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The afternoon sun hangs at its zenith in the sky above. You drive down the open trail in your GP, Stars and Bars radio blasting from your AM band radio. At the end of the field, the trail leads into the cool, quiet jungle, the too quiet jungle. Unbeknownst to you, the VC have set up a log trap up the road. As you get out of the vehicle to do recon on the hillside, spiked logs come crashing down from the hilltop crushing your vehicle, leaving you stranded. Snipers open up from just beyond the trees. You jump into a roadside hut and open fire. A tank rolls into your field of vision from deeper into the woods. You are doomed, the silent forms of VC troops gliding through the trees and shrubbery toward your position. Suddenly a deep throbbing noise begins to resonate between the trees, accompanied by the familiar tune of “Fortunate Son”. AH-1 Cobras burst from over the horizon and pound the enemy forces into smoking ruination with missiles and chaingun fire. Welcome to the jungle. This is Battlefield Vietnam, EA Game’s follow up to the popular Battlefield 1942. Players do battle on an open battlefield ranging from inland farms and rice patties to river hewn jungle villages. Armies vie for checkpoints and strategic positions, increasing their mobility by heli-droping spawn points or digging tunnel spawns. Players can play as Americans, South Vietnamese, NVA, and VC. Personal weapons range from the M-16, to the still popular Soviet RPG, to the dastardly “punji sticks”. You can choose from four different warrior classes: engineer, anti-armor, sniper, and common infantry. Special abilities include booby-traps and the like. Players can also drive assorted vehicles: AH-1 Cobras, F-4’s with napalm, and bitty little civilian scooters. The opportunities for devastation are limitless. The graphics, sound, and controls for the game are quite good. The graphics, while not prime, are good considering one fights on simulated miles of wooded battle grounds. Trees and shrubbery do not mysteriously always face you, and tall grass is done by the blade not in blocks. The sound is quite prime, especially the optional vehicular radio. Players may listen to several classic Vietnam-age songs (War, Fortunate Son, Jetplane, etc…) whilst driving about in vehicles. Not only you hear the music, but those around your vehicle and off in the distance may hear it as well. Control is the standard awsd format. Difficult to figure out for first timers, but easily remembered. Overall BFV is a solid videogame experience. Enemies are a little stupid on occasion, planes are frustrating to fly with the mouse, and getting online is a little frustrating sometimes. However, the game is addictive as a whole, offering limitless combat situations, fun and virtually realistic weapons, and interesting maps. The games price has come down recently and is well worth the cost. One might want to wait out Battlefield Modern Combat, but I’d recommend you shell out the few bucks for Vietnam. |
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