It is time for all hell to break loose, and there is nowhere for you to run. You may try to hide under the kitchen sink or in the backyard but there will be nowhere to turn. If you see little men around you waging war in your home, then welcome to the new installment of Army Men R.T.S (Real Time Strategy) brought to us by the developer 3DO and Pandemic. Thats right gamers the green guys versus the tans, the army men are back in a new adventure for the PS2. Just when you thought that the Army Men series was about to fade, its back with a new twist that kinda makes me say, "Why was this not done earlier?" This title has the Army Men doing battle in quite the same environments but with a different and new style that this series has never done before. The developers have decided to go with a strategic style to it. But do not get it confused with other titles that have been strategy based, this one takes place in real time. And its about time to have this title make use of this new method of strategy gaming.

The graphics in this game are what you can expect in a strategy-based title. The items on screen appear to be smaller, however the camera angles can be adjusted in the environment that is rendered in full 3D graphics. This is great to see because it shows the developers have made new innovations that other strategic title has not yet accomplished. Instead of there being a top down view of the screen and its characters, we PS2 owners are treated to seeing all of this in 3D. It is different from other titles and it is refreshing to see that the new approach has worked fairly well. The graphics in this game are great, the items in the environments look and suit it perfectly. When there is a war going on in the kitchen or in the backyard, you will notice things that really bring them to life, considering that the army men coming to life as well. These environments are life sized as well! To see the soda cans and kitchen utensils be used in your strategic attack is great. The developers have made the environments fun and interesting with the detail that has been put into them.

Now we must discuss the most important detail of strategy games, the game play! 3DO has made sure to make Army Men RTS different and innovative! First there is an easy to play tutorial that will have gamers playing this game and mastering the controls at ease. This I found this to be great because I can actually play this title even though someone may not be a fan of the genera. So if you are a fan of the Army Men series and have never played a strategic-based game, then dont worry, you will be using attacks that would make Colin Powell jealous. You must collect resources in the environments and build your army smartly. You must build bases, vehicles and form platoons to become the ultimate victor in this war! The great thing about playing this game was the fact that it was in real time, it is not turn based like all the other types of games like it. So as you are going through the battle thing are going on as they happen, so pay close attention to what is going on around you or your army will crumble around you!

There are many different modes of game play that will have us playing for hours. Thought that you grew out of playing with little army men? Then guess again! There are multiple levels of play such as campaign mode, turnkey wars, great battle mode, and special ops mode. These allow for this title to score big in the replay value department. With all of these modes at our disposal, just how could you be bored? One last thing that impressed me was the way in which you are able to create special soldiers, weapons, and land and air vehicles. This makes the game that much more innovative then past titles.

So final question, is the game worth the bucks? Well if you are a fan of this genera then yes, if you have never played an Army Men game but like strategic titles, then this is for you. Never played this type of game or games of this type, then this game will be interesting to you. If you are an Army Men game fan who likes strategic games as well, then you will be drooling like Homer Simpson at the local donut shop! So give this game a try and you may be looking at your living surroundings much different.