Vietcong (video game)

Last updated

Vietcong
Vietcong Coverart.png
Developer(s) Pterodon
Illusion Softworks
Coyote Developments (PS2, Xbox)
Publisher(s) Gathering
Platform(s) Windows, PlayStation 2, Xbox
ReleaseWindows
  • NA: March 26, 2003
  • EU: April 17, 2003
PlayStation 2, Xbox
  • NA: September 15, 2004
  • PAL: October 22, 2004
Genre(s) Tactical first-person shooter
Mode(s) Single-player, multiplayer

Vietcong is a 2003 tactical first-person shooter video game developed by Pterodon in cooperation with Illusion Softworks and published by Gathering for Microsoft Windows. It is set during the Vietnam War in 1967.

Contents

The expansion pack Vietcong: Fist Alpha was released in January 2004 and was bundled with Vietcong as Vietcong: Purple Haze for the PC. Vietcong: Purple Haze was also released in September 2004 for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox, ported by Coyote Games. Another official add-on titled Red Dawn was released as a free downloadable content. [1] A sequel to the game, Vietcong 2 , was released in 2005.

Plot

The player takes on the role of Sergeant First Class Steve R. Hawkins, assigned to the United States Special Forces ("Green Berets") camp at a strategic location of Nui Pek in South Vietnam near the Cambodian border. Hawkins and his A-Team carry out a series of various missions against the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese forces. The game ends in a massive North Vietnamese attack on the team's base camp which is ultimately abandoned by all American forces.

The ground assault on Nui Pek is a recreation of the ground assault that happened at Special Forces Camp Lang Vei.

Expansion

Fist Alpha is a prequel to Vietcong, occurring three months before the events of that game. The main character is Sergeant First Class Douglas Warren. All the members of the team from the original Vietcong are present initially except for Le Duy Nhut (Nick). The team's pointman and translator is Vietnamese Sergeant Nham Nguyen. He is killed in action during the attack on the Nui Pek base camp on 15 May 1966 and he is replaced by Nhut.

Gameplay

Vietcong has the player take part in military operations against the Viet Cong and later also the North Vietnamese Army. Some levels are highly linear, while others take place in more open outdoor environments, allowing for more tactical freedom. Missions typically require the player to sabotage weapons caches or simply clear areas of enemies - usually not all objectives need to be achieved in order to complete a mission. Gameplay mostly revolves around open combat in the jungle, tunnels and other locations typical for the setting but the player occasionally also has to traverse longer passages without encountering enemies during which punji pits and other traps pose the main threat.

Vietcong aims for a high level of authenticity and realism. AI characters make frequent use of cover but change the latter often, making it difficult for the player to anticipate enemies' specific locations and encouraging a tactical approach. [2] All weapons' aim sights can be used to increase aim but a sway is present which simulates a shooter's shaking hands. The latter can be reduced by entering a crouching or prone stance. While aiming the gun is raised, which allows the player to shoot over cover without fully exposing himself. The game avoids the use of health packs and rather has the player use bandages, which briefly exposes him, or have a medic treat his wounds. The game features a variety of authentic weapons from the era such as the M-16 and AK-47 assault rifles. The player is able to choose the weapons he wants to go on a mission with in advance but can also replace them with weapons found on missions, giving him access to weapons used by the enemies. In some missions airstrikes can be ordered to bombard specific areas of the map.

Typically for tactical shooters the player is usually accompanied by AI controlled comrades. Each of the fellow soldiers is a unique character who is not allowed to die and serves a specific role in the team. For instance the point man can safely lead the team towards the objective, avoiding any traps and warning the player of enemies in advance, while a combat engineer carries an infinite supply of ammo for the player. By default the team simply follows the player character and engages at will but general orders such as to attack the enemy or retreat can be given. The fellow soldiers can also be called individually to the player character's location.

Quick fight

In addition to the main campaign a "quick fight" mode is available. The latter allows the player to simply engage in a fight on one of several arena-like maps with the sole objective of eliminating all enemies. The player can choose whether he wishes to be accompanied by a team, how many and what kind of enemies to engage, and what equipment he wishes to go on the mission with. In this mode the player is also able to assume the role of a Viet Cong combatant and engage American soldiers. By default only a single map and few weapons are available but more become available as the player makes progress in the game's main campaign.

Multiplayer

The game also features a local and online multiplayer mode which supports up to 64 players per match. The online lobby servers were hosted by the now-defunct GameSpy Arcade.

Several gameplay modes typical for shooter games are available: Free for all deathmatch, team deathmatch, capture the flag and last man standing. Additionally a team mode is available where, similarly to Counter-Strike , players remain dead for the remainder of the current round and teams only score a point if the opposite team has been completely annihilated.

Reception

Sales

In the United Kingdom, Vietcong sold roughly 20,000 units during the first half of 2003. Kristan Reed of GamesIndustry.biz wrote that these were "not figures that spell H.I.T." [3] Its sales in the region rose to around 50,000 units by year's end. [4] In the German market, Vietcong was the top-selling full-price computer game of April 2003, according to Media Control. [5] It remained in the top 10 through August, [6] [7] [8] and placed 15th in September. [9]

As of November 2007, Vietcong had sold more than 1 million copies worldwide. [10]

Reviews and awards

The game received "average" reviews according to the review aggregation website Metacritic. [11]

In the Czech Republic, the game's country of origin, the game is highly popular. Vietcong was voted the 3rd best video game developed in the Czech Republic and Slovakia in a survey by Czech web provider BonusWeb when it received 1393 votes out of 13,143 as every reader could choose for three games to vote for. [22]

GameSpot gave it the award of the Game of the Month for April 2003. [23]

Vietcong was named the eighth-best computer game of 2003 by Computer Games Magazine . The editors wrote that "the interface feels more like shooting a gun and interacting with the environment than any other first-person shooter ever". [24]

Fist Alpha and Purple Haze reception

The Fist Alpha expansion pack received "average" reviews according to the review aggregation website Metacritic. [25]

The PC version of Purple Haze received "generally favorable reviews", and the Xbox version received "mixed" reviews, while the PlayStation 2 version received "generally unfavorable reviews", according to Metacritic. [35] [36] [37]

Related Research Articles

<i>Tetris Worlds</i> 2001 video game

Tetris Worlds is a version of the video game Tetris. Originally released in 2001 for Microsoft Windows and Game Boy Advance, it was later released for Xbox, GameCube, and PlayStation 2 in 2002. In 2003, an Xbox Live version titled "Tetris Worlds Online" and a single-disc compilation version were released for the Xbox. The latter was bundled with Xbox systems.

<i>Men of Valor</i> 2004 video game

Men of Valor is a first-person shooter video game developed by 2015, Inc. and published by Vivendi Universal Games for the Microsoft Windows and Xbox platforms. Men of Valor is based on the Unreal Engine 2.0 and simulates infantry combat during the Vietnam War, more specifically, the Tet Offensive in 1968. The game was released in 2004 to mostly positive reviews.

<i>Grand Prix 3</i> 2000 video game

Grand Prix 3 is a computer racing simulator developed by MicroProse's UK development studio in Chipping Sodbury and published by Hasbro Interactive, released in July 2000. The expansion pack, "2000 Season", was developed by Simergy and published by Infogrames Interactive.

<i>Scrapland</i> 2004 video game

American McGee Presents: Scrapland is a game developed by MercurySteam, with American McGee as an executive producer and published by Enlight Software. A remastered version was released for Windows on December 13, 2021.

<i>XGRA: Extreme-G Racing Association</i> 2003 video game

XGRA: Extreme-G Racing Association is a futuristic racing video game, the fourth and final installment in the Extreme-G series, following Extreme-G 3. This game features more tracks as well as a brand new weapon system.

<i>Robin Hood: Defender of the Crown</i> 2003 video game

Robin Hood: Defender of the Crown is a turn-based strategy video game developed by Cinemaware and published by Capcom. It is loosely based on the legend of Robin Hood and remake of Cinemaware's previous game Defender of the Crown, released for PlayStation 2, Windows, Xbox, and mobile phones.

<i>Just Cause</i> (video game) 2006 action-adventure game

Just Cause is a 2006 third-person action-adventure game set in an open world environment. It is developed by Swedish developer Avalanche Studios and published by Eidos Interactive, and is the first game in the Just Cause series. It was released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2, Xbox, and Xbox 360. The area explored during the game is described as being over 1,024 km2 (395 sq mi) in size, with 21 story missions and over 300 side missions to complete.

<i>Praetorians</i> (video game) 2003 real-time tactics video game

Praetorians is a 3D real-time tactics video game developed by Pyro Studios and published by Eidos Interactive in 2003, based on Julius Caesar's historical campaigns in Gaul and Britain, Crassus' battles in Parthia, and the events of Caesar's Civil War during the 1st century BC. The player controls either the Roman Republic, the Ptolemaic Kingdom, or a generic barbarian tribe based on the Helvetii, Gauls, and Celts.

<i>Mashed</i> (video game) 2004 video game

Mashed is a vehicular combat racing video game developed by Supersonic Software. The game was originally released in Europe for PlayStation 2, Xbox and Microsoft Windows in June 2004. An updated version with additional features, titled Mashed: Fully Loaded in Europe and Drive to Survive internationally, was released in Europe in March 2005 and in North America in December 2006. The direct sequel Wrecked: Revenge Revisited was released in 2012.

<i>Stronghold: Crusader</i> 2002 video game

Stronghold: Crusader is the successor to Firefly Studios's 2001 real-time strategy video game Stronghold. Crusader has much in common with the original Stronghold, but differs from its predecessor in the fact that the game is no longer set in England, instead being set in the Middle East during the Crusades. Another prominent addition not found in its predecessor is a skirmish mode in single-player, allowing customized battles with AI opponents instead of the linear campaign. The game was also released as Stronghold Warchest. This version was a compendium of Stronghold and an enhanced version of Stronghold: Crusader, containing additional characters and an additional Crusader Trail.

<i>Colin McRae Rally 2005</i> 2004 video game

Colin McRae Rally 2005 is a racing video game developed and published by Codemasters.

<i>Vietcong 2</i> 2005 video game

Vietcong 2 is a tactical shooter video game, developed by Pterodon and Illusion Softworks, published by 2K for Microsoft Windows in October 2005, and set during the Vietnam War. It is the direct sequel to Vietcong.

<i>UEFA Euro 2008</i> (video game) 2008 video game

UEFA Euro 2008 is the official video game of the Euro 2008 football tournament, published by EA Sports. It was developed collaboratively by EA Canada and HB Studios and was released in Europe and North America on 18 April 2008 and 19 May 2008 respectively. The commentary was provided by Clive Tyldesley and Andy Townsend.

<i>Rogue Trooper</i> (video game) 2006 video game

Rogue Trooper is a third-person shooter video game developed by Rebellion Developments and published by Eidos Interactive. It was released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2 and Xbox in 2006. The Wii version, entitled Rogue Trooper: Quartz Zone Massacre, was released in 2009.

<i>Beijing 2008</i> (video game) 2008 sports video game

Beijing 2008 is the official Olympic video game of the 2008 Summer Olympics held in Beijing. Developed by Eurocom and published by Sega, the game was the second video game based on the 2008 Summer Olympics to be released, the first being the fantasy-based Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games which appeared in late 2007; however, Beijing 2008 is a realistic sports simulation.

<i>FIFA Football 2003</i> 2002 video game

FIFA Football 2003, known as FIFA Soccer 2003 in North America, and simply FIFA 2003 is a football simulation video game produced by Electronic Arts and released by EA Sports. It was released in 2002.

<i>Zeit²</i> 2011 video game

Zeit² is a horizontally scrolling shooter made by German developer Brightside Games. It was released for Microsoft Windows and Xbox Live Arcade on January 12, 2011. The word "Zeit" is German for time.

<i>UEFA Euro 2004</i> (video game) 2004 video game

UEFA Euro 2004 is the official licensed video game of UEFA Euro 2004 football tournament hosted in Portugal. The game was developed by EA Canada and published by EA Sports. It was released for Microsoft Windows, Xbox and PlayStation 2.

NBA Inside Drive is a series of video games based on National Basketball Association, published by Microsoft Studios. Its main competition was NBA Live, a series from Electronic Arts.

References

  1. ↑ "Vietcong Red Dawn". Pterodon . Archived from the original on March 19, 2006. Retrieved April 17, 2018.
  2. 1 2 Kasavin, Greg (April 2, 2003). "Vietcong Review". GameSpot . CBS Interactive . Retrieved July 25, 2016.
  3. ↑ Reed, Kristan (June 11, 2003). "UK Charts 2003: Summer Report". GamesIndustry.biz . Archived from the original on August 12, 2003.
  4. ↑ Reed, Kristan (March 1, 2004). "UK Charts: 2003 Annual Report Round Up". Eurogamer . Archived from the original on January 21, 2019.
  5. ↑ "PC-Games-Charts: Vietcong kämpft sich an die Spitze". GamesMarkt (in German). May 6, 2003. Archived from the original on June 7, 2022.
  6. ↑ "Zeitraum: Mai 2003" (in German). Verband der Unterhaltungssoftware Deutschland. Archived from the original on June 18, 2003.
  7. ↑ "Zeitraum: Juni 2003" (in German). Verband der Unterhaltungssoftware Deutschland. Archived from the original on August 1, 2003.
  8. ↑ "Zeitraum: August 2003" (in German). Verband der Unterhaltungssoftware Deutschland. Archived from the original on September 8, 2003.
  9. ↑ "Zeitraum: September 2003" (in German). Verband der Unterhaltungssoftware Deutschland. Archived from the original on October 9, 2003.
  10. ↑ Kim, Tom (November 14, 2007). "The Strange History Of Gamecock's Mike Wilson". Gamasutra . UBM plc.
  11. 1 2 "Vietcong for PC Reviews". Metacritic . CBS Interactive. Retrieved April 18, 2018.
  12. ↑ McDonald, Thomas L. (July 2003). "Vietcong" (PDF). Computer Gaming World . No. 228. Ziff Davis. p. 76. Retrieved April 18, 2018.
  13. ↑ "Vietcong". Edge . No. 124. Future plc. June 2003. p. 102.
  14. ↑ Reed, Kristan (April 30, 2003). "Vietcong". Eurogamer . Gamer Network. Retrieved April 18, 2018.
  15. ↑ Sanders, Shawn (April 2003). "Vietcong Review". Game Revolution . CraveOnline. Archived from the original on October 12, 2015. Retrieved April 18, 2018.
  16. ↑ Osborne, Scott (April 5, 2003). "GameSpy: Vietcong". GameSpy . Ziff Davis. Retrieved April 18, 2018.
  17. ↑ Ovaldog (April 8, 2003). "Vietcong - PC - Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on December 26, 2008. Retrieved April 18, 2018.
  18. ↑ Adams, Dan (March 31, 2003). "Vietcong". IGN . Ziff Davis. Retrieved April 18, 2018.
  19. ↑ Ricketts, Ed (April 2003). "Vietcong". PC Format . No. 147. Future plc. Archived from the original on May 30, 2003. Retrieved April 18, 2018.
  20. ↑ Chan, Norman (June 2003). "Vietcong". PC Gamer . Future US. p. 70. Archived from the original on March 15, 2006. Retrieved April 18, 2018.
  21. ↑ Boyce, Ryan (March 28, 2003). "Vietcong". Maxim . Biglari Holdings. Archived from the original on April 2, 2003. Retrieved April 18, 2018.
  22. ↑ "Nejlepší česko-slovenská hra? Že neuhádnete, kdo na plné čáře vyhrál". Bonusweb. December 4, 2014. Retrieved December 4, 2014.
  23. ↑ "GameSpot's Month in Review: April 2003". GameSpot . May 3, 2003. Archived from the original on November 13, 2004.
  24. ↑ "Best of 2003: The 13th Annual Awards". Computer Games Magazine . No. 160. March 2004. pp. 58–62.
  25. 1 2 "Vietcong: Fist Alpha for PC Reviews". Metacritic . CBS Interactive . Retrieved April 18, 2018.
  26. ↑ "Review: Vietcong: Fist Alpha". Computer Games Magazine . No. 162. theGlobe.com. May 2004. p. 59.
  27. ↑ Reed, Kristan (January 29, 2004). "Vietcong: Fist Alpha". Eurogamer . Gamer Network . Retrieved April 18, 2018.
  28. ↑ Kasavin, Greg (February 9, 2004). "Vietcong: Fist Alpha Review". GameSpot . CBS Interactive. Retrieved April 18, 2018.
  29. ↑ McMaster, Jason (April 23, 2004). "GameSpy: Vietcong: Fist Alpha". GameSpy . Ziff Davis . Retrieved April 18, 2018.
  30. ↑ Adams, Dan (February 26, 2004). "Vietcong: Fist Alpha Review". IGN . Ziff Davis. Retrieved April 18, 2018.
  31. ↑ Dinowan (February 3, 2004). "Test: Vietcong: Fist Alpha". Jeuxvideo.com (in French). Webedia. Retrieved June 26, 2020.
  32. ↑ "Vietcong: Fist Alpha". PC Format . No. 158. Future plc. February 2004.
  33. ↑ "Vietcong Fist Alpha review". PC Gamer UK . Future plc. February 2004. Retrieved April 18, 2018.
  34. ↑ "PC Review: Vietcong Fist Alpha". PC Zone . Future plc. March 2004. Archived from the original on March 14, 2007. Retrieved April 18, 2018.
  35. 1 2 "Vietcong: Purple Haze for PC Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved July 3, 2011.
  36. 1 2 "Vietcong: Purple Haze for PlayStation 2 Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved July 3, 2011.
  37. 1 2 "Vietcong: Purple Haze for Xbox Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved July 3, 2011.
  38. ↑ Liberatore, Raphael (May 2004). "Vietcong: Purple Haze" (PDF). Computer Gaming World . No. 238. Ziff Davis. p. 82. Retrieved April 18, 2018.
  39. ↑ Reed, Kristan (October 7, 2004). "Vietcong: Purple Haze (Xbox)". Eurogamer. Gamer Network. Retrieved April 18, 2018.
  40. 1 2 "Vietcong: Purple Haze (PS2, Xbox)". Game Informer . No. 140. GameStop. December 2004. p. 168.
  41. ↑ Wolpaw, Erik (September 24, 2004). "Vietcong: Purple Haze Review (PS2)". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Retrieved April 18, 2018.
  42. ↑ Wolpaw, Erik (September 20, 2004). "Vietcong: Purple Haze Review (Xbox)". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Retrieved April 18, 2018.
  43. ↑ Chapman, David (September 27, 2004). "GameSpy: Vietcong: Purple Haze (Xbox)". GameSpy. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on December 26, 2005. Retrieved April 18, 2018.
  44. ↑ Wrentmore, John (February 15, 2004). "Vietcong: Purple Haze - PC - Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on October 4, 2008. Retrieved April 18, 2018.
  45. ↑ Surette, Tim (September 28, 2004). "Vietcong: Purple Haze - XB - Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on August 30, 2008. Retrieved April 18, 2018.
  46. ↑ Perry, Douglass C. (October 1, 2004). "VietCong: Purple Haze (PS2)". IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved April 18, 2018.
  47. ↑ Perry, Douglass C. (September 17, 2004). "VietCong: Purple Haze (Xbox)". IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved April 18, 2018.
  48. ↑ "Vietcong: Purple Haze". Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine . Ziff Davis. January 2005. p. 118.
  49. ↑ "Vietcong: Purple Haze". Official Xbox Magazine UK . Future plc. October 2004.
  50. ↑ Bemis, Greg (October 27, 2004). "Vietcong: Purple Haze Review (Xbox)". X-Play . G4techTV. Archived from the original on October 31, 2004. Retrieved April 18, 2018.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.