Battlefield Vietnam

Battlefield Vietnam transposed the proven formula of large vehicular battles from 1942 into the jungles of Southeast Asia and the Vietnam conflict. Players split into the American army and the forces of North Vietnam with the Viet Cong, fighting on maps full of rice paddies, dense vegetation, and rivers, where Huey helicopters play a key role in troop movement. The class system carried over from the previous installment got a Vietnamese coat of paint, including each side's distinctive weaponry and the asymmetry between the technologically equipped American army and the guerrilla tactics of the Viet Cong, who relied on tunnels and ambushes. As in the previous game, it builds on a territorial conquest mode where teams clash over control points scattered across the sprawling map, and here too, coordination between infantry and vehicles plays a key role.

The game ran on an improved version of the Refractor engine and, compared to its predecessor, added smoother vehicle handling as well as a somewhat livelier jungle environment with denser vegetation that changes combat tactics. A quirk that earned the game attention was its in-game radio player featuring period music from the 1960s, which fleshed out the atmosphere of wartime Vietnam much like period films did - players could turn on the radio directly in vehicles while driving. This combination of sound and setting gave the game a distinctive atmosphere that many players still remember today.

Critically and commercially, the game was received solidly, though it never reached the phenomenon status of Battlefield 1942 - many reviewers praised the atmosphere and the new setting but criticized the relatively small number of new features compared to its predecessor. In the history of the series, it's an interesting detour that showed the formula of large vehicular battles works outside of World War II too, and it paved the way for the later shift to a modern battlefield in Battlefield 2. Today it's more a matter for collectors and genre history enthusiasts than for casual players, though it occasionally turns up as a favorite pick at retro gaming events devoted to older multiplayer titles.

Why play it: More for collectors and genre history enthusiasts than casual players - a solid detour that showed the formula of large vehicular battles works outside of World War II too.