Politics aside, no other war has compared to the Vietnam War in strategy, weaponry, and results.  I wasn’t alive during the 60’s, thus I can’t compare how Vietcong: Purple Haze stacks up to the real thing.  It’s important to note that Purple Haze is not a new title from Gathering.  Rather, it’s a package featuring the original Vietcong released earlier last year and the new mission pack, Fist Alpha.

The story to Vietcong places us in the position of Sergeant First Class Steve Hawkins.  After being transferred to Nui Pek camp, he and his Special Forces comrades must face the enemy in unknown territory while accomplishing objectives in the process.  Each character has their own abilities, their own style, and their own history which adds a taste of realism at every save point.

The game play features the much overused genre of first-person shooter, this time dropping you into the jungles of Vietnam for a brand new adventure in guerilla warfare.  Here, you must use the camouflage to your convenience (because your enemy does).  The AI is impressive, considering how chaotic and confusing it can be in the deep reaches of the jungle.  You can’t just burst into a blaze of raging gun fire and not expect to get taken out by the hidden enemy.  Using strategic combat, and the selection of weaponry at your disposal ranging from sniper rifles to M16s, you will enjoy living longer for your next mission objective.  I didn’t like the one-gun one-soldier restriction which limits your weapon wielding, but call me a sucker for demolition as the explosives kept things interesting during the heat of war.

There are three modes, single-player campaign, quick-mission mode, and multiplayer mode (which gives you the option of playing for America or the Vietcong).  Once you have completed the single-player campaign, you will find multiplayer mode to be a welcomed addition to the game.  The tension rises, your moves must be made more carefully, and your enemies are usually smarter (keyword: usually).  There are seven different multiplayer modes including deathmatch, capture the flag, and cooperative.  There was some difficulty finding good servers absent of lag and connection problems, but once you are in, it is fairly realistic.

Which brings us to the graphics.  It’s quite obvious that this game was first released Q1 2003.  Keep a distance with all plants, wildlife, and other natural barriers, because the closer you get, the uglier it gets.  The character models aren’t as bad to look at, but you won’t see anyone buying this one for the graphical aspects.  I’ll give a round of applause for the sound.  Offering 60s-70s based music and realistic gun and explosion effects, it went above and beyond the graphics.

Fist Alpha is the mission pack addition to Vietcong, known to fix some bugs in the older version as well as throwing in a small single-player campaign and two new multiplayer modes, bringing the total to 10.

The story is a bit different; you are Warren Douglas, another sergeant who finds his way through the jungle with his squad mates.  The campaign is noticeably smaller, and although it can be difficult, it left an unimpressed glaze to my face.  Purple Haze also features the official Bradygames strategy guide on the disc to make things easier for you in the thickness of war.

There is a trickle of vehicles in-game, but there is nothing you get here that you can’t find in BF 1942.  With the addition of a few extra weapons including bayonets, Fist Alpha probably couldn’t handle it alone with the original to back it up.  The graphics aren’t much improved from Vietcong, so follow the golden rule in keeping your distance.  The audio also continues its tradition from the previous release.

To sum it all up, Vietcong is easily forgotten after you play it.  Maybe it’s just that so many FPS games have been lumped together in recent years that can’t get the attention they so desperately need.  Or maybe it’s just because Vietcong screams adequacy in practically all fields.  Whatever the case, the question is whether you will buy it or not.  If you are looking for a shooter with an interesting spin on jungle warfare, look no further. In any other case, if you threw replay value into the mix,you may soon forget you even purchased the game.

Gameplay: 7.6
Realism of the war touches close to home, but it's still easily forgettable

Graphics: 6.3
There is nothing to be proud of with Vietcong graphically

Sound: 9.1
A great soundtrack with realistic effects to make the most out of your computer speakers.

Difficulty: Medium/Hard

Concept: 8.5
I'm fairly sure this is the only game based around the Vietnam War, for which I say "kudos on the attempt."

Multiplayer: 8.0
10 different modes to play in with one competitive edge that rivals the rest.  Why is it though that joining servers can be such a pain?

Overall: 7.6
Vietcong: Purple Haze offers a glimpse at what American soldiers went through in Vietnam 40 years ago.  But unfortunately it doesn't meet the normal expectations of a successful FPS and will quickly become another game in the crowd.