Army Men Air Attack Hands-On

Many have named the Air Attack games 3DO's saving grace, and with good reason. Taking a cue from EA's memorable Strike series, the Air Attack games have proven to be the best of the army men games. The latest in the series, Air Attack 2, garnered favorable reviews through its trumped-up use of the winch and deeper gameplay. Air Attack on the PS2 looks to be an even better version of Air Attack 2, with high-resolution graphics and tighter control.

The PS2 port of AA2 - which had only undergone three weeks of development prior to its showing - is looking phenomenal. While the play mechanics are identical to what's come before, never before has the Army Men series enjoyed such a level of visual perfection. Every moving element in the game is silky smooth, and the environments have never looked so vibrant. The fully realized visuals lend the game a higher level of playability as well, since everything is generally faster and thus more responsive.

The improved winch mechanics are in full effect. As in the game's other incarnations, the objects you manipulate with the winch can be used in a variety of ways: Objects can be dropped onto ground targets, thus crushing them, they can be swung around your chopper, wrecking-ball style, or they could be flung at distant targets. The winch behaves in a physically realistic manner and adds all sorts of highly amusing antics to your game session. Mastering the winch is truly the secret to this game, as there are all sorts of objects for you to manipulate throughout.

Set for release sometime this quarter, the PS2 port of Army Men Air Attack 2 will surely please the game's numerous fans.