From its “Top Gun”-esque opening theme to its “Rambo” inspired commando unit, “Toy Soldiers: Cold War” on Xbox Live Arcade is a deep strategy game with lots of humor and nostalgia mixed in.

For those who missed the excellent first “Toy Soldiers”, you assume control of the commander of a toy army as they re-enact famous battles from various conflicts (WWI in the original and the Cold War in the sequel), with the ability to both place defenses and control the turrets or vehicles on the battlefield.

The gameplay’s simplicity is it’s greatest strength. It is easy to learn, but nearly impossible to master. The game is a fusion of tower defense strategy and turret shooting, with fun tank or plane levels mixed in. The sequel sticks pretty true to this format.

The game’s visuals have shed the sepia-toned visuals of the original game in favor of a more colorful palette. The controls work about the same as they did before, but feel much smoother and polished than the occasionally clunky original.

The level design is much better than the original as well, which could have been very confusing sometimes and the kill streaks now reward players with “barrages” that let them even odds a little bit.

The original game was funny, but in a very small way; often, enemies would die in humorous ways, or the names of levels or enemies would be amusing. “Cold War” is in all out joke mode, though, with most levels referencing a particular 80s film. Some of the best laughs from the game come from the incoherent yells of the commando unit (Rambo) and the all of the absurd mission names.

It’s not flawless. The controls for some turrets are frustrating at first, and the time limit on the tanks and helicopters is annoying. The game is much shorter than the original but does offer better survival mode and a variety of mini games.

Is it worth the 1200 Microsoft points? Yes, but it’s a very hesitant yes. I felt like the game went a little too fast for the money but I did have a great time playing and would recommend the game to fans of the original.

Overall, it’s a colorful and funny game with good mechanics and has a well-paced gameplay, but it just doesn’t feel quite long enough.