Thursday 5-Feb-2004 2:26 PM In the jungle, the violent jungle, no one sleeps tonight Battlefield Vietnam is, for those who have been hiding in a bomb shelter for the past six months, EA's and Digital Illusions' follow-up to the smash hit multiplayer action spectacular Battlefield 1942. Due to strike Europe on March 19, the sequel, outside of the conflict change and the bevy of new vehicles, introduces us to numerous exciting gameplay tweaks and enhancements to set it apart from its popular elder brother.
Yep, out goes Allied versus Axis combat to be replaced with a face-off between two forces - the United States or the North Vietnamese Army (NVA) and the Vietcong. Dense jungle, city streets, villages and rice fields are the new stages for ensuing combat, with maps, from what brief glimpses we've had of the game so far (thanks to the arrival of the latest code), being what you'd expect from Digital Illusions - i.e. damned good.
As with Battlefield 1942, single-player in Vietnam (we've yet to go online with Vietnam due to lack of test servers) seems as though it's going to be very much a boot camp prior to Internet/LAN play, and as such will act as a good training ground for anyone new to the series. Of course, 1942's diversity has also been retained, with footsoldier combat accompanying the ability to wage war with vehicles. We adore the helicopters especially, although they're a real bitch to master.
Immediately noticeable as well is the effect that dense jungle has on the battlefield. Naturally, you can sneak through the flora (take note, snipers), but follow the roads and footpaths and everything feels that much more enclosed. In fact, playing single-player, where the AI stuck to roads and footpaths 99 percent of the time, it was almost like a return to the corridor/room shooter.
However, rather than spoil the experience, this actually resulted in numerous instances of tense, exciting close-quarter combat that were utterly enjoyable. And before we sign off, we should mention that the music chosen for BF Vietnam is rocking. There's nothing cooler when waiting for a map to load than getting your ears blasted with Edwyn Starr warbling: "War! Huh! What is it good for?!"
All being well, we should have more wild media and impressions on Battlefield Vietnam soon. In the meantime, check out the exclusive screens we've nabbed.
Copyright 2006 - 2009 Future Publishing Limited, Beauford Court, 30 Monmouth Street, Bath, UK BA1 2BW England and Wales company registration number 2008885
