Battlefield Vietnam

"A Worthwhile addition to any Gamer's Library"

*sniff*...You can smell the fresh, jungle air...smells like some Charlies have been around here..you then jump into a MUTT, a rocket-launching jeep, and crank up 'WAR'. Thumping your horn to the beat, you quickly realize your not alone after suddenly hearing some gunshots. You jump out of the vehicle and drop to the ground a few meters away from your vehicle to hide in the foilage. Peering through the grass, you see it was one of your pals who wanted a ride. You then get back in and drive him with 'Somebody to Love' blaring, while he sits shotgun with his..well what do ya know, shotgun. You finally make it into an ongoing firefight for a spawn your team had been eyeing for a bit. You and your pal get some cover and then rise and shoot at the few charlies you see, then duck back behind your cover while ur teammates continue on and thank you for your help. You check the radar and all of your teammates are dead, including your unlucky pal who raised his head out of cover at the wrong moment. You think all hope is lost...But suddenly your spirits are lifted! In the distance you can faintly hear 'Flight of the Valkeries'. In no time, a transport copter comes into your sight...and what is it carrying...A Tank! The Helicopter sets the tank down and continues on firing at the Charlies while the tank gives some help to, and you rush into the fight with your gun ablazing...

Welcome to 'Nam.

In this review, I speak of my own experience. So I wont directly include some of the bugs I have been hearing about unless I experienced them.

Graphics: 9/10

As long as you have a decent computer, with atleast a Geforce Ti or Radeon 9000+, you should run it with moderate settings have a visual treat. Don't listen to what other people have been saying, these graphics are outstanding for a game of this magnitude. Normal Mapping(putting a texture that looks like a more complex 3d model on a less complex 3d model) really shines in this game. You can see all the complexity and shine of everything, and it all reeks of polish. Whats even more impressive is that it runs the same, if not sometimes better, than the original Battlefield 1942 did. I only have a minor complaint that...well, it occasionally stutters(not enough to be annoying), but I think that is just my computer acting up.

Sound: 9/10

Wow..This game really raises the bar for what I expect for sound. The guns pack much more of a punch, the background noises are crisp and clear, and the music...oh, the music. To put it in a nutshell, the music adds a whole new layer of atmosphere and fun. Sure, driving a jeep into the enemy bases, then jumping out and unloading is kinda cool, but doing that while playing 'WAR' is just plain freaken awesome! It helps entrench you into the Vietnam setting, lets you know in advance if something is headed your way (When you hear 'Flight of the Valkeries', it's pretty much a sure sign that a big-as..well, a tank is coming =P ), and it also makes the load times (pretty much same as BF1942 BTW) that much more bareable. In short...fantastic. I didn't give it a 10 because I've been hearing about some sound bugs or something...wutever.

Gameplay: 9/10

Battlefield bliss. As probably inferred from the intro, this game is really, really fun. The infantry fights are much more satisfying, due to the improved graphics, much 'Oomph-ier sound, and improved netcode (people keep complaining, but it's mainly due to pirated BFV servers, that came before retail, lagging retail clients). Combat is much smoother this time around, and the on-foot fighting plays out more like a regular FPS on-foot shooter would, meaning when you shoot someone and are sure its going to hit, then it will probably hit, unlike BF1942 was. Airplanes are harder to manuever this time around, but pack a wallop (ahem, napalm). Helicopters...don't worry people. You've been constantly hearing that the flight controls suck, but as a seasoned DC Helo pilot, I can confidently say that the controls are pretty decent. The bashers say its really dumbed down, well it still takes a bit of skill to fly these things in combat, due to the new heat seeking missiles of the NVA that shoot these things down like flies if you arent careful. Most importantly, the helicopters are fun to fly and are easier to land (no more landing softly and rolling over and blowing up, or just plain blowing up on contact). The air-towing capabilities are neat, as are the abilities for people in the back of NVA transport copters to sit on the edge and shoot with wutever gun they are carrying. In addition, the ability for people to shoot out of vehicles when riding shotgun, or in transport vehicles with windows, greatly improves their viability in battle. Plus, the music (gotta luv it) is just great to listen to in battle, or when travelling. Mobile spawn points just add to the chaos. Grass and foilage are just plain awesome and present a lot of cover if your not looking for anyone (I usually am). I took off a point for the unbalanced Heavy class on the US side, although I dont really care because it doesnt take away from my fun. The NVA are still balanced, and the US doesnt necesarily OWN because of this. I still easily pick off these 'walking tanks', as I've heard, and everyone still has a blast. It can easily be fixed in a patch, so I'm not worried.

Replay: 8/10

Fun Battlefield game. What else you want? It's definitely not the be all, end all game that everyone hopes for, but its still a blast.

AVG: 9/10

Aftermath:

People have been whining that 'it's just a glorified expansion' and that 'it's basically just a Vietnam Battlefield 1942'...Well guess what morons, ''Battlefield'' is a franchise name. 1942 and Vietnam are titles. They are sopposed to be similar. And who the hell cares, I just want the same damn large scale hectic fun battlefield that I know, set in Vietnam, looking great, sounding even better, and being hella fun. I highly recommend this 'glorified expansion' to all, especially when its set at the expansion set price of 34.99. Happy Blasting!

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 03/18/04