3DO'S Army Men Marches Onto Retail Shelves; Real Combat, Plastic Men.REDWOOD CITY Redwood City, city (1990 pop. 66,072), seat of San Mateo co., W Calif., on San Francisco Bay; inc. 1868. Manufactures include commmunications, electrical, electronic, and medical equipment. , Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 30, 1998--3DO today announced that they have brought back to life the green and tan soldiers of our past with the release of Army Men(TM) for the PC. The Army Men property fulfills the promise of fantastical backyard battles with a perfect blend of all out action and military strategy. It's real combat with plastic men. "It was one of those rare events in the art of game design. We used actual plastic army men to map out the missions for an action war game and suddenly realized that we had exactly what we needed to create an incredible game experience right there on the table," said Nick Earl, Executive Producer, The 3DO Company. "The nostalgia factor is ten fold and the sadistic sa·dism n. 1. The deriving of sexual gratification or the tendency to derive sexual gratification from inflicting pain or emotional abuse on others. 2. The deriving of pleasure, or the tendency to derive pleasure, from cruelty. humor humor, according to ancient theory, any of four bodily fluids that determined man's health and temperament. Hippocrates postulated that an imbalance among the humors (blood, phlegm, black bile, and yellow bile) resulted in pain and disease, and that good health was associated with all the torture we put these plastic men through as kids translated into one amazingly fun game." THE GAME Prepare to battle as Sarge sarge n. Informal Sergeant. sarge Noun Informal sergeant , a squad leader Squad leader may mean
Squad Leader is a tactical level board wargame originally published by Avalon Hill in 1977. in the Green Army, who embarks on a series of missions to defeat the evil Tan Army and ultimately win the war. Loaded with a stockpile stock·pile n. A supply stored for future use, usually carefully accrued and maintained. tr.v. stock·piled, stock·pil·ing, stock·piles To accumulate and maintain a supply of for future use. of plastic troops and destructive weapons, players are challenged with more than 25 missions that take place over a variety of realistic worlds including desert, alpine and bayou. Sarge leads and commands his forces within the stunningly detailed, high-resolution world with 3-D rendered vehicles, units and buildings. The missions within Army Men are as unique and fun as the plastic men concept. Going well beyond the traditional "destroy the enemy" scenario, missions require players to employ actual military strategies. Sarge will be given some incredible tasks including rescuing fellow injured soldiers, helping soon to be executed squads escape, and he will even have to attempt to rob a bank. "The first time I played the 'break out' mission in the game was awesome," continued Earl. "To be tasked with liberating the precious plastic currency from the bank was both challenging and humorous at the same time. After having my plan foiled multiple times, I was thrilled by the animation payoff of seeing my green men loading boxes of gold colored plastic into my halftrack." PLASTIC PHYSICS It's plastic everything in a real world environment that gives this game a unique, yet familiar appeal. Players will command and play as the six classic plastic unit types including grenadiers, flamethrowers, bazooka bazooka, in warfare, portable, lightweight metal tube from which rockets are launched, usually operated by two men. It is used by infantry as an antitank weapon and also for attacking pillboxes and bunkers. men, mortar men, mine sweepers, and radio men. Additionally, paratroopers and air strikes can be used to carry out strategic mission plans and plastic tanks, jeeps, halftracks and cargo trucks are available throughout the campaigns. And, all of these plastic elements react just as the actual material would given the choice of weaponry. Flame-throwers will melt the men into colored pools of plastic, while rifles will break off plastic limbs. The sadistic humor is most rewarding and satisfying at the end of a campaign when the world is covered in plastic carnage. MULTI-PLAYER Army Men has a robust multi-player option where up to four players can play over a IPX (Internetwork Packet EXchange) The network layer protocol in the NetWare operating system. Similar to the IP layer in TCP/IP, it contains a network address and allows messages to be routed to a different network or subnet. , TCP/IP TCP/IP in full Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol Standard Internet communications protocols that allow digital computers to communicate over long distances. , modem or direct serial connection on multiple maps with two action-packed modes to choose from. Players can choose Blitz, the Army Men deathmatch mode, where the player with the highest number of kills wins, or Capture the Flag, where each player's goal is to be the first to capture all of their opponents flags and bring them back to their home base. Multi-player games will be supported by a variety of Internet gaming services including Sega Soft's HEAT.NET and Mpath's MPlayer. RETAIL AVAILABILITY Army Men is now available in stores with an expected retail price of $39.95. More information can be found on the Internet through the game's website located at http://www.armymen.com. It is also available through 3DO direct sales at 1-800-336-3506 or online at the 3DO website at http://www.3do.com. This release contains forward-looking statements forward-looking statement A projected financial statement based on management expectations. A forward-looking statement involves risks with regard to the accuracy of assumptions underlying the projections. that are subject to risks and uncertainties. Potential risks and uncertainties include, without limitation, the Company's ability to develop and ship future products, market demand and acceptance for the Company's current and future software products, and the consequences of competitive factors in the marketplace. Further information on potential factors which could affect these forward looking statements and the Company's financial results are included in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the Company's Reports on Form 10-Q Form 10-Q See 10-Q. for the fiscal quarter ended December 31, 1997 and the Company's Report on Form 10-K Form 10-K A report required by the SEC from exchange-listed companies that provides for annual disclosure of certain financial information. Form 10-K See 10-K. for the fiscal quarter ended March 31, 1998. The 3DO Company, headquartered in Redwood City, Calif., develops, publishes and distributes interactive entertainment software for personal computers, the Internet, and advanced entertainment systems such as the PlayStation. 3DO markets and publishes its products worldwide under multiple brand names including New World Computing New World Computing, Inc. was an American computer game developer and publisher founded in 1984 by Jon Van Caneghem and Mark Caldwell. It was best known for its work on the Might and Magic RPG series and its spin-offs, especially Heroes of Might and Magic. , Cyclone cyclone, atmospheric pressure distribution in which there is a low central pressure relative to the surrounding pressure. The resulting pressure gradient, combined with the Coriolis effect, causes air to circulate about the core of lowest pressure in a Studios, and Team .366. More information about 3DO products and the full text of certain press releases can be found on the Internet at http://www.3do.com. -0- Note to Editors: 3DO, Army Men, Team .366, Cyclone Studios, New World Computing, and their respective logos are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of The 3DO Company. CONTACT: The 3DO Company Tuesday Uhland, 650/261-3142 tuesday.uhland@3do.com |
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