VIETCONG

GAME DETAILS :-

Developer : Pterodon And Illusion Softworks

Publisher : Gathering Of Developers

Engine : Ptero-Engine II

Genre : Tactical First-Person Shooter

Release Date : March 26 , 2003

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS :-

Operating System : Windows 98 / Windows 2000

CPU : Intel Pentium III Processor / AMD Athlon XP 1800+

Memory (RAM) : 256 MB

Graphics Hardware : DirectX 9.0 Compatible Video Card with Memory MB

[NVIDIA : GeForce 4 Series
ATI : Radeon X300 Series]

Hard Disk Space : 1.8 GB

GAME FEATURES :-

Vietcong features a complete single-player campaign, a single-player quick-mission mode that throws you into an enemy-infested area per your specification, and a fully featured multiplayer mode with a built-in server browser for finding open game sessions online. The quick-mission and multiplayer modes let you play as either the Americans or the Vietcong, but in the campaign, you'll assume the role of Sergeant First Class Steve Hawkins, who is transferred to a Special Forces unit based in Nui Pek Camp at the start of the game. Here Hawkins will meet his other squadmates, including Vietnamese point man Le Duy Nhut and loudmouthed machine gunner C.J. Hornster. Clearly, Vietnam War movies like Platoon and Full Metal Jacket informed and inspired Vietcong as much as any history books did, but in any case, the character-driven plot works well to make the campaign more engaging. The events of the campaign are predictable enough in and of themselves, but they may take you by surprise as they come up, and they're the sorts of experiences you'd probably hope to get out of a first-person shooter set during the Vietnam War. Between creeping through the foliage with your squad, hoping to spot any camouflaged VC before they spot you, and lurking all alone through the VC's elaborate tunnel networks, wondering if you'll ever see the light of day again, Vietcong's campaign by and large hits the right notes. Enemy forces, meanwhile, will always fight from behind cover, and they do a fine job of making themselves difficult to spot. They are tenacious and tend to have superior numbers, and they seem more brave than foolhardy. They'll retreat if injured and will keep their heads down when under fire. Realistic tactics work against them. When the rest of your squad is pinned down by embedded VC forces, often you can take the initiative and flank the enemy, catching them completely off guard for a satisfying victory. At other times, you'll be caught off guard yourself, either by enemy fire or by booby traps. Vietcong uses a combination of sporadic autosave checkpoints and a limited save system to strike a good balance between letting you save your progress as necessary but not allowing you to abuse a save-anywhere feature, which would make the shooting sequences trivial. A good variety of realistically modeled weapons are available in the game, including mainstays such as the M16 and AK-47, the classic M1 Garand, the M60 machine gun, and the Dragunov sniper rifle. Plenty of side arms, submachine guns, and explosives can also be picked up and used, though you're restricted to carrying only one weapon of each type at a time, so you'll need to choose wisely and often salvage weapons from fallen foes.

As you play through the campaign, you'll unlock new weapons and scenarios for use in the quick-mission mode. You'll also be able to play through the campaign missions as stand-alone scenarios at varying difficulty settings, the hardest of which takes away all your graphical indicators, like your health and ammo displays. The single-player game has good replay value, but of course there's the online multiplayer mode, too. Seven different multiplayer variants are available, including the standard deathmatch, team deathmatch, and capture the flag modes. These problems with the visuals detract from an otherwise convincing graphical presentation. The game's character models can look odd from certain angles, but they're rendered with impressive detail, down to the whites of their eyes. Their camouflage looks just right and actually helps them blend in with their surroundings. The various weapon models look authentic, and the ability to raise all the guns to eye level helps make them seem more real. The game's environments look best from medium distance--up close, the vegetation gets blocky and ugly, while from far away, things can look a little sparse. Vietcong's audio is well done, thanks largely to a fine selection of '60s and '70s rock that can be heard during certain moments in the game, such as when Steve is in his bunk between missions, listening to his radio and taking a breather. The voice acting in the game is ham-fisted--overenthusiastic Steve sounds like a superhero's sidekick rather than a hardened soldier--though the game deserves credit for having the Vietnamese characters speak either in their native language or in English with an authentic accent. Audio is also used to further create the impression that you're actually in a jungle, with realistic footstep sounds and ambient noise. And the report of each of the game's firearms is distinctly different. Bullets can be heard whizzing right past you or thudding hard into nearby objects, which adds a lot to the sense that you're in serious danger during a firefight. Vietcong has a lot of fine details such as that one, but they don't change or hide the fact that the game has some obvious rough edges. It's really too bad that the game isn't more polished out of the box. Its technical issues are going to get in the way of some players' enjoyment of an otherwise solid and relatively original first-person shooter, and they'll likely convince other players to avoid the game altogether. Vietcong is still a very good game, however. Vietcong has a lot of great qualities, so it's unfortunate that some technical issues detract both from its performance and its presentation.

GAME REVIEW :-

8/10

Vietcong Trailer :-