Random Game O' the Day: Iron Soldier

[digitalpress]

The DP 42-foot Tall Random Game Generator (tm) has chosen its first Jaguar game, and a dandy one at that: Iron Soldier.

The game has spawned two sequels, and for a series wtih three entries it sure has done so quietly (IS II was also a Jaguar cart and CD, IS 3 was on PlayStation and NUON). In my opinion, the game still plays great though the graphics are rather dated. Polygons and "real" 3D action was fairly new in 1994. What do you think? How does IS stand up to other mech games? What did you like or dislike about the game? Write your mini-review here.

DP Guide sez:

Iron Soldier (Jaguar, by Atari) $6/R2 +
Developed by Eclipse. EASTER EGGS: We love smashing things. Having the means to do this on a regular basis is important. So, to play the games will all weapons righ from the get-go, enter the code 37668242 at the options screen. And if you want unlimited ammunition, enter 272837. The screen will flash if you entered it correctly. Lock and load! BOX DESCRIPTION: ''Sixteen different missions - each with a different city to tromp through and a new objective to complete. Capture new weapons. Destroy enemy I.S. units in melee combat. Blast helicopters and step on tanks.'' SANTULLI SLANT: This mech moves like I do on Monday mornings: plodding along, generally breaking things in its path, and eliminating various pests that it encounters while heading for that first cup of coffee. Except there's no coffee in the game. Superb mech sim really does a good job of making you feel like you're in a giant, armored vehicle. It's not the speedy mech like the ones you see in games like Virtua On or Armored Core, it's more like a TANK. Great action and effects, especially for 1994. [Gr: 7, So: 9, Ga: 8, Ov: 8] Released 1994. c1994 Atari

[Gamereviewgod]

Well, Mechassault has certainly eclipsed this one, but it still stands as one of the best Jaguar games out there. Ammo was a little bit too hard to come by and I usually find myself without any, but other that that, this is one hell of a game...

[YoshiM]

Another I can comment on!

I never played Iron Soldier until a little over a year ago. I heard it was supposed to be one of the greats for the system so I did some trading to get my hands on it.

For its time, I bet it was decent. It seemed to be a trail blazer in regards to building destruction in mech games (at least in a 3D perspective). I don't remember seeing this in other mech games of the time nor did it really become a feature until a couple or so years later. The Jaguar controller was meant for this game as all of your weapons were easily accessable through the keypad rather than sifting through an inventory list with triggers or something.

Unfortunately for me the game was not for me. It played slow (yes I realize it's a mech game and skyscraper talls mechs are supposed to be slow) not only in movement but control. Compared to it's close competition like Fasa's Mechwarrior game for PC (which played pretty good on an 8088 10 MHz processor) or the hardware-inferior Metal Head on the 32X it was a dog. Speaking of Metal Head, for a game that came out on the ill 32X why does it have better graphics than IS? From what I played of Metal Head (before the 32X locked up when playing on my CDX way back when) the game was smooth, silky, and damn gorgeous. IS just looks so mid-1992 virtual reality (ie reaaaal blocky).

[le geek]

I enjoyed Iron Soldier a lot as one of short list great games on the Jaguar. And I have to say that it is a much better game than Metalhead, having played both. The Armored Core series eclipsed both of them though...

[zmeston]

I agree with Joe: Iron Soldier's gameplay still holds up, and it's easily a top Jaguar title. I also recall that its coverage in the official Jaguar strategy guide was weak, for which I have to take the blame; I pawned it off on my co-author and his dubious crew of game-playing chitlins, while I hogged AvP, Doom, and Wolf 3D for myself.

I have the PlayStation version of IS3, but haven't been able to track down the Nuon version yet; is there any real difference between the two?

-- Z.

[digitalpress]

I have the PlayStation version of IS3, but haven't been able to track down the Nuon version yet; is there any real difference between the two?

I haven't played them "side-by-side" but I've played a bit of both, the only difference I could see was in the graphics aliasing: the NUON version seemed a little softer. Everything else appears to be the same, though that may change deeper into the game.

[RetroYoungen]

I heard from a lot of people how great this game was when I first bought my Jag at least years' CGE, but I was personally disappointed with it. I thought the control was a little slow, a little frusterating at times, and the graphics were all right, but not extraordinary or ground-breaking from where I sit. While it wasn't really that BAD a game, it just apparently isn't right for me. My final scores:
Graphics: 7
Sound: 9
Gameplay: 6
Originality: 7
Final: 7.25

[zmeston]

I have the PlayStation version of IS3, but haven't been able to track down the Nuon version yet; is there any real difference between the two?

I haven't played them "side-by-side" but I've played a bit of both, the only difference I could see was in the graphics aliasing: the NUON version seemed a little softer. Everything else appears to be the same, though that may change deeper into the game.

Thanks, Joe! Guess my fabulous Nuon collection will stay at four out of seven titles for a while yet. Heh.

-- Z.

[Gunstarhero]

Being a BIG Jaguar fan, I'm the first to admit that Iron Soldier didn't age all that well. However, to be fair to IS, I think its proper to judge the game based on its release date, and its competition at the time, which was nil. Iron Soldier was the first 3-D Mech game on consoles, and that makes it somewhat extraordinary and unique, which is why it deserves respect IMO.

I agree with the point that your Mech lacks ammo, but only at the beginning when your armed just with Grenades and the Rifle. I think once you are able to equip your mech with 3 or 4 weapons, ammo is less of a problem for two reasons. 1) More weapons armed means more ammo to use period, and 2) blowing up buildings is less costly. I have problems in the early stages because you don't have all that much ammo, and it takes a hell of alot of Rifle ammo to blow up the structures housing the ammo and powerups.

I think this game made good use of the keypad, and I like the controls overall. I don't mind the slow movement at all, in fact isn't this how a big cumbersome Mech should move, nice and slow? I like the feature of being able to get the Mech moving in a direction, while still being able to rotate the upper body for firing purposes without altering your course, ala Ikari Warriors.

Graphically the game can still satisfy, and those building explosions still to this day, look fantastic. This is one of the first 3-D games I ever played, and it the whole experience was very immersive when this game was released. My favorite stages are the ones where you have to fight another Mech thats loose in the city. It's like a Godzilla style movie really, with two Big Giants fighting eachother, destroying the city. Still, not as fun today, but definitely influential and a very respectful effort.

[Ed Oscuro]

I remember thinking about getting a Nuon a while back (I was in a different state, using a dialup laptop and had enough time to look up a number of things...) and it seemed that Shattered Soldier for that system wasn't quite finished, and that it was released as a demo or some such..?