Toy Soldiers (video game)



"YOU WANTED A WAR? YOU GOT A WAR!"

- The Commando from Cold War

Toy Soldiers is series of Tower Defense games developed by Signal Studios, but with a twist. You can assume direct control of turrets, mortars, flamethrowers, chemical sprayers, vehicles, or special power-ups.

Games/DLC in the series as of August 2011
 * Toy Soldiers was released on the Xbox Live Arcade on March 3, 2010. Based in a child's wargame set modeled after WW 1 Europe, you can play as either the Western Allies or the Germans, defending your Toybox from a onslaught of enemy troops, armor, and planes. A release on Steam and Games For Windows Live with all the DLC included occurred on April 27th, 2012.
 * The Kaiser's Battle was release on the Xbox Live Arcade on June 30, 2010, and is the first downloadable content pack for Toy Soldiers. You play as the French Army, defending against a German offensive. Includes a Short campaign, in addition to new survival and versus maps.
 * Invasion! was release on the Xbox Live Arcade on September 29, 2010, and is the second and final downloadable content pack for Toy Soldiers. You play as the German army, defending against a slew of new British secret weapons, including Spacemen, Space Tanks, Flying Saucers, and the P51 Mustang.
 * Toy Soldiers: Cold War was released on the Xbox Live Arcade on August 17, 2011. An Affectionate Parody of 1980s Cold War films, you play as the US defending against a Soviet Invasion. In addition to the mechanics now standard to the franchise, they added a selection of minigames, and a family of Power Ups called Barrages, which you receive for killing a large number of enemies in a single wave using the same turret, or by assassinating a specific target.
 * The first upcoming DLC for Cold War, Evil Empire, will be coming soon. Not much is known about it at the moment, though.

Not to be confused with the 1991 film of the same name.

This franchise provides examples of:

 * Art Evolution: The loading screens appear to be more modern in Cold War than in the first Toy Soldiers.
 * In Cold War, the soldiers manning the guns wear 1960's olive drabs in Vietnam, more modern 1980's uniforms in Europe. Special forces outfits in the invasion of the USA, and finally, because the risk of nuclear fallout is so high, all your soldiers wear hazmat suits in the finale.
 * Artifact Title: Loading screens claim that Toy Soldiers is 'The Famous Wargame From Bothell'. This is no longer true, as Signal Studios has since moved to Kirkland.
 * Artificial Stupidity: Invoked, the AI is stupid on purpose to encourage you to take direct control of your units. Not that the AI is incapable of doing their job.
 * BFG: The level 3 howitzers from the first game, The Mother and The Big Bertha count as this.
 * Bloodless Carnage: Though given that all the troops are made of plastic and/or tin, this is a given.
 * Build Like an Egyptian: One level in Cold War is set in Egypt complete with 2 filmsy pyramids.
 * Cheese Eating Surrender Monkeys: Thoroughly Subverted in both games. The French valiantly resist the German offensive in Kaiser's Battle, and defend Paris from the soviets in one level of Cold War.
 * Cold War: The setting of the second game.
 * Colour Coded for Your Convenience: The British Are Yellow/Orange, The Germans are Gray/Dark Blue.
 * Cool Boat: The second boss in Cold War is a massive Typhoon-class submarine. That can fly!
 * Washington DC Invasion : The last mission in Cold War.
 * Demonic Spider: The Soviet Laser-Tank. It can easily destroy your turrets/vehicles, has extremely high health, and several can spawn in a single wave.
 * Drop Pod: This is the Commandos method of entering the battlefield, exept he comes in his packaging, not an actual drop pod.
 * Expy: The Commando IS Rambo. Ivan may look familiar, too.
 * Fire Breathing Weapon: The level 2 chemical unit in the original, and the level 2 and 3 makeshift units in Cold War.
 * Aerosol Flamethrower: The level 2 makeshift unit in Cold War.
 * Forces With Firepower
 * Brits With Battleships
 * Reds With Rockets
 * Yanks With Tanks
 * Gameplay Grading: You can get Bronze, Silver, or Gold in three categories- Profit, Defense, and Aggression. Getting a Gold in all 3 will get you an Overall Platinum.
 * Humongous Mecha: Project R.I.S.E, the final boss of the second game.
 * Improvised Weapon: The makeshift category in Cold War.
 * Large Ham: The Commando, and his Soviet counterpart, Ivan.
 * Living Toys: Natch.
 * Made of Explodium: All the vehicles and turrets, no matter how they died, are reduced to scraps when destroyed.
 * Monumental Battle: The missions in Cold War take you to the Berlin Wall, The Eiffel Tower, Mt Rushmore and the White House.
 * Reality Is Unrealistic: Russian Laser Tanks? Check! Tank/Biplane hybrids? Check! Guided missiles with cameras in the nose? Check!
 * Sequel Escalation: The first boss of Cold War is a 40 foot tall Tank/Bi-Plane with a Tesla Turret. And it just gets crazier from there on out.
 * Shout Out
 * I love the smell of plastic in the morning!
 * Our rockets will blot out the sun!
 * One of the achievements is named Demolition Man.
 * The canal mission is basically one prolonged Shout Out too Top Gun, with a Star Fox meme thrown in there for good measure.
 * So Much for Stealth: The first mission of cold war suggests this in the description, 'A covert operation made explosively overt.'
 * The Vietnam War: The first mission and a survival map in cold war takes place here.
 * War Has Never Been So Much Fun: Hell yeah it hasn't.
 * World War One: The setting of the first game.
 * Zerg Rush: The regular infantry waves in both games.

"MISSION ACCOMPLISHED, SIR!!"

- Again, The Commando from Cold War