Game Review: Battlefield Vietnam
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What Parents Should Know
This game has both positive and negative aspects.
Negatively, as a first person shooter, there is a significant
amount of glorified and dramatized violence. Although putting
the violence in a historical context makes it less gratuitous,
the game cannot help but glorify warfare, and in some ways make
it a spectacle. If you get shot, you may hear yourself choke on
your own blood as you collapse to the ground. Looking through a
sniper?s scope, you can see every aspect of your victim?s death
throws. Particularly close explosions can send a body, albeit
not body parts, flying high into the air.
Positively, the game provides opportunities for younger players to learn about the Vietnam War. The game provides an excellent jumping-off point for parents and teens to discuss the war and era. Personal accounts could add a great deal of depth to the game, and discussions could branch into a variety of topics not touched upon in the game.
Common Sense Media Review
The jungle is lush and calm as the sun sets on a beautiful
day. Crouched low, you can hear the quiet sounds of wildlife as
evening sets in. But this is no peaceful vacation. Seconds
later you hear bullets zing just overhead. A sniper is on to
you. In a panic you look around, and in desperation you unload
half a clip from your M-16 in what you think is the general
direction of the sniper. The situation seems hopeless as you
spot enemy reinforcements approaching in a BMP troop carrier.
Machine gun fire splatters the ground in front of you. Suddenly
you hear the chop, chop of a friendly 'copter. A Bell UH-1 pops
over the trees, launching rockets at the BMP. Seconds later it
hovers next to you, offering a chance at escape. Leaping in,
you hear explosions as the enemy BMP turns into a fireball of
twisted metal. You have lived for another minute, and in this
game that seems like a lifetime. Welcome to BATTLEFIELD
VIETNAM, a first-person chance to experience the Vietnam
War.
Following in the footsteps of its prequel, Battlefield 1942, BATTLEFIELD VIETNAM puts you in the midst of all-out warfare. Don the uniform of either U.S., South Vietnamese or North Vietnamese forces, choose from four "classes" of troops, each with different weapon and equipment combinations, and fight through some of the major and minor battles of the Vietnam War.
The game offers more variety than most first-person shooter games. The game's environment is very interactive, as you can use booby traps, gun emplacements and natural cover to your advantage. However, one of the most "fun" aspects of the game is its use of vehicles. Run up to a jeep, tank, helicopter or boat, and with a simple press of a button, you are flying or driving your way into the battle. Vehicles are designed with multi-player action in mind, while most have spots for additional players to be gunners, or at least catch a ride into the battle. Despite the number of vehicles and options, the controls are relatively easy to master. Flying a helicopter or jet takes some practice, but doesn't require you to be a flight simulator pro. The rest of the game follows along basic first person shooting type controls with the use of the keyboard and mouse.
On a gameplaying level, BATTLEFIELD VIETNAM isn't designed to run on Dad's accounting machine. To run the game with the graphic levels it deserves, a near top-of-the line computer is required. Despite the high system requirements, the game's artificial intelligence or AI players are anything but intelligent. AI players have particular difficulty flying or driving vehicles. It is not an uncommon sight to see a helicopter with an AI pilot flying backwards, and eventually upside down -- promptly crashing and killing everyone involved. Other times you will see AI characters simply sitting in a jeep or vehicle, confused about what to do next. This emphasizes that the game is designed for multi-player support over a network or the Internet with human players.
