VIETNAM : BLACK OPS
Several decades after its inception, the Vietnam War remains a controversial subject. Countless youths were sent off to the hot, dense jungles of Vietnam to fight and die for a cause they didn't believe in. Of the lucky few who returned, none were under the delusion that this was a conflict that their country had successfully won. Plus many of the veterans who survived just weren't the same people they were before they'd witnessed their buddies getting gunned down by a ruthless foe. That said, America can thank ValuSoft for their latest magnanimous gesture: paying homage to the fallen soldiers of yesteryear in the only way they know how--with a tepid 3D first person shooter.
As the faceless hero of this adventure, you awake in a prison cell that's the height of Vietnamese fashion, but is singularly uncomfortable to a capitalist pig raised on plush couches and loveseats. Eventually the enemy camp comes under fire, igniting an explosion that frees the unnamed GI from his predicament. From there on out, it's payback time, as only Rambo knows how. Seizing knives, AK-47s, M16s, grenade launchers, sniper rifles and other goodies from the corpses of Charlie's finest, you'll then proceed to single handedly wipe out entire battalions. Now there's a plot! Isn't it refreshing to see how far action games have progressed over the last decade?
Alright, so everybody knows that the make or break factor on an FPS is related to its theme and implementation. While one can't approve of the topic in good conscience, the chance to strike back at those stereotypical, dastardly foreigners is excuse enough to blow crap up for hours on end. And that you will do, throughout the course of nine mildly creative levels which range from fetid underground tunnels to hostile bunkers and outdoor trudges through the jungle and mountains. Unfortunately, though the stages are reasonable in size and depth considering the subject matter, they're designed for maximum frustration. Granted, it's probably authentic for a soldier trapped behind enemy lines to stumble into lone guards or planned ambushes every time he turns a corner, but it translates into a mighty frustrating computer game. Mind you, this wouldn't be so tough a pill to swallow if it weren't for the fact that you're always approaching trouble from a position of extreme vulnerability.
Luckily the AI comes to your aid by being outright daft. Baddies may pop out of the shadows and wait on ledges overhead to gun down one's helpless heiny, but they couldn't spot a rhinoceros in the middle of New York, let alone an Army boy with a grudge. Their positioning is an advantage, but you can counteract the computer's strategy by sniping from afar (no one notices when a dude gets fragged who's standing three steps away) or memorizing enemy locations and sending a lethal barrage of presents their way, from the USA with love of course. One shouldn't waste time aiming for specific body parts either, since a shot to the leg's as deadly as one to the pointy hat, so be sure to drink a toast to the old "fire and forget" adage.
Yet as titillating as it is to rip swarms of troublemakers a new one, the rundown of gripes far outweights the positives. For instance there's the haphazard platform jumping sequences required to move over ledges and sections of broken bridges. Then comes the graphic card performance stutters that cause loading and pause refreshes to take forever on some computers (never before have I seen an FPS that prefers a laptop to a desktop, but hey, there's a first for everything). Pitch black areas accentuate the visual problems, because depending on your PC's configuration, you'll either see very little or zilch, period. Still, my personal favorite is the bug which causes the white fog that clouds one's vision after a death sequence to carry over into any saved game loaded thereafter, effectively blinding the player until they complete a death scene or restart the program.
If nothing else, the title's at least a corker graphically. Though it's obvious the 3D engine was built on a limited budget, the visual treats it produces are surprisingly sophisticated. Flame, smoke, and particle effects dazzle the viewer regularly, as do structures that explode into itsy bitsy pieces when you lob a grenade in the window. Vietnamese soldiers however look fairly rough, moving with an unnatural, robotic gait, although they atone for this sin by dying in grisly fashion, spraying blood while doing a dance macabre. Remarkably, the audio is of magnificent quality, as the environments are filled with ambient sound effects, the shouts of enemy grunts seeking to communicate with each other, and the screams of the wounded. Rousing tunes strike up randomly, helping to get that blood flowing as well, even if they could just as easily complement a Rocky movie as a military operation.
Ultimately, while Vietnam: Black Ops isn't an unmitigated blight on the industry, it's no Quake III Arena either, or even a SiN or Blood 2 for that matter. Despite major flaws in the performance, if you can get the title up and running, some cheap thrills can be eked out. Regardless, the touchy subject matter and configuration hurdles to overcome will put it out of the reach of all but the most dedicated of commandos. Budget price or no, those brave or foolish enough to purchase this one deserve a purple heart for their struggle.
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VIETNAM : BLACK OPS
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