Vietcong

Published by: Gathering
Developed by: Illusion Softworks\Pterodon
Platform: PC CD-ROM
Released - Out Now
Price : £29.99

We gave our preview of Vietcong a little while ago and it's fair to say that our initial impressions of it were favourable. A FPS with the Vietnam War as a backdrop is perhaps the best way to describe the game. Throughout the game's 20 single player missions you'll control Sergeant Steve Hawkins. The action is slightly different from other FPS games as the game is not just about going in with all guns blazing and the interaction you have with your squad members isn't as in-depth as you would find in the Tom Clancy tactical shooters.

What makes Vietcong different from many other FPS games is the need to use your environment to cover your movements. Most of the time you'll be moving through levels that have thick foliage and it's wise to utilise this as best as you can. The VCs that will be firing at you seem to have an uncanny knack of being able to hit you so it's vital to dispatch them as soon as possible. Whatever else can be said about Vietcong, it's fair to say that it's one of the best games out there for it's depiction of jungle warfare.

What might be a problem for some gamers is that Vietcong doesn't really have a continuous plot to involve you in what's going on. For the most part the game appears to have been a series of missions that have been strung together. Of course in a FPS a lot of people don't care about the plot and just want the action and it's true the game doesn't suffer too much because of the lack of a decent storyline but it still would have been great if there had been one.

Whilst you have a squad of men with you, you don't have the same degree of control over them that you would in games such as Rainbow Six. This will be a problem for some gamers as it feels like you don't have the ability to control your squad in the way that you see fit. Fortunately your squad members seem to have a knack of managing to look after themselves and don't head off and get themselves killed. Whilst it would have been brilliant if you could have had greater control over what they did, I suppose there are gamers who appreciate that the game isn't overly complex and doesn't have a steep learning curve like so many of the tactical shooters.

Vietcong is an 18 rated game and with good reason too. Not since the game Kingpin have I come across language this strong. Of course it's probably meant to be a sample of the language the soldiers actually used but it would have been good if you could have turned off the abusive language. Bear this in mind if strong language offends you.

When you've finished the campaign there's still plenty to do. Throughout the campaign you'll unlock maps and extra weapons that can be used to take part in the Quick Fight mode that pits you against some lethally accurate AI bots. You can also redo the campaign missions you have already completed. The multiplayer game offers a variety of modes. There's deathmatch, team deathmatch, capture the flag, assault team game, last man standing, real war (you have to capture three flags) and co-operative. The multiplayer modes are impressive and it's already proving to be a popular title amongst online FPS players.

Vietcong is generally deaf gamer friendly. Subtitles can be activated from the options menu and most speech in the game is subtitled. It's strange how the non-English speaking characters are not subtitled though especially as even the hearing gamers could probably have benefited from subtitles in this case. If VCs are present in the area you'll by notified in text to get down and seek cover, which prevents a lot of frustration. Let's be honest here, the nature of Vietcong would make the game almost impossible to play for a deaf gamer if such warnings were not given in text. The mission briefings, debriefings and instructions are given in text too. Pressing the Tab key will bring up the list of objectives and show you those that have been completed. Between missions you get to walk around Hawkins' Bunker that is full of information and this is all given in text.

The compass on the HUD can show the location (general direction) of your enemies and this too is useful for a deaf gamer. Of course those of you who want the game extra difficult can turn this off. There is an option to use voice communication in a multiplayer game that is going to affect a deaf gamer's enjoyment unless you can play in a game where only text chat is allowed.

Graphically Vietcong looks good. The graphics are not quite up to the standard set by Unreal 2 by nevertheless it still looks good and you're going to need a meaty PC setup to run the game at anything above 800x600 screen resolution. One of the most pleasing visual aspects is the dense foliage that you move through. It really makes you want to take out your machete and hack your way through.

The single player missions are enjoyable but inhuman accuracy of the VCs might prove a touch irritating to some. Still the missions are varied and keep you on your toes. Despite the game being deaf gamer friendly it's also fair to say that the game makes good use of environmental sound and hearing gamers will find the game slightly easier, particularly if they have surround sound, to deal with the VC attacks.

Overall Game Rating: 7.8/10
Overall I think Vietcong is perhaps best summed up as a good single player game with very good multiplayer options.

Deaf Gamers comment:
The game is generally fine for deaf gamers but it is fair to say the game will be slightly easier for hearing gamers due to the assistance they will receive from the environmental audio.