"Ka-Boom"

In the tradition of good robot warrior games, you have titles such as Iron Soldier that seem to appear out of the blue on obscure systems. Iron Solider on the Jaguar is actually an awesome game that brings plenty of explosions and destruction to the screen through the use of polygons and futuristic weapons. Through sixteen missions, you’ll use your head and your robot to perform some of the most daring missions and get yourself from stage to stage in one piece. If you like a good mech game and you want to have some finger-numbing game play in a well presented world, then Iron Soldier is your title.

The story is set into the future that isn’t too distant to use by today’s standards. The different political factions on the planet Earth have turned into the biggest of the world corporations and become a board of directors. The strongest of them all, The Iron Fist, have created a private army that is capable of complete world domination and are enslaving those that cannot fight. Fearing that control will be taken over for future generations, a group of those corporations that are still free have formed a rebel group and stolen one of the Iron Fist’s Iron Soldiers, a 42 foot robot capable of all out war.

-The Game Play-

Your mech is extremely versatile and powerful, but this is not to say that you can run through the game and just destroy everything in sight through the use of a rampaging tactic! You must learn how to play the game through the ability of thinking around corners and making your way through the game without getting yourself blown up by the massive enemy forces that guard your objectives. Something that you will find throughout the game, is that there are over twenty missions that you can undertake throughout the story, all of which you’ll find takes a different strategy. The game difficulty is adjustable in most cases, and if you’re thinking that you can just waltz through the game without having to continue, then you’ll be surprised to find that continuing is a part of the game.

The more you battle, the weaker you’ll become and eventually, you’ll be destroyed whether you like it or not! The increase of weapons and abilities helps to prolong this inevitable outcome, and the use of unlimited continues will make sure that you get through the game without having to start all over from the beginning. For those who are into games like this, you’ll find that there are plenty of options and strategy to find, so get ready for a wild ride. This is not to say that you can’t get through the game without going a little crazy at some points, but in order to do such a thing, you’ll have to learn how to use the controls that Iron Soldier offers you.

The control functions that you have to worry about revolve more with moving your mech through the battlefield and doing so effectively through the use of not only the directional pad, but the numerical pad as well. As with most Jaguar games, there should be an insert with the game, that gives you different functions located on the pad, and if you don’t have that, then you’ll need to learn through trial and error in order to get anything accomplished! Veterans to Mech games such as Armored Core should find nothing here that will put their skills to the true test, while beginners may need to take some time to learn the fine actions.

-The Visuals-

There is plenty of detail and overall shading that you’ll find rampant throughout Iron Soldier. You’ll see that the game just doesn’t have all that much in terms of explosions, but you’ll find that what it does have leads into the second installment of the Iron Soldier games. For the most part, there are a ton of enemies that you take on and although the environments are huge and expansive, there are points where they seem to have little or no extensive detail to them. Mech gamers will find that this title fills in the need for what there should be shown in a Mech game, but you’ll also find that for a first showing and on the Jaguar no less, goes a long way.

-The Audio-

Audio wise, the game attempts to keep the theme and feel of action and adventure through the use of light techno based music tracks that are rather nice to hear and keep the pace of the game in some areas. However, you may find that the action the game portrays is just a little too heavy for a couple of the audio tracks, and you may find that the play button on the CD player of your stereo will give you a slightly better selection than what you find here! The sound effects run the same way in which you have to take it for what it is and enjoy the sounds of a robotic action game without expecting too much in the process. Other than that, you have gunfire, laser blasts and explosions throughout the game that can, with a good stereo set up, truly place you in the middle of the epic battle.

-The Verdict-

Iron Soldier is a wonderful start in an amazing series. Though there isn’t much here to play after you’ve gotten through it, you will find that the selectable difficulty level will increase both your enjoyment and your frustration level. While it isn’t as polished as Iron Soldier 2, it does have a good foothold into what is to come in the future games. Jaguar owners would do well to pick up this title and keep it in the collection simply based on the action, while collectors should pick it up to see just what the Jaguar is capable of on all fronts.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 09/30/02, Updated 09/30/02