Army Men: Toys in Space is a real-time tactics game developed and published by 3DO on October 14, 1999, and is the last game to feature Sarge as a protagonist, as well as the last title before the series went through a soft reboot.
Being the third title in the original Army Men series, Toys in Space featured the most gameplay differences and changes, the most obvious being the large amount of new units and vehicles from the Space Aliens and the Galactic Army. Also noteworthy was the fact that the player could select units in their squad and control them with keyboard input. In the previous games, only Sarge could be controlled with the keyboard, and all other squad members required the player to use the mouse to direct movement and fire.
There were several other, smaller game play changes, as well. Adding to the new features for non-Sarge squad members was the fact that they were now able to pick up three unique power-ups: Adrenaline, which would temporarily increase the soldier's speed, Forcefield which would temporarily grant invincibility to its user, and the flak jacket, which would provide the soldier with an extra "layer" of health.
On the subject of power-ups, Toys in Space also introduced several new power-ups for Sarge, such as the helicopter attack and Spacemen reinforcements, the Galactic Army equivalent of the paratrooper power-up.
Plot[]
In space, a flying saucer emerges from a portal and proceeds to hurtle towards Earth, where it crash lands in a backyard atop a sandbox. The Tan Republic are able to reach the crash site first, and while a the soldiers initially point their weapons at the interior of the saucer, they lower their weapons. General Plastro overlooks the situation and manages to form an allegiance with the Space Aliens.
While the Tan Republic and Space Aliens plot together, Sarge is sent on various missions to rescue Green soldiers and personnel. After being sent to destroy a Tan base located at a picnic, Sarge is tasked with infiltrating the crashed saucer from the opening cutscene. Fighting through multiple waves of Tan soldiers, and having to deal with constant aerial bombardments from the Tan Republic, Sarge reaches the saucer, but is unable to enter due to the entrance being blocked off with a force field. Forced to find another way through, Sarge is able to destroy a portion of the sandbox and travels inside after receiving a strange radio transmission.
While inside, he meets Tina Tomorrow, who was the one who sent the transmission to Sarge. It is here where he also faces off against the Space Aliens for the first time. Tina asks Sarge to protect her while she destroys generators, in order to disable the force fields protecting the saucer. Upon the destruction of the last generator, the two immediately head towards the crashed saucer. While inside, they come across some debris, which Tina freezes, and Sarge then destroys it with a bazooka. The explosion results in the total destruction of the craft, which the two are able to narrowly escape. After shaking hands, Tina's own saucer arrives and she departs, leaving Sarge partly dumbstruck.
At some point later, the Space Aliens, in tandem with the Tan Republic, launch a surprise assault on the Green Headquarters. Sarge aids in the evacuation of civilians while fending off hordes of enemy troopers. After facing insurmountable odds, Sarge is able to save numerous citizens and successfully evacuate from the HQ. The Green command asks Sarge to clear out a bathroom before the convoy of civilians rolls through, and also take out a Space Alien Commander. Sarge is able to do so, and so the convoy proceeds through the bathroom safely. He is then given command of a numerous amount of vehicles as they roll their way through heavy Tan opposition, and they are able to safely arrive in a living room. It is here that Tina Tomorrow returns, aiding Sarge in opening a portal to her world, where they can take the fight to the Space Alien Overlord.
Sarge and a group of soldiers arrive at Tina's world. Their first mission is to download a datamap, which they successfully do with help from the Galactic Army and Tina herself. They later regroup at the Spacemen's HQ, where they intend to launch two rockets that will allow them to view the region via satellite; presumably, this will allow them to pinpoint where the Space Alien Overlord is. Despite staring down almost endless waves of Space Aliens, the rockets are able to launch.
Sarge and Tina lead one final assault on the Space Alien's command center, where they are able to wipe out the Overlord's elite guard and, after repeatedly being forced to kill the Overlord due to his regenerating ability, are finally able to bring the Overlord down. Soldiers from the Green Nation and Galactic Army celebrate, while General Plastro observes the situation from afar via a crystal ball, becoming outraged that Sarge foiled his schemes once again. The game ends with both Tina Tomorrow and Sarge admiring fireworks while soldiers in the background point at the spectacle above them.