Difficulty:

Just Right

Time Spent:

10 to 20 Hours

The Bottom Line:

"Amazing"

9.2
Battlefield Bad Company 2 is the game that keeps on giving. Besides it having free map packs, it is overall unique. No other shooter has really tried to capture the sense of combat like Battlefield has. But Bad Company Vietnam captures the feeling of Vietnam perfectly (not that I was in the war).

Gameplay: The gameplay is fast paced, and very cinematic. This game does not have wimpy fights. The gun fights are always large scale with tanks rolling in, and helicopters raining down bullets, while you try to survive in a tiny temple with only a handful of friends.

Battlefield Bad Company Vietnam focuses more on close-range combat than the last game. For some players this is an improvement, while others may feel uncomfortable having to actually move around. Vietnam also doesn't focus on upgrading as much. If you are fully upgraded in Bad Company 2 then you'll be fully upgraded in Vietnam. While this is good, I als kind of miss upgrading because you get the sense of accomplishment.

Weapons: The gun diversity in this game is a lot lower. Again, at first this may seem annoying, but after playing for some time I realized that it actually makes the gameplay much faster, and better. Choosing out of your large assortement of weapons made it hard to find the right weapon for the right situation. Now that the diversity is lower you can find the best weapon much faster.

The addition of the flamethrower was a bit surprising especially since all classes can carry it. After playing a bit you will realize that only noobs use the flamethrower. It is very fun to use, and can be good for clearing out bunkers, but overall it isn't as great as one would think. This doesn't mean it is a bad weapon, it just means it is evened out with the other guns.

Scopes are out of the game except for snipers. This is a realistic change, and it doesn't affect gameplay too much. I have to say the classes are pretty balanced in this game, and no class seems over powered.

Multiplayer: This game is about as good as a FPS muliplayer gets. This is a very good expansion pack for a very good FPS. The multiplayer works the same as the normal game, but since it is more close-range combat you might use team work just a bit more.

Maps: This is a very impressive aspect of Vietnam. Its maps are very well made, and a bit more defensive. There are a bit more strategic points which makes it fun to find all the stress points, and figure ways to stop enemies from attacking, or figuring out how to get into the enemies base.

This game does have bunkers, which while doesn't sound like much, it actually adds some more diversity in combat. Hill 137 is a good example of an almost D-day invasion sort of map. It is obvious that a lot of thought went into these maps

Atmosphere: If there's one thing this game gets right, it is the atmosphere. Not that I was in Vietnam, but from what I have seen this of the war, this game does give respect to. The game is good at giving a sense of terror. This does make the game feel more serious, and makes it so you can't take it as a joke. When you are attacking you have radios blasting as part of psychological warefare. It is pretty intense to be driving in a tank and listening to 60's music. But the game also makes you like the Vietnamese which something I never really felt in a game, or in a movie. The game almost shows the Americans as the villians. It is sort of scary when you are defending your temple, and you hear music slowly come in as you see tanks and helicopters slowly closing in on your position. I think the game gives some respect to the Vietamese. Though the fact that you are playing a game about killing people, doesn't give it too much respect.

Overall: A very good expansion pack that deserves to be bought. It improves on some points, and the action is very tense. The maps are well thought out, it has over 2 hours worth of 60's music, and it shows a little bit more to Vietnam war. Well thanks for reading.