This building is hideous. Take it down, boys!

By: Uma Smith

The number of games for mobile devices is continuing to increase at a steady pace. Depending on the degree of success, quite a few of these titles are leaking onto game consoles. Specifically, Tiny Troopers and Tiny Troopers 2 have been given the combo treatment with an offering to both the PlayStation 3 and Vita. Entitled Tiny Troopers: Joint Ops, it appears that this ambitious game is making a “joint” attempt to enter into another “battlefield” filled with even more gamers.

CONTROLS (4.5/5)

Joint Ops works splendidly whether on the home or portable console. The twin-stick arrangements make the controls and movement fluid and natural. You do have to utilize the front screen touch controls on the PlayStation Vita for navigating through menus and executing attacks involving grenades, rockets and air strikes. Such incorporation really makes use of the Vita’s features considering the convenience of switching between the analog sticks and the screen.

GRAPHICS/SOUND (3.5/5)

You are not going to be blown away from a game like Tiny Troopers: Joint Ops, graphically speaking. There aren’t any special lighting effects or explosions that will blow you away. In fact, occasionally the game will suffer a few frame rate skips if there is too much activity going on. Nonetheless, the incorporation of cartoon-style characters against the various backgrounds makes the visual presentation worthwhile. Furthermore, the audio effects add some humor to the whole experience. Even the screams of death will lead to a few chuckles.

GAMEPLAY (3.5/5)

Essentially, you’ll be controlling your tiny troopers to reach the extraction zone all while shooting down your enemies. Each campaign you engage in will consist of eight missions. These may include escort missions, protecting against huge incoming waves of enemies or traveling on an armored vehicle. As such, there are some elements of strategy as well as action during these types of gameplay.

An interesting inclusion is the zombie mode where your troopers must fight against a wave of zombie troopers while in an enclosed area. The last mission of the campaign involves getting to your destination before your time limit runs out. In this case, the change of pacing really enhances the degree of diversity that Tiny Troopers has to offer.

With almost 60 levels contained in this game, you get a lot of content. At first, Tiny Troopers: Joint Ops seems very easy and quick to complete for some of the missions. But later on, the battlefields increase in both size and difficulty along with larger numbers of enemies and additional objectives included in the mix. As such, they can take close to a half hour to complete.

As you traverse across the battlefield, you’ll get plenty of opportunities to run into items that will improve your troops. For instance, Intel drops unlock weapon and armor upgrades, which is something you should expect from a game like this. Additionally, there are medals that can revive one of your fallen troopers along with unlocking access to special forces that can be used in missions. Having these extra fighters, which can include medics and air strikes, adds a layer of involvement as you have to put some thought to your team before you begin your next mission.

It is a drag that Tiny Troopers: Joint Ops does not include a multiplayer mode as this type of game would be perfect to have a friend join in on the fun. At least there are online leaderboards to entice players to revisit completed missions in hopes of earning a higher score. On occasion, it can get pretty repetitive if you engage in the gameplay for a prolonged period of time. But ideally, this would be more suited to the PlayStation Vita for casual on-the-go sessions.

OVERALL (3.5/5)

For $7.99 at the PlayStation Store, Tiny Troopers: Joint Ops offers a good deal considering the cross-buy for both the PS3 and Vita versions. While this title is best suited for the portable console, there is enough content to keep you addicted to its action-packed goodness.