The Bottom Line
Very well-done jungle warfare with a heavy dose of realism. Hardcore shooter types will like it, but casual players might be a little overwhelmed.
Pros
- Remarkably challenging enemy AI.
- Very immersive jungle environments.
- Good variety of multiplayer game types.
Cons
- Multiplayer maps could be improved.
- Seems prone to crashes and disconnects.
- Some controls are slightly awkward.
Description
- Released March 25, 2003. Published by Gathering of Developers.
- Supports up to 64 players online, and allows users to host their own games.
- Nice attention to details like being able to use a gun's "iron sights" rather than the crosshairs.
- Six different player classes to take into action.
- Although not perfect, the enemy AI is superb, giving it definite cooperative multiplayer potential.
- Well-balanced and historically accurate arsenal.
- Features several types of usable vehicles.
- Graphics aren't quite cutting-edge, but certainly more than adequate.
- There are no editing tools included. Rumor is that they will become available in the coming months.
- It has sufficient bugs and glitches, but the first patch seems to have resolved most of them.
Guide Review - Vietcong
Jungle warfare is not the easiest thing to recreate in an FPS action game. Detailed vegetation, for example, tends to weigh down frame rates and make one long for the box-like environments of Counter-Strike. Without completely thrashing frame rates, Vietcong captures the setting very well, right down to branches that chip when you shoot them and rain with splash effects. Naturally, this game focuses on stealth tactics, tunnel warfare, and soldier on soldier firefights. As often as not you don't even see the player that kills you, as they are lying hidden behind a bush somewhere. Too bad the multiplayer maps have some flaws, such as weapons caches and spawn points that are easily camped, but the gaming community is likely to fix that soon.
