"Quake set in Vietnam"

Vietnam 2: Special Assignment is a wholly generic first person shooter with nearly half a dozen different names: Vietnam 2: Black Ops, Vietnam 2, Vietnam 2: Special Assignment, Vietnam 2: Black Ops Special Assignment... This is probably the most interesting part of the whole game. There's nothing this game does terribly - it actually meets most of my expectations for a budget game.

Story
Flak, a rogue sergeant in the U.S. Army and former P.O.W. has gone off into the jungles to raise his own army of mercenaries and fight the Vietnamese himself. The government, wary of having Flak operating outside of their authority, sends you, Kevin "Wildman" Wilde to kill him with extreme prejudice. If the story sounds familiar, it's because it's basically the same story as Francis Ford Coppola's film Apocalypse Now.

Score: 6/10

Graphics
The graphics in this game are pretty substandard. Objects look pretty blocky and N.P.C. models could be done much better, with weapons clipping through arms and hands. There aren't very many different models either; just one model for each enemy, so all AK-47 wielding soldiers look the same and all of the snipers look the same, etc. The level environments are decently well done, although there are a few times when the game has so much fog that the draw distance is no more than a few feet. Like most budget games, this one has a clipping problems. The game does have some nice options such as being able to make bodies stay permanently and wall-splatter blood effects, and, when not fogged up, has a pretty good draw distance.

Score: 6/10

Sound
There's not really any music in this game, but there's plenty of nice sound effects. The gunshots and explosions are really well done, and the ambient jungle sounds, while repeated excessively, are really nice for the first couple of levels. Sometimes the enemies will scream or yell phrases like "Die American!" while attacking you, and the main character also speaks, sharing his inane thoughts. For example, at one point he complains about having to do a jumping puzzle. At another time he encounters a cave, and, stating the obvious, calls it "stupid". He also comments on the level design, asking, "Why are there so many crates?".

Score: 7/10

Gameplay
Vietnam 2 is a singleplayer experience, featuring no multiplayer whatsoever. There are a total of 12 different levels, featuring many F.P.S. and Vietnam War movie conventions. You'll be fighting through various jungle environments, an old temple, an old city, Vietcong tunnels, etc. A few levels just feel like regular old Quake or Doom levels with Vietnam-themed architecture and texturing. Sometimes the levels have some cool scripted sequences such as a jet flying over and bombing a bridge or having to stay on a raft while coming under enemy fire, but most of the game is "been there, done that". Several times you'll run into booby-traps such as spiked pits, loose planks on bridges, trip-wired mines, spikes that come out of walls, etc. There are plenty of enemies, including snipers, grenadiers, RPG grenadiers, regular infantry and suicide bombers. A few times you'll run in Flak's mercenaries, who will give you a helping hand and take out some of the Vietnamese soldiers. Once the immediate area is cleared, though, they'll just stand around. By and large this game is a solo affair, and you'll be toting 8 different weapons of mass destruction, all of which are standard F.P.S. fare. You start off with a meager M-16, and move up to an AK-47, a shotgun, an M-60, a sniper rifle, hand grenades, an RPG-7, and even a Rambo-esque Compound Bow, which kills enemies in one hit. There seems to be a few problems with hit detection; most noticeably with the sniper rifle. The game isn't terribly long and there are very few sequences which will give you trouble.

Score: 7/10

Overall
Pros:
+ Decent story
+ Quake-ish gameplay in a Vietnam War setting
+ Some inspired levels
+ Voice acting
Cons:
- Story is almost entirely taken from Apocalypse Now
- Somewhat questionable hit detection/bullet physics
- Most of the game is far too generic for its own good

Final Score: 7/10 (NOT AN AVERAGE)

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 06/05/07