Vietcong 2
November 3,2005 - Graphics aren’t everything, but they are still something. Especially in first-person shooters, which have evolved quickly over the last few years into technical showcases of visual expertise, sometimes at the expense of solid gameplay. Last year, the trend was broken thanks to gorgeous and terrific shooters like Far Cry, Half-Life 2, and Unreal Tournament 2004—and the new standard continues with games like F.E.A.R. and Quake IV. Vietcong 2 sets out to prove that a good FPS doesn’t need to possess modern graphical bells and whistles like interactive physics and bump mapping. This doesn’t have to be a bad thing, considering the legions of Counterstrike players yet to upgrade to the Source engine, but the gameplay must be strong and the engine must run smoothly. Pterodon imported some good ideas from the original Vietcong, but completely squander them with a mess of technical issues and a frustrating difficulty level that will have most players turning off their PC’s in frustration rather than rising to the challenge. At its best, VC2 portrays the grittiness of the Vietnam War with tenacity; at its worst, it’s just plain gritty.

Streaming Video

A thin line between war and party time in this trailer

Aside from the obvious lack of solid production values, Vietcong 2 begins strongly and slowly, as you welcome a photojournalist into your squad during a New Year’s party (after an M-rated visit to the local brothel, of course). All hell breaks loose soon afterwards, and continues through the course of the game as you struggle to maintain control of the Vietnamese city of Hue. You unlock a secondary VC campaign once you finish the single-player game, but its short and uninteresting, although it had potential, should Pterodon decide to offer an eventual expansion. You can also replay any mission once completed, although it’s an unlikely prospect.

At least Vietcong 2 tries to be a thinking man’s shooter, rewarding careful progress and making good tactical decisions over running and gunning. You wield rudimentary control over a few squadmates and order them to attack, defend, or otherwise muck about as you take potshots at Vietcong soldiers and avoid their return fire. From the Call of Duty playbook, you only hold a few weapons at a time, and they aim with less prowess than you may expect. You can either fire inaccurately from standard position, or aim with the right mouse button, which gives you a crosshair view. Either way, there is a considerable amount of weapons sway, which is realistic enough but becomes frustrating, thanks to the uncanny enemy artificial intelligence.

If there is one thing VC2 has going for it, it’s that same brutal AI, although it ends up also being the game’s Achilles heel. Your opponents duck, roll, and fire through open windows and from dark alleyways, and you are constantly on your toes, crouching behind vehicles and hiding behind doors. Their bullets have the uncanny ability to find you anywhere, though, and a few accurate shots means a quick and painful death. While you can find a few standard-issue health packs here and there, they must be used from your inventory. There are no instant ammo clips or power-ups to be had; instead, you call on a squad member to deliver healing or ammo. Requesting healing is a double-edged sword, since it restores you to full health but decreases your total health capacity, so rather than taking an offensive role, you will more often send in your squadmates as pellet fodder while you hang back, picking off advancing VC.

Friendly AI doesn’t fare as well, and at various times, we had comrades get stuck in doorways (forcing a level reload), refuse to get out of the way, or fire at the back of our head. They also require an excessive amount of babysitting if you’ve issued previous orders. For example, we ordered our colleagues to hunker down behind a wall, where they waited patiently as needed; when we finally advanced, there they remained, until we issued another order to move forward. The ability to directly command your squad is refreshing, but it’s been done better in Ghost Recon—and even Star Wars: Republic Commando. The weak squad AI and smart enemies combine to make for fearsome firefights and plenty of frustration as you load the same checkpoint over and over again.

The frustration is compounded by the graphics engine’s terrible sluggishness, which is surprising considering this performance issue was missing from the demo version. Vietcong 2 apparently runs on the same engine as the original, which was dated even in 2003, and the moment any action hits the screen, a workable frame rate drops to the teens--an amazing accomplishment given the low polygon count, low resolution textures, and lack of particle effects and pixel shaders. Ragdoll animations, such as they are, showcase just how stiff the character models are, although facial animations are commendable, as are a few of the cutscenes scattered throughout. Yet there is no interaction with the environment, none of the lighting and shadowing we’re used to—and frankly, Vietcong 2 is downright ugly to look at. They needed five CD’s for this? At least it sounds a bit better, although the attempt at a Battlefield: Vietnam-brand rock soundtrack falls flat, thanks to generic 60’s guitar tracks, and the overused quips of your squadmates grate after five minutes, let alone five hours.

Throw in some simple online deathmatch and co-op play, and a budget pricetag, and you have a half-decent value, assuming you never play any other shooters. Old-school tactical action fans may enjoy the extreme difficulty and high excitement level, although most players won’t be able to get past the technical deficiencies and been-there-done-that gameplay. If you need a wartime shooter, the Call of Duty and Medal of Honor series are better options. Or just grab a bargain bin copy of Ghost Recon or Operation Flashpoint: more fun at half the price.

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