Battlefield Vietnam (PC)

There are a lot of hardcore Battlefield 1942 players here at GameSpy. I mean a LOT. We have an in-house clan, an internal mailing list, and we've even had a few weekend-long LAN parties dedicated exclusively to the multiplayer shooter. So, it wasn't surprising when I recently returned from an EA press event and quickly found myself deluged with questions about Battlefield Vietnam. Interestingly, most of the questions fell into two categories: either "Is it just Battlefield in a new country?" or "Have they messed with the gameplay at all?"

Hence, you can see the challenge facing publisher EA and developer Digital Illusions CE ("DICE"). Futz around with the gameplay too much -- or not enough -- and you'll run the risk of upsetting your biggest fans either way. How do you satisfy everyone, while still bringing in new players?

From what we've seen of Battlefield Vietnam so far, the answer appears to lie somewhere in the middle. On the surface, the game looks like Battlefield 1942; the graphics and interface are similar, and the basic concept is still the same: own the battlefield. The arcadish physics appear intact, as does the gameplay's breakneck pace. But in moving the series to southeast Asia, adding new vehicles, weapons, and abilities, Battlefield Vietnam is shaping up to be its own game, with completely new strategies and a much higher level of polish than its predecessor.

As you might have guessed, Battlefield Vietnam pits US forces against the North Vietnamese Army, over a yet-to-be-determined number of locations spanning jungles, riverbeds, cities and other locales. Since Battlefield Vietnam has only been in development for a few months, there weren't many levels for us to check out, but two things that were immediately apparent: the presence of new air vehicles, such as choppers and jets, and thick foliage that should keep soldiers on their toes all times. As in BF1942, players will be able to assume several different roles, such as Green Berets for the US and Vietcong for the NVA.

One of the key additions to the Battlefield stable of vehicles is the helicopter, which comes in a few different varieties. One of the most recognizable on the US side promises to be the Bell UH-1 Iroquois, aka the "Huey." Both sides will have jets at their disposal, and US fighters will have the ability to launch napalm strikes. It's a common misconception that the NVA didn't have many vehicles to fight with, but they'll have a full garagefull in BF Vietnam, mostly of Soviet origin. Along with aircraft, tanks, and jeeps, you can also expect motorcycles and several watercraft.


A US chopper airlifts a jeep away.

In addition to carrying several players at once, the choppers also have the ability to do chain drops, which we got to see in action, and was one of the highlights of our demo. First, a Huey lowered a chain, which was hooked to a tank. The chopper then airlifted the tank and carried it across the map, the tank dangling helplessly the whole way. Well, not entirely helpless -- while we were watching, there was a sole player manning the swinging tank's turret, desperately trying to aim while the tank slowly spun at the end of the chain. Choppers suffer reduced mobility while doing airlifts like this, making them extremely vulnerable to anti-air weapons. It's easy to see some of the more entertaining possibilities this opens up: I'd expect "Sluggo was killed by a tank falling on his head" to pop up every once in a while.

Although the graphics retain the same look and style as Battlefield 1942, we're told that DICE has built an entirely new graphics engine for Battlefield Vietnam. One of the engine's more impressive features is the undergrowth system, which results in large patches of tall grass being rendered on the fly and swaying around as players crawl along on their bellies. According to the game's producers, the combat is "supposed to play like Vietnam," focusing on trench warfare and allowing for booby traps. We got to see one of the traps in action, as a support was shot out, sending a stack of logs rolling down a hill onto a group of helpless soldiers.

-quikspy67 =P