BATTLEFIELD VIETNAM

GAME DETAILS :-

Developer : Digital Illusions

Publisher : Electronic Arts

Engine : Redfractor 2

Genre : Historic First-Person Shooter

Release Date : March 16 , 2004

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS :-

Operating System : Windows 98 / Windows XP

CPU : AMD Athlon Thunderbird B-Models / Intel Pentium III Processor

Memory (RAM) : 256 MB

Graphics Hardware : DirectX 9.0b Compatible Video Card with Memory 64 MB

[NVIDIA : GeForce 4 Ti Series
ATI : Radeon 9500 Series]

Hard Disk Space : 2 GB

GAME FEATURES :-

Battlefield Vietnam is one of the most anticipated games of the year. Battlefield Vietnam is a multiplayer-focused shooter that allows you to fight the battles of the Vietnam War against computer-controlled bots or up to 63 other players. In the conquest mode, which is the primary mode of play here just as in Battlefield 1942, players divide up into two teams, one for the US and its Vietnamese allies and the other for the North Vietnamese and its Vietcong allies. You're then dropped into a gigantic map and must battle for strategic control points. In addition to running around on foot with a variety of weapons, you can jump into an assortment of vehicles, including jeeps, tanks, helicopters, jets, and more. Often, multiple players can jump into the same vehicle; for example, one player can pilot the helicopter while two players handle the side-mounted machine guns and two others sit back and shoot out the side with their own weapons. It can make for a wildly exciting experience as the two teams slug it out in a tug-of-war struggle, and a team's fortunes can change in a heartbeat depending on the skill and coordination level between players. The first thing that strikes you about Battlefield Vietnam isn't the graphics; it's the music. From the opening movie to the loading screens, you're immediately exposed to a soundtrack that's packed with the classic Vietnam War protest songs, including Edwin Starr's "War," Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Fortunate Son," The Trashmen's "Surfin' Bird," and others. The 14 different scenarios in Battlefield Vietnam are inspired by some of the most famous battles of the war, including the Ia Drang Valley, Hue during the Tet Offensive, and the Siege of Khe Sanh. There are also lesser-known battles, such as Operation Hastings and Operation Flaming Dart. The game itself comes with about 12 different maps, because two urban maps--Hue and Quang Tri--are used twice. There are some variations in the recycled versions of those two maps, but it's disappointing whenever developers reuse levels in the same game.

The multiplayer server browser derives directly from Battlefield 1942, which is a good thing. It's extremely easy to use, so finding and jumping into a game online requires just a few mouse clicks. There are a number of different game types in Battlefield Vietnam, including evolution and capture the flag.The vehicles in Battlefield Vietnam transform the game. The American jeep is back, but this time the passengers can shoot from the shotgun position for drive-by shootings, and the jeep has a powerful missile launcher for a third passenger. The tanks are bigger and more powerful. There are a few notable additions, including the Vespa scooter, which can zip around the urban levels, and the BTR-60, an armored personnel carrier in which the passengers can look and shoot out of the sides. The US also gets a couple of patrol boats for river operations, and a number of vehicles are also amphibious, which allows them to negotiate water obstacles. Helicopters combine rapid transport capabilities with a mobile weapons platform capable of devastating air support. Unlike planes, helicopters can loiter close to the ground and hover in place to provide fire support. A couple of Hueys can deliver a squad of infantry deep behind enemy lines to secure control points. The downside to helicopters is that they are extremely tricky to operate, and it takes considerable practice before you can fly one without crashing. And while they're rugged against infantry weapons, helicopters are extremely vulnerable to antiaircraft cannons and missiles, not to mention enemy helicopters and fighters, so they're not unstoppable. The jet engine has also had a huge effect on the aircraft in Battlefield Vietnam. The US has the F-4 Phantom and the A-7 Corsair, both of which are capable of devastating ground attacks. The Phantom, in particular, has the dreaded napalm bomb that can carpet a wide area. The assault rifles and machine guns of the Vietnam era have increased the lethality of infantry considerably in this game relative to its predecessor. The M60, in particular, is almost an overpowering weapon, capable of churning out high rates of fire with a large belt of ammunition and laying down fire over long ranges. The North Vietnamese have a number of cool weapons as well. In addition to Kalashnikov assault rifles and rocket-propelled grenades, they get the SA-7 antiaircraft missile (useful for shooting down American helicopters and jets), as well as caltrops (small, spiked antipersonnel devices that you scatter on the ground as an obstacle).

Little things like weapon animations are done particularly well; the parts on your rifle will actually jiggle as you run around.The sound effects are extremely well done. The background noises almost lull you, what with birds chirping in the air and other such ambient noises. Then the sound of gunfire erupts around you, and you can hear bullets whizzing by the tall blades of grass. Bullets literally sound like they're zinging by your head. Weapon sounds are modeled accurately and have their distinctive sounds, from the short bark of the M16 to the crack of the sniper rifle. There's even radio chatter when you strap into a helicopter or fighter, and a number of vehicles have speakers that can boom out music from the soundtrack. All this graphical detail in the terrain, weapons, vehicles, and soldiers comes at a price, though. Battlefield Vietnam will tax the most powerful systems, particularly in terms of memory. Load times are excruciatingly long, especially if you raise the graphical detail to maximum. To illustrate, the game plays one of the tracks from the soundtrack as you load, and you can usually get two-thirds of the way through the song by the time the level finishes loading. Battlefield Vietnam packs more dramatic moments in its gameplay than most any multiplayer-focused action game in the past few years. Strictly compared against its 2-year-old predecessor, it's a better-designed game, featuring better technology--as you'd probably expect. And it's a better executed game; Battlefield Vietnam doesn't ship with any of the game-breaking bugs and flaws. Make no mistake, though: Battlefield Vietnam is a great, undeniably fun game.

GAME REVIEW :-

8.5/10

Battlefield Vietnam Trailer :-