Genre: FPS
Developer: Coyote
Publisher: Gathering
Released On: September 15, 2004
# of Players: 1
ERSB: Mature
Supports:
MSRP: $39.99
Also On: PS2
Website: www.vietcong-game.com
Better Than: a broken etch-a-sketch
I never really considered myself much of a war-gamer. That is, until I got Xbox Live. Setting out one afternoon nearly two years ago with the intent of purchasing Unreal Championship only to find that it was out of stock, I settled for a copy of Ghost Recon and reluctantly peeled open the plastic and logged on. And ever since that day, I have been hooked. To me, there is not a single online experience that can equal the suspense of crawling around through the brush in the line of enemy fire; listening for enemy footsteps or gunfire amidst the atmospheric sounds of the wind, insects and birds; talking back and forth to your teammates trying to locate the enemy’s position and devise strategies to take them out - to me, that’s what online gaming is all about, and it makes for one hell of an immersive adrenaline rush. Along comes Gathering’s Xbox version of the mildly praised Vietcong PC FPS series, a console version retooled by developer Coyote that includes a combination of the original PC game and it’s first (and only) expansion pack Fist Alpha, all rolled into one convenient package titled Vietcong: Purple Haze. Unfortunately, the game didn’t take well to the changes.
Okay, perhaps that’s being too nice to the game. To put it bluntly, Purple Haze is one of the worst first person shooters I have ever played. There are good intentions in there, but it just does not come together. This is evident every which way you turn. The game’s premise is that you are a soldier in the U.S. Special Forces dropped into the midst of the Vietnam war to do a variety of recon missions. Your team consists of an engineer, a medic, machine gunners and a point man named Nguyen that leads you through the "jungle". A typical mission will have you following Nguyen along as he takes 3 steps forward and stops, turns, takes 3 more steps - stops again - turns and continues maybe 5 steps, etc. along and down the path towards the mission’s goal. It’s a nice idea in theory to have a native Vietnamese guide leading you through the jungle, but I just cannot emphasize enough how slow he walks and how boring it is to follow him. When you arrive at an enemy location, it’s time to find some cover and start firing. Aiming your weapon is as easy as lining up the crosshairs and pulling the trigger, however firing your gun causes considerable recoil forcing you to readjust your aim after each bullet. To make matters worse, scoping in with a quick click of the right thumbstick brings your weapon up to your cheek so you can scope down the barrel of your gun, but when doing so the crosshair completely goes away. Why? I have no idea but for what should be considered the "precise" aiming mode, it’s incredibly hard to pull off. However even the tightest controls in the world aren’t going to save you from the frustration endured when your squad members constantly step right directly into your line of fire and just stand there, completely oblivious to what you are trying to do or where your gun is pointed, and shooting them to get them out of the way usually results in an automatic mission failure. The enemy AI is about as basic as it gets too. They either hide behind objects and peek out long enough to shoot at you, or run at you full speed ahead. They also seem to be able to see through the foliage, and spinning around in circles while trying to figure out where the shots are coming from induces controller projectile fits of rage.
Purple Haze sports 30 some-odd authentic weapons of the era, and the game’s manual goes into good detail giving you a brief history of each one, how many rounds it carries and whether or not it was a popular choice among soldiers of the time. It’s a good thing, because otherwise I don’t know my M-16’s from my M-1’s and back again. Here you will also learn that some weapons are more accurate when aimed and others more lethal when shot from the hip. As an added bonus, you can pick up any enemy weapon you find along the way, however your squad members won’t be able to give you any extra ammo for the gun when it runs out. You are also equipped with binoculars, grenades, a not-too-useful map, and a hunting knife. There are a total of 19 missions to be played, two of which are exclusive to the console versions of the game, and you can visit them either through the game’s primary campaign mode or an instant action firefight. There are also 9 multiplayer maps and various online modes to be played online via Xbox Live and more said to be on the way courtesy of downloadable content. Playing against other humans is definitely better than the dumb AI, but with better games of its ilk out there, it’s definitely not enough to warrant a purchase.
But hey, a lot of games have their issues, but the graphics could save the day, right? I’m not even going to sugarcoat it here - the graphics of this game flat out suck, bringing back memories of Voodoo 2 cards and Quake II mods. There is nothing fancy going on here folks, not in the least. The jungle is about as barren as you could imagine, with a fern here and a tree there, and textures are just awful. It’s definitely not what you’re beginning to expect the Xbox to be capable of, and knowing that this game was also ported to the PS2, well to be honest I think even the PS2 is capable of much more. The only positive things I can say about the graphics is that the frame-rate is smooth and the anti-aliasing keeps everything looking sharp, which actually might not be such a good thing in this case. The sound effects are lackluster as well. There is no "oomph" in your gunfire and no bass kick in the explosions. Atmospheric sound effects are also minimal, but you will hear your fair share of four-letter words, apparently to f-ing remind us that this f-ing war is serious f-ing business. If there is one saving grace to be found in this game, however, it is the soundtrack. From the title screen forward you are treated to a bluesy, acid rock 60’s soundtrack including songs from Iggy Pop, Deep Purple, and a variety of original tracks that fit right in alongside their authentic counterparts. Of course there’s no music during gameplay, only at the menu and during cutscenes.
The Xbox certainly is not suffering form a shortage of first person shooters, not even war ones. If you are dying to revisit history and play a Vietnam FPS, you’re in luck – there are numerous other better titles to choose from already on the shelves, and more on the way. Heck, if you really want to try this particular game, check out the PC version: it’s a much better experience. This one, however, I just cannot recommend for any reasons at all – not even as a rental. It is simply a waste of your time and money.
