America's Army: True Soldiers
A spin-off of the U.S. Army's game, focused on realism.
Wikipedia / Wikimedia Commons
America's Army: True Soldiers is a first-person shooter and a spin-off of the U.S. Army's own video game, America's Army. It was developed by Ubisoft Shanghai and published by Ubisoft on November 15, 2007.
In the game, players who stay close to their squad gain bonuses to accuracy and damage resistance. Communication is limited to nearby players, though team leaders can use radios to talk to each other and call in artillery strikes. There are five classes: Rifleman, Grenadier, Sniper, Automatic Rifleman, and Squad Leader. In multiplayer, the player's team appears as U.S. soldiers while opponents are non-U.S. forces. When shot, players lie on the ground and cannot be shot again unless healed by a teammate, reflecting the game's aim to follow real rules of engagement. Multiplayer scenarios include reaching extraction points, defending objectives, and protecting or eliminating a VIP. A token system lets players award points to each other for good deeds. Singleplayer offers Basic Training, which is a series of tasks on an outdoor firing range, and War Games, which involves checkpoints and shooting soldiers who then sit down. An Extras section serves as a recruiting tool, covering core values, soldier ranks, ammunition info, trivia, and video profiles of Army personnel.
The game uses a modified version of Unreal Engine 3, distinct from the Diesel engine used in Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2. Development focused on multiplayer while still including a single-player experience. The team at Ubisoft Shanghai had access to U.S. Army weapons, allowing for realistic textures. Ubisoft assigned the project to Ubisoft Shanghai as part of an agreement, and the team aimed for an authentic experience based on soldier values. A playable demo was released on the U.S. Xbox Live Marketplace on November 2, 2007, supporting up to 16 players in co-op missions or 8 vs. 8 matches.
According to review aggregator Metacritic, the game received unfavorable reviews.
- Developer
- Ubisoft Shanghai
- Publisher
- Ubisoft
- Release Date
- November 15, 2007
- Genre
- First-person shooter
- Platform
- Xbox 360 (retail disc)
- Metacritic Rating
- Unfavorable
Lore & Background
America's Army: True Soldiers was developed by Ubisoft Shanghai using a modified version of Unreal Engine 3, not the Diesel engine used in Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2. During development, the team had access to weapons used by the United States Army, resulting in realistic textures. Ubisoft assigned the project to Ubisoft Shanghai as part of an agreement, aiming for an authentic experience based on soldier values.
Gameplay features include accuracy and damage resistance increases for sticking together with the fire squad, proximity-based voice chat, and radio communication for team leaders who can call artillery strikes. There are five classes: Rifleman, Grenadier, Sniper, Automatic Rifleman, and Squad Leader. Multiplayer portrays U.S. soldiers versus non-U.S. soldiers, with wounded players kept on the ground until healed. Scenarios include reaching extraction points, defending objectives, and VIP elimination. A token system allows players to give points for good deeds. Singleplayer modes include Basic Training and War Games, plus an Extras section with recruiting promo content.
Reader's Guide
America's Army: True Soldiers represents a notable entry in the America's Army franchise as a console spin-off emphasizing multiplayer realism. Its development, led by Red Storm Entertainment with direct access to U.S. Army weapons and training at Fort McClellan, aimed to create an authentic soldier experience. The game's mechanics—such as proximity chat, radio communication, and a token reward system—were designed to encourage teamwork and adherence to rules of engagement. While the single-player component was not ignored, the focus on multiplayer was central. The demo release on Xbox Live Marketplace allowed early player testing. Despite these efforts, the game received unfavorable reviews on Metacritic, indicating a gap between its design intentions and critical reception. Its legacy lies in its attempt to bring military simulation to a broader audience through a major publisher, though it did not achieve widespread acclaim.
Did You Know?
- The game uses a modified version of Unreal Engine 3, not the Diesel engine used in Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is America's Army: True Soldiers?
It is a first-person shooter released for Xbox 360 on November 15, 2007, developed by Ubisoft Shanghai and published by Ubisoft. The title functions as a spin-off of the U.S. Army's original America's Army game, shifting the emphasis toward squad-based, realistic combat.
What soldier classes are available in America's Army: True Soldiers?
Players can choose from five roles: Rifleman, Grenadier, Sniper, Automatic Rifleman, and Squad Leader. The Squad Leader is the only class that can use a radio to coordinate with other team leaders or call in artillery strikes.
How do squad mechanics work in America's Army: True Soldiers?
Remaining close to your teammates grants you bonuses to both accuracy and damage resistance, so coordination is mechanically rewarded. Voice communication is restricted to nearby players only, meaning you cannot simply shout orders across the entire battlefield.
How does America's Army: True Soldiers differ from the original America's Army?
True Soldiers was built by Ubisoft Shanghai as a dedicated Xbox 360 retail-title spin-off rather than a free PC download, and it leans harder into squad realism and class specialization. The original America's Army was designed primarily as a recruitment tool, while this entry packages that identity into a more structured multiplayer shooter.
How was America's Army: True Soldiers received by critics?
The game received an 'Unfavorable' rating on Metacritic, indicating broadly negative critical reviews. It nonetheless stands out in the advergame space as one of the few full retail-disc titles produced by a major publisher (Ubisoft) specifically for a government client.
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