Considering how long publishers have milked World War II,
it’s refreshing when someone tries a take on the Vietnam conflict.
Unfortunately, the results are decidedly mixed at best, as most of the games
vary from slightly above average to pure garbage. Whirlwind Over Vietnam falls
somewhere in the middle there. The game offers some unique gameplay elements,
putting players in the cockpit of a Vietnam chopper as they run missions against
the Viet Cong. However, the whole thing feels a little too simplistic, with
pretty sparsely structured missions and bothersome controls.
Whirlwind Over Vietnam puts you through 10 missions
throughout the Vietnam conflict. These missions do have some historical accuracy
to them, as they stem from actual moments of the war. This is a nice added
factor for war buffs who spend way too much time glued to the boob tube watching
the History Channel.
However, while the actual storyline can be interesting at
times, the mission structure is pretty disappointing. There’s not a whole lot in
the way of complexity or variety in your missions, as they all seem to fall into
the same territory of following the marked out spots on the HUD and protecting
or destroying the target at the goal, and that’s about it.
The controls are also a bit of a problem for the game. They
are pretty adaptive, as you can play them normally or use an auto-pilot system.
Unfortunately, the “normal” way to play the game can be extremely cumbersome,
leading to over use of the auto-pilot system which seems to make things far too
simplistic. There really isn’t much of an in-between when it comes to the
controls, they’re either a pain in the butt or stupidly easy.
Graphically the game is decent and would work for gamers with
low to mid-range systems, but doesn’t hold up next to most new PC games on the
market. While the cockpit looks well detailed and there are some nice effects
here and there, overall the game looks pretty barren and doesn’t flex the
graphical muscle that many PC gamers are used to.
Soundwise, the game isn’t much of a competitor either. The
music picks are slim and don’t play a big role in the presentation, and the
voice acting is pretty weak. The sound effects sound fairly muted and don’t
really pack the punch that you’d think they would in a Chopper sim.
Whirlwind Over Vietnam isn’t the worst game set in the
extremely controversial war, but it’s certainly not the best either. While the
historically accurate storyline is admirable, sim fans will likely be turned off
by the weak missions.
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Gameplay: 6.0
A pretty light
simulation, Whirlwind Over Vietnam offers pretty bland and repetitive missions.
The controls are also problematic, either being far too simplistic or
just plain cumbersome.
Graphics: 6.5
Aside from some nice
cockpit elements and ground effects involving the wind from your chopper blades,
Whirlwind Over Vietnam is a pretty barren game, with very little making it look
like a PC game from 2007.
Sound: 6.0
The music is
sparse, the voice acting is weak, and the sound effects are muted and lack the
punch you’d expect.
Difficulty: Medium
Concept: 7.5
The storyline is
actually pretty interesting, utilizing real situations from the Vietnam War.
Overall: 6.5
Whirlwind Over
Vietnam is a budget game, and it shows. The historical accuracy is a nice touch,
but unfortunately the game will likely turn off the fans that aims to attract
(historical sim buffs) with unbalanced controls and weak missions and a tepid
presentation.
