characters, battling against computer-controlled opponents. The objective is to clear the screen of constantly advancing colored 'drops' via a character placed at the bottom of the playfield, which can grab drops and make them disappear by putting them as a column of three or more drops of the same color. Characters and mechanics from the cancelled Data East game Ghostlop (1996) are also introduced. Two or more players can participate in local and online multiplayer modes.

References

  1. ↑ Signal Studios [@Signal_Studios] (June 27, 2011). "Excited to finally say that Toy Soldiers: Cold War releases on August 17th!" (Tweet). Retrieved July 2, 2011– via Twitter.
  2. 1 2 "Toy Soldiers: Cold War for Xbox 360 Reviews". Metacritic . Fandom. Archived from the original on March 24, 2023. Retrieved March 24, 2023.
  3. 1 2 Winterhalter, Ryan (August 15, 2011). "Toy Soldiers: Cold War Review". 1Up.com . Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on May 27, 2016. Retrieved March 25, 2023.
  4. 1 2 3 Tan, Maurice (August 15, 2011). "Review: Toy Soldiers: Cold War". Destructoid . Gamurs. Archived from the original on March 24, 2023. Retrieved March 24, 2023.
  5. 1 2 Tan, Maurice (April 30, 2012). "Review: Toy Soldiers: Cold War – Evil Empire & Napalm DLC". Destructoid. Gamurs. Archived from the original on March 24, 2023. Retrieved March 24, 2023.
  6. 1 2 Whitehead, Dan (August 15, 2011). "Toy Soldiers: Cold War". Eurogamer . Gamer Network. Archived from the original on March 24, 2023. Retrieved March 24, 2023.
  7. ↑ Miller, Matt (August 17, 2011). "Toy Soldiers: Cold War Review". Game Informer . GameStop. Archived from the original on April 28, 2019. Retrieved March 25, 2023.
  8. 1 2 Chick, Tom (August 16, 2011). "Review: Toy Soldiers: Cold War (XBLA)". GamePro . GamePro Media. Archived from the original on December 2, 2011. Retrieved August 29, 2011.
  9. 1 2 Reboucas, Eduardo (August 15, 2011). "Toy Soldiers: Cold War Review". GameRevolution . CraveOnline. Archived from the original on October 1, 2015. Retrieved March 24, 2023.
  10. 1 2 Calvert, Justin (August 15, 2011). "Toy Soldiers: Cold War Review". GameSpot . Fandom. Archived from the original on March 24, 2023. Retrieved March 24, 2023.
  11. ↑ "Toy Soldiers: Cold War". GameTrailers . Viacom. August 17, 2011. Archived from the original on October 17, 2012. Retrieved March 25, 2023.
  12. 1 2 Gesualdi, Vito (August 15, 2011). "Toy Soldiers: Cold War Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on March 29, 2012. Retrieved March 25, 2023.
  13. ↑ Shoemaker, Brad (August 17, 2011). "Toy Soldiers: Cold War Review". Giant Bomb . Fandom. Archived from the original on March 25, 2023. Retrieved March 25, 2023.
  14. 1 2 Eykemans, Peter (August 15, 2011). "Toy Soldiers: Cold War Review". IGN . Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on March 24, 2023. Retrieved March 24, 2023.
  15. 1 2 Mitchell, Richard (August 15, 2011). "Toy Soldiers: Cold War review: Back in the USSR". Engadget (Joystiq). Yahoo. Archived from the original on October 18, 2011. Retrieved March 25, 2023.
  16. 1 2 Lewis, Cameron (August 15, 2011). "Toy Soldiers: Cold War". Official Xbox Magazine . Future US. Archived from the original on August 16, 2011. Retrieved March 25, 2023.
  17. 1 2 Butts, Steve (August 30, 2011). "Toy Soldiers: Cold War Review". The Escapist . Gamurs. Archived from the original on March 24, 2023. Retrieved March 24, 2023.
  18. 1 2 Narcisse, Evan (August 17, 2011). "Going Commando: 'Toy Soldiers: Cold War' Review". Time . Time USA, LLC. Retrieved March 24, 2023.
  19. ↑ Gilbert, Ben (March 9, 2011). "Toy Soldiers: Cold War revealed, coming to PAX East". Engadget (Joystiq). Yahoo. Archived from the original on March 13, 2011. Retrieved March 24, 2023.
  20. ↑ Devore, Jordan (March 10, 2011). "Toy Soldiers: Cold War is shaping up nicely". Destructoid. Gamurs. Archived from the original on March 24, 2023. Retrieved March 24, 2023.
  21. ↑ Totilo, Stephen (March 12, 2011). "Toy Soldiers: Cold War Adds Co-Op And... Is That Rambo?". Kotaku . G/O Media. Archived from the original on March 24, 2023. Retrieved March 24, 2023.
  22. ↑ Hinkle, David (June 6, 2011). "Xbox Live Summer of Arcade 2011 kicks off July 20". Engadget (Joystiq). Yahoo. Archived from the original on June 9, 2011. Retrieved March 23, 2023.
  23. ↑ "SignalStudiosGames". YouTube . Google. Archived from the original on 2016-05-03. Retrieved 2016-11-28.
  24. ↑ XboxViewTV (June 9, 2011). "Xbox Live Arcade – E3 2011: Summer of Arcade Montage | OFFICIAL | HD". YouTube. Goole. Archived from the original on May 12, 2016. Retrieved November 28, 2016.
  25. ↑ Gies, Arthur (June 9, 2011). "E3: 2011: Toy Soldiers: Cold War – Turning Back the Clock". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on March 24, 2023. Retrieved March 23, 2023.
  26. ↑ Vote, Todd (August 17, 2011). "Toy Soldiers Cold War (XBLA) Review". 411Mania. Archived from the original on September 24, 2011. Retrieved March 24, 2023.
  27. ↑ Phillips, Andrew (September 10, 2011). "Toy Soldiers Cold War". The Digital Fix. Poisonous Monkey. Archived from the original on November 13, 2011. Retrieved March 25, 2023.
  28. ↑ Szadkowski, Joseph (August 16, 2011). "Zadzooks: Toy Soldiers: Cold War review (Xbox Live Arcade)". The Washington Times . Archived from the original on November 4, 2012. Retrieved March 24, 2023.
  29. ↑ "2012 Awards Category Details Strategy/Simulation Game of the Year". interactive.org. Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences . Retrieved 22 November 2023.
  30. ↑ Langley, Ryan (January 20, 2012). "Xbox Live Arcade by the numbers - the 2011 year in review". Game Developer . Informa. Archived from the original on March 25, 2019. Retrieved March 24, 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.