• Publisher: 2K Games
  • Release Date: Oct 24, 2005
Metascore
61 out of 100

Mixed or average reviews - based on 29 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 29
  2. Negative: 3 out of 29
  1. It makes a welcome change from all the overcooked WWII games that just won't stop coming out of the factories, although disappointingly enough, I didn't catch a single whiff of Napalm. Probably not a good idea in the city. Probably.
  2. It does a good job of conveying the experience of actual combat (especially the dying), or at least as good a job as a game can do.
  3. The game play is intense and challenging but is let down by the game engine. It would take a beast of a PC to play with the settings it deserves but most people may find the games engine and difficulty only leads to frustration.
  4. Provides one of the best Vietnam experiences. As a war game, however, it simply does not measure up to other offerings on the market today.
  5. The missions themselves are quite interesting and fun and admittedly I did enjoy them despite some of the shortcomings.
  6. Although Vietcong 2 has a lot going for it - good level design, good pace, humanising the very enemy you spend half the game killing - it just doesn't quite feel as though it lives up to the expectations raised by the original.
  7. Vietcong 2's weak single player is balanced out by a fun, diverse multiplayer experience. It's not Counter-Strike, but it has a gritty, small world feel to it that will appeal to the multiplayer fans out there.
  8. Like its predecessor, Vietcong 2 offers up some challenging gameplay, though it's plagued by technical issues and short campaigns.
  9. 68
    Vietcong isn't a bad game. It just isn't very easy on the eyes, suffers from puzzling performance issues, has rudimentary team controls, and some scripting bugs. Combined with the relatively strenuous damage model (with the inability to fully heal) and a peppering of sluggishness, the aggravation level is a little too high.
  10. The graphics are dated, the gameplay is buggy, and the online mode is virtually unplayable.
  11. Good ideas buried under several layers of below par execution. [Christmas 2005, p.101]
  12. Old-school tactical action fans may enjoy the extreme difficulty and high excitement level, although most players won't be able to get past the technical deficiencies and been-there-done-that gameplay.
  13. Looks like it fell out of the ugly tree and hit more than a few branches on the way down. The frustrating gameplay does not really enhance the game's charms. The switch from the jungles of Vietcong 1 to the overused urban setting of the sequel is a serious mistake. [Dec 2005]
  14. Another frustrating 'nearly' package from Pterodon that's suffering from a dated look and feel. The single-player offering misses the mark, arguably, even more than it did last time.
  15. But don't be looking for any semblance of a story here despite the developer's claims and attempts to infuse one. And don't be looking for something deep.
  16. While I would have liked to try the multiplayer, the sparsely populated servers listed didn't give me much incentive to try a five-disk installation for a third time.
  17. If you're looking for single player, "Call of Duty 2" is a better choice. If you prefer multiplayer, "Day of Defeat: Source" or "Battlefield 2" are better choices. If Pterodon Software does some patching this game has potential to excel.
  18. 60
    While Vietcong 2 isn't a bad shooter by any means, it's just not a particularly good one.
  19. 60
    It starts off promising, but too much of what follows is lamely generic or underdeveloped. The game also punishes you for exhibiting daring or initiative.
  20. Lacking the tension of jungle warfare and adding deathmatch multiplay that's utterly bland, Vietcong 2 ends up being just another passable effort that neither flops nor inspires. [Mar 2006, p.51]
  21. There is little atmosphere and it's about as immersive as playing one of those silly Osama Bin Laden-killing flash games in your web browser.
  22. Too much corridor creeping, in too-narrow corridors.
  23. It's hard to review a game like this, even with my years of experience, because nothing, good or bad, really stands out. This is a strictly average game that isn't going to enhance or blight your collection.
  24. 50
    Pteredon manages to nail a few things fairly well, but it's not enough to light up the entire game, and all you're left with in the end is awesome female Vietnamese voice acting.
  25. All you really get from Vietcong 2 is an FPS that is well behind the times and generally not up to scratch with what you'd expect.
  26. There's not enough in terms of modes, maps, or weapons to rescue the multiplayer from its slicker competition. [Feb 2006, p.58]
  27. Considering just how much the FPS genre has progressed, specifically the squad-commanding, war-themed FPS sub-genre, it's really not worth your time unless you're particularly fanatical about the original. [PC Zone]
  28. If the VC don't kill you, the pesky game-crashing bugs will. [Feb 2006, p.81]
User Score

Mixed or average reviews- based on 9 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 2
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 2
  3. Negative: 1 out of 2
  1. JakeL
    8
    In the immense world of shooter games, we cannot miss some Vietnam shooter games. In 2005, many of them came out,... but one above all, has a large potential and is a combination of such successful games like Left 4 Dead, Counter-strike, Call of Duty...Despite some "serious" technical problems, it still stays out as one of the bests. Full Review »
  2. Alan
    3
    Disappointing, hard, slows even on a top spec pc, graphics not great. Loved the 1st version - much better than htis and by now far cheaper. Wait another 6 months and pick this up from ther bargain bin. Full Review »