Developer: Virtual Basement LLC, Code Headquarters LLC
Publisher: Virtual Basement LLC
Platform: PC
Tested on: PC
The Mean Greens – Plastic Warfare – Review
Toy soldiers and little army men are probably still some of the most desired toys for young boys to mess around with, and for certain generations these were also the titles of the games they loved to play on their favorite consoles. Nonetheless, even though Toy Soldiers might not be that old, it’s been some time since we last saw a fun wink to the good old days by using toys, which can serve a very violent cause but still remain accessible for all ages. The Mean Greens – Plastic Warfare isn’t about adventure or missions this time, but a good old fashioned online third person shooter. March!
Story
There’s no story to be found in Plastic Warfare, which is in a way a tad sad, even though the game has a fun theme going on, there is nothing drawing you in any further. Nonetheless, as the game is only to be played online, it would have been nearly impossible to implement a proper and enticing storyline in an arena brawling game.
Graphics
Graphically the game might not be the strongest one on the market, but in its distinct style it does look charming, even though it’s all about killing your fellow plastic men. You’ll be treated to very vibrant and colorful environments, all quite different in their setup. Maps will vary from a fish tank, a kitchen sink and stove to an animal themed foosball table.
The characters look neatly done and look like actual plastic figures, but the lack of diversity might bother some players. Nonetheless, the simplicity works, especially seeing the real deal is also rather simple. That being said, certain animations aren’t done that nicely, for example when you die, you drop to the ground in pieces. It’s not that the little pieces are bothersome, it’s the transition from a whole plastic soldier, to the pieces on the ground that is poorly done.
Sound
Sound wise The Mean Greens simply excels in what it does. The music might not always be battle themed, it’s simply upbeat, amusing and plain old fun. You’ll notice you’ll sometimes simply giggle when hearing some of the tunes the game has to offer, all while you’re in the middle of a PVC war situation.
Other than that, the sound effects are pretty standard, just like in many other shooters. Nothing special here, but it wasn’t needed either.
Gameplay
The Mean Greens – Plastic Warfare is an online third person shooter in which you’ll simply strive to be the winning team (or player), after fierce toy soldier battles in different areas and modes. Simply put, you’ll be shooting up other plastic soldiers for you to rack up wins.
From here on out the game is actually very straightforward as all the game offers are different maps, with different amounts of players on them. Of course, each of the maps has its specific objective, which creates a fun and healthy mix, making no match dull. These objectives are often spins on classic ones, such as king of the hill, or capture the flag, but you’ll also have to defrost your T-Rex toy or move the enemy’s paper cup first. While these things sound bizarre, you’ll get the hang of them after a match or two. You’ll have a decent amount of maps you can try out, so make sure to try them all to learn about the different match types.
You die fairly quickly when hit by one of the five different weapons (grenades not counted), forcing you to play a bit more careful than you’d expect. Nonetheless, diving in toy-guns blazing has its merits as well, especially if it causes your team to get a free pass or if you take down a few enemies before your impending, yet untimely demise.
Even though the game supports a gamepad, it’s a lot easier to aim and control your character by using the keyboard settings, which you can of course customize. That being said, both ways of controlling the game prove to be quite simple and each has their own advantages. The only thing that might not feel as fluent as the rest is switching between weapons, as you’ll have to press fire to select it first, when you have the select menu open. This causes the first ‘shot’ not to fire, as it counts as the select command. A small bug was also noticeable that when a match begins, and you wish to switch weapons (when playing with the keyboard) you can’t open the menu with your mouse wheel before you click your left mouse button first.
Overall everything runs very smoothly, with hardly any bugs, except a few graphical glitches. The only thing you’ll have to take into account is of course which server you’ll spend your time on, as some might prove to be a tad on the laggy side. This proves to be only a minor issue, as the game already has loads of servers with a proper amount of active players. If you still can’t find your pick of the litter, you can always play together with friends online.
Conclusion
The Mean Greens – Plastic Warfare is one of those blasts from the past that has been placed in a modernized jacket. The game might not be the cheapest indie title you’ve come across on Steam, but it’s one hell of a shooter, if you like the theme, original toy related objectives and basic, yet satisfying third person shooter mechanics. Uncle – toy – Sam wants you!
The Mean Greens – Plastic Warfare - Review,
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