Battlefield: Vietnam Review
Posted: Thu Apr 15, 2004 1:42 pm
Now I know everyone's been talking about BFV, and you guys probably know all about it by now, but I just felt like doing a formal review anyway so shove it.
Battlefield Vietnam is the sequel to Battlefield 1942. If you don't know about Battlefield 1942, you need to be shot, but while you're waiting for your execution I might as well fill you in. 1942 was and still is a hugely popular WWII-themed first-person shooter. While the single-player was lacking, (only bot matches, no story mode, characters, ect) the multiplayer was the true meat-and-potatoes anyway, and it was exceptional. Most maps consisted of a large outdoor environment, with several capture points spread throughout the map. Two teams fought for control of these points, which would bring them spawn locations, vehicles, and ultimately: victory. Battlefield 1942 spawned two expansion packs, many mods (the most famous of which is Desert Combat), and a huge fan following.
Now we finally have the sequel, Battlefield: Vietnam. Battlefield: Vietnam is much like 1942, but with some important differences that we will discuss. I'll cover the regular technical achievements first, and go in-depth about the gameplay later.
The graphics are excellent. They're not revolutionary, but they are still very nice. If you have them turned up. That's the one drawback to making a game that centers around its online play, gamers usually have to turn down the graphics in order to get better ping, avoid lag, increase framerates, ect. So in the end the textures, shadows, and lighting aren't terribly important, but I still encourage you to turn it all up high and play a bot match or two, just to enjoy the scenery. The only thing notable about the graphics is the foliage. The foliage is very important to the game because it affects gameplay and tactics so much. More to come on that.
The sounds are quite lovely. I'm not a read sound-whore, but I still appreciate how accurate and different all the guns, planes, helicopters, etc sound. You can absolutely tell the difference between an M60 machine gun and an M16 automatic assault rifle, even from the other side of a hill. Sounds can be your savior sometimes, or they can give you away. The coolest thing though is the soundtrack to the game. They have a large variety of Vietnam era music that plays while loading or while in the vehicles. The vehicle music is a very interesting thing because when you turn a song on, everyone around you hears it too! It can be very enjoyable, like when flying in a helicopter, or it can be a huge giveaway as to your position. It's fun to play music, but be careful.
Control is heavenly. From on foot, to airplanes, helicopters, boats, tanks, trucks, or anything else you can drive in the game, the control is very good. Flying the helicopters is not nearly as difficult as it was in Desert Combat, provided you have a joystick. Please, do your teammates a favor and don't fly with a mouse, it doesn't work. For any land vehicles the mouse and keyboard is fine, but use a joystick for the air.
Now for gameplay. The core gameplay is very similar to 1942, and people with experiance with 1942 can jump right into a game and know what to do. The single-player bots are still pretty bad. You can win or lose a game basically by yourself. The game still centers around capturing control points, and the maps are as well made as before. There are many differences though. In 1942, the teams were pretty close to carbon copies of each other, not so in Vietnam. Americans and North Vietnamese have different advantages and disadvantages, depending on the map. Playing styles don't have to differ according to which side you're on, but you will be more effective if you adapt. Americans have an air advantage, usually. But NVA and VietCong have anti-air weapons at their disposal. The developers also wanted the Americans to have a slight firepower advantage, much like real Vietnam, which leads us to the one balance issue.
The Americans have a Heavy Assault class available, from which you can choose between two slightly different weapons set-ups. For the first, the main weapons are the M60 machine gun and a grenade launcher; for the second, there is the M60 and the L.A.W. anti-armor rocket launcher. Setting aside the gross improbability that any soldier could run around carrying a rocket launcher AND a the biggest machine gun in the game, it's also a poor choice for the game itself. The M60, even without the L.A.W. for a sidekick, is very overpowered, having the fastest rate of fire and accurate out even to sniping distances. In short, the weapon creates an unfair advantage. Now to clarify, the weapon does not make the game unplayable or unenjoyable. It is quite possible to dominate the game even against such a powerful weapon, but it is an issue nontheless, and should be fixed as soon as possible.
All the maps are very well made, very detailed, and all of them fun. From urban ruins to dark jungle trails to bright waterfront villages, the maps look and play like a dream.
The vehicles are better than ever. Many people have commented on how the game feels like a sped-up version of 1942, likely due to the influence of Desert Combat. Every vehicle has situations in which it can excel, but no vehicle can dominate. Tanks are powerful but clumsy. One nice addition is how APC's are now amphibious, able to slog through marshes and streams with no trouble. It still annoys me though that jeeps will blow up instantly when driven into an ocean or lake, which strikes me a very unrealistic.
The weapons are all very well made and can all serve a purpose. Some of the North Vietnamese booby traps are more trouble than they are worth, but can still be useful in certain situations. Again, foliage plays a large role in the game. You can use foliage to hide booby traps, to sneak up on enemies for an ambush, or to hide. Worth noting is that foliage is usually not visible from the air, so hiding under a bush will not keep helicopters or airplanes from seeing you, though there are other options like trees, lean-to's and trenches.
Overall, Battlefield: Vietnam is a joy to play. The maps and the multiplayer make for a different experiance every time the game is played. It is one of those games that you learn from, by studying tactics, trying new things, with different results every time because of the unpredictablilty of playing with other real people. It is a game that highly encourages teamwork, without chaining you to it. I highly recommend it.
Score: A- (bad bots and small balance problem, but incredible game overall)
Battlefield Vietnam is the sequel to Battlefield 1942. If you don't know about Battlefield 1942, you need to be shot, but while you're waiting for your execution I might as well fill you in. 1942 was and still is a hugely popular WWII-themed first-person shooter. While the single-player was lacking, (only bot matches, no story mode, characters, ect) the multiplayer was the true meat-and-potatoes anyway, and it was exceptional. Most maps consisted of a large outdoor environment, with several capture points spread throughout the map. Two teams fought for control of these points, which would bring them spawn locations, vehicles, and ultimately: victory. Battlefield 1942 spawned two expansion packs, many mods (the most famous of which is Desert Combat), and a huge fan following.
Now we finally have the sequel, Battlefield: Vietnam. Battlefield: Vietnam is much like 1942, but with some important differences that we will discuss. I'll cover the regular technical achievements first, and go in-depth about the gameplay later.
The graphics are excellent. They're not revolutionary, but they are still very nice. If you have them turned up. That's the one drawback to making a game that centers around its online play, gamers usually have to turn down the graphics in order to get better ping, avoid lag, increase framerates, ect. So in the end the textures, shadows, and lighting aren't terribly important, but I still encourage you to turn it all up high and play a bot match or two, just to enjoy the scenery. The only thing notable about the graphics is the foliage. The foliage is very important to the game because it affects gameplay and tactics so much. More to come on that.
The sounds are quite lovely. I'm not a read sound-whore, but I still appreciate how accurate and different all the guns, planes, helicopters, etc sound. You can absolutely tell the difference between an M60 machine gun and an M16 automatic assault rifle, even from the other side of a hill. Sounds can be your savior sometimes, or they can give you away. The coolest thing though is the soundtrack to the game. They have a large variety of Vietnam era music that plays while loading or while in the vehicles. The vehicle music is a very interesting thing because when you turn a song on, everyone around you hears it too! It can be very enjoyable, like when flying in a helicopter, or it can be a huge giveaway as to your position. It's fun to play music, but be careful.
Control is heavenly. From on foot, to airplanes, helicopters, boats, tanks, trucks, or anything else you can drive in the game, the control is very good. Flying the helicopters is not nearly as difficult as it was in Desert Combat, provided you have a joystick. Please, do your teammates a favor and don't fly with a mouse, it doesn't work. For any land vehicles the mouse and keyboard is fine, but use a joystick for the air.
Now for gameplay. The core gameplay is very similar to 1942, and people with experiance with 1942 can jump right into a game and know what to do. The single-player bots are still pretty bad. You can win or lose a game basically by yourself. The game still centers around capturing control points, and the maps are as well made as before. There are many differences though. In 1942, the teams were pretty close to carbon copies of each other, not so in Vietnam. Americans and North Vietnamese have different advantages and disadvantages, depending on the map. Playing styles don't have to differ according to which side you're on, but you will be more effective if you adapt. Americans have an air advantage, usually. But NVA and VietCong have anti-air weapons at their disposal. The developers also wanted the Americans to have a slight firepower advantage, much like real Vietnam, which leads us to the one balance issue.
The Americans have a Heavy Assault class available, from which you can choose between two slightly different weapons set-ups. For the first, the main weapons are the M60 machine gun and a grenade launcher; for the second, there is the M60 and the L.A.W. anti-armor rocket launcher. Setting aside the gross improbability that any soldier could run around carrying a rocket launcher AND a the biggest machine gun in the game, it's also a poor choice for the game itself. The M60, even without the L.A.W. for a sidekick, is very overpowered, having the fastest rate of fire and accurate out even to sniping distances. In short, the weapon creates an unfair advantage. Now to clarify, the weapon does not make the game unplayable or unenjoyable. It is quite possible to dominate the game even against such a powerful weapon, but it is an issue nontheless, and should be fixed as soon as possible.
All the maps are very well made, very detailed, and all of them fun. From urban ruins to dark jungle trails to bright waterfront villages, the maps look and play like a dream.
The vehicles are better than ever. Many people have commented on how the game feels like a sped-up version of 1942, likely due to the influence of Desert Combat. Every vehicle has situations in which it can excel, but no vehicle can dominate. Tanks are powerful but clumsy. One nice addition is how APC's are now amphibious, able to slog through marshes and streams with no trouble. It still annoys me though that jeeps will blow up instantly when driven into an ocean or lake, which strikes me a very unrealistic.
The weapons are all very well made and can all serve a purpose. Some of the North Vietnamese booby traps are more trouble than they are worth, but can still be useful in certain situations. Again, foliage plays a large role in the game. You can use foliage to hide booby traps, to sneak up on enemies for an ambush, or to hide. Worth noting is that foliage is usually not visible from the air, so hiding under a bush will not keep helicopters or airplanes from seeing you, though there are other options like trees, lean-to's and trenches.
Overall, Battlefield: Vietnam is a joy to play. The maps and the multiplayer make for a different experiance every time the game is played. It is one of those games that you learn from, by studying tactics, trying new things, with different results every time because of the unpredictablilty of playing with other real people. It is a game that highly encourages teamwork, without chaining you to it. I highly recommend it.
Score: A- (bad bots and small balance problem, but incredible game overall)
