by
Ted Kritsonis
Faze
Video Game Editor
It’s
not a real surprise that video games depicting the American
involvement in the Vietnam War have become so commonplace these
days. But considering that any video game with American troops
in lead roles has to have a positive spin, it’s hard to
imagine how that’s possible with a war that went so wrong
for them.
Vietcong:
Purple Haze was a standout game when it was released on the
PC a while back, which meant it would inevitably be ported
to the consoles. The game focuses on the role U.S. Special
Forces played in the war around 1967, before things really
got ugly for the Americans. Missions are standard search and
destroy, rescue and sabotage, and will see you travel behind
enemy lines and within the jungles near the Cambodian border.
From
the very beginning, it’s obvious that this rendition
of Vietcong: Purple Haze doesn’t live up to its PC counterpart.
The graphics, while decent in the jungles, are actually quite
bad when it comes to character models. The Vietcong troops
look like clones of each other and your squad doesn’t
look much better either.
But
where this game really falters is in its mechanics and AI.
Enemy AI is so bad at times that a Vietcong soldier will “sneak”
up to you in clear view, giving you ample time to riddle his
body with bullets. Their aim is some of the worst in any FPS
(first-person shooter) out there. You could be crouching right
in front of them and yet they’ll miss almost all their
shots. Your own squad, meanwhile, is great at taking down
opponents, but terrible at following orders. Trying to get
them to follow you sometimes seems like trying to get a cat
to take a bath.
Aside
from the main campaign mode, there are multiplayer options
that somewhat help salvage something from this game. The best
of these is definitely the online option via Xbox Live. Playing
against human opponents changes the dynamic of the game considerably
and makes it more respectable. Even the co-op mode during
the campaign isn’t too bad, but you still have to deal
with dumb enemy AI and a squad that seems out to lunch half
the time.
Given
the Mature rating this game has, Vietcong: Purple Haze sports
a great deal of swearing and a drill sergeant that is arguably
one of the most annoying characters ever seen in a video game.
But who knows, maybe drill sergeants are like that in real
life too.
Ultimately,
Vietcong: Purple Haze is a real letdown when compared to the
PC version, and when compared to other FPS titles. There’s
a serious lack of polish throughout many aspects of the game
that drown it into obscurity and irrelevancy. At best, this
one is a rainy day rental.
|
Publisher:
The
Gathering
Developer:
Coyote
Platform:
Xbox
Rating:
5/10
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