First person shooters tend to be set in one of three environments: sci-fi
future, World War II, and modern day counter-terrorism operations. This is
not too surprising, as these settings are familiar to gamers and provide
developers with easy to manage environs in which to develop game levels.
On the other hand, game developers have shied away from the Vietnam conflict
because of the difficulties posed by its dense jungle environments and guerilla
tactics. In spite of these difficulties, Pterodon has
decided to take up the challenge with their game Vietcong.
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| Lush jungle environments give the enemy plenty of places to hide. |
In Vietcong you are a Special Forces soldier named Stephen Hawkins. You
begin with a few boot camp training sessions that serve as a tutorial and as an
homage to
Full Metal Jacket. Once you've been thoroughly humiliated by your
drill instructor, you're shipped out to a forward base camp deep in the
Vietnamese jungle. Not only are NVA incursions common in the area, the
Vietcong are very active in the vicinity as well.
Your base is where you'll receive your pre-mission briefings, but you're free
to choose when those briefings occur. Between missions you can walk around
the base, visiting the HQ, shooting range, and your quarters. The shooting
range allows you to select the weapons that you will take with you on your next
mission, and to try out the various weapons that are available. In
Vietcong there are over 20 different weapons available that are modeled on the
weapons in use by both sides in the conflict. Each weapon has a different
feel, with varying degrees of accuracy and recoil, so your choice of weapon does
make a difference in the game. Should you find yourself out of ammunition
while on a mission (a quite likely occurrence), then you can equip any weapons
dropped by fallen comrades or enemies. In a nod to realism, you'll also
need to make sure that you have or can find the ammo needed for your new
weapon, and you'll have to drop your current weapon before you can pick up
another.
Your quarters serves to add atmosphere to the game. You can read
mission results or your private journal, and listen to 60s rock on your radio.
There's not a whole lot that you can do there, but it gives the game a little
character that you can't get when the only thing separating missions are load
screens.
Also stationed with you at your base are a group of specialists who will
accompany you on your missions, although you won't be able to select the make-up
of your squad for each mission. There's the ubiquitous gruff, muscle-bound
machine gunner, a radio man to keep you up to date on changing mission
objectives and to call in aid when needed, a medic to patch your squad up when
they take hits, an engineer who provides extra ammunition, and Nhut. Nhut
is a member of the South Vietnamese army who serves as point man and guide,
and provides valuable insight into the tactics of the enemy. You can issue
basic commands to your squad, but for the most part you either have your men
follow you or Nhut.
As for the AI of your squad, it has its moments of frustration. You'll
occasionally find yourself alone in a firefight because your squad has gotten
lost somewhere along the way. Most of the time they behave pretty
competently, and sometimes your squad will wipe out an enemy patrol before you
can even see anyone. The enemy AI is generally pretty good in that the
enemy makes use of cover and maneuvers for a better firing position, but they
can become preoccupied with your squad, leaving them very vulnerable to an attack
by you
on their flank.
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