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Battlefield Vietnam

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7.0 User Score:

Generally favorable reviews

Based on 48 critic reviews
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Based on 57 votes
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Game Info

Publisher: Electronic Arts

Developer: Digital Illusions

Genre(s): First-Person Shooter, Action

Players: 64

ESRB Rating: T (Teen)

Release Date: March 15, 2004

Summary

The Battlefield franchise enters a new era equipped with more firepower, modernized weaponry and vehicles, and a deeper infantry experience from the jungles to the beaches of Vietnam. From villages on the Ho Chi Minh Trail to the city streets of Hue, wage modern warfare as the United States or North Vietnamese Army (NVA). Select from a variety of characters within the different soldier classes as you command powerful new vehicles including the UH-1 Huey helicopter, the M551 Sheridan tank, and the F-4 Phantom fighter jet on the U.S. side and the Russian-made T-54 tank, the MIG-21, and Mi-8 multipurpose helicopter on the NVA side. Go to war in new dramatic battle scenarios including leading a squadron of Huey helicopters in an all-out attack on an enemy compound, executing an ambush of enemy soldiers from dense foliage, captaining a PT boat through a dangerous jungle river passage, and more. Grab your M-16, ready the Napalm and prepare to enter some of the fiercest battles of the Vietnam War. [Electronic Arts]

Also On Metacritic

GAMES: Battlefield 1942 Battlefield 1942: Secret Weapons of WWII Battlefield 1942: The Road to Rome Battlefield 2 Battlefield 2142

Cheat Codes & Hints: Cheat Code Central GameSpot Guide

Also On The Web: GameSpot Preview GameSpy Preview IGN Preview Official Website Total Video Games Interview

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

100

GamePro

The superior force in online warfare and a real candidate for PC Game of the Year. If you’re fed up with Flak Cannons and Rail Guns, enlist with this platoon. Posthaste, soldier!

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3DAvenue

It is practically the same thing, just louder, bigger and better.

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Gamezilla!

What really makes this game such a blast to play is the developers' understanding the importance of vehicles and aircraft in the Vietnam War.

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PC Gameworld

A must buy if you’re a fan of the series. It will be appreciated more by players old enough to remember the Vietnam Conflict and the 60’s, or gamers who have studied it and can groove to the vibes.

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PC Gamer

Just an utterly fantastic multiplayer shooter, and while it doesn't replace "Battlefield 1942," it's a perfect complement. [June 2004, p.64]

Cheat Code Central

Battlefield Vietnam lets you use everything you've got, from your shooting skills to your strategy acumen. It's very engaging and easily one of the best Vietnam war games ever created.

GameZone

All the new weapons, aircraft, and landside vehicles fit the time period and are well equipped for battle. The addition of helicopters really expands on the tactics and the way battles are fought.

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GMR Magazine

All the hardware that makes modern warfare hell is here, and from the moment you see the enemy hightail it at th efirst sound of your F-4 Phantom's engines, you'll know why every FPS - be it set in the future or that fabled galaxy far, far away - is out to imitate the Battlefield formula. [May 2004, p.89]

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Gamers Depot

Like its older brothers, BF Vietnam, though based on real battles and real places, doesn’t focus so much on the gritty realism as on the “excitement factor” of war.

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Computer Games Magazine

"Unreal Tournament 2004" might be the superior product, but Battlefield Vietnam is the better game. [June 2004, p.73]

VideoGamesLife

As if intentionally trying to be the best it could be, Battlefield: Vietnam has possibly the greatest musical score known to game-kind.

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Playboy

The only missing element is a massive hippie protest back home. [Mar 2004, p.39]

XGP Gaming

Where Vietnam easily makes the most improvement, however, is in its visuals. Boasting a much more powerful rendering engine, the environments of Vietnam come alive.

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Computer and Video Games

DICE has done enough to justify the status of sequel rather than expansion pack. It looks great, sounds funky and plays superbly. [PC Zone]

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Gamer's Hell

Battlefield Vietnam's added depth, new content, and improved visuals and audio should make it practically a must-have for any fan of this sub-genre.

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GameSpot AU

The single player aspect of the game is even more barebones then the previous title. Gone is the campaign and in is "instant action" which as you may have guessed allows you to select a map and then play with a number of bots.

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Stuff

The soundtrack, one of the best aspects of the game, effectively immerses you in the era, while the visuals make you really, really thankful you were not in Vietnam.

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GameBiz

There's no doubt that Battlefield Vietnam is more like an expansion pack than a sequel, and it's not significantly different from the original nor is it a vast improvement on the Desert Combat mod. Fortunately, there are more vehicles and on a lot of maps the points are close together, making the action faster.

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Next Level Gaming

I think it needs a little more oomph on more scenarios and the detail in the graphics. Also, conquering control points over and over gets too repetitive after long play.

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GameSpy

When it's all said and done Vietnam doesn't wow us the way that "1942" did in its day, but it's a step forward graphically, a leap ahead in the sound department, and just as much fun as the original.

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eToychest

The new setting is wonderful for the type of game that Battlefield is, a freeform romp through the area with vehicles and different kits to wage war upon.

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GameSpot

Packs more dramatic moments in its gameplay than most any multiplayer-focused action game in the past few years.

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PC Format

An enormously rewarding and complicated game Battlefield Vietnam is then, and unquestionably an improvement upon its predecessor. At the same time, it’s so remarkably similar to BF 1942 it’s almost not worth buying if you’re an existing fan.

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Game Revolution

The gameplay that was amazing a year and a half ago is not as shockingly new, leading to a battle that many of you will feel you’ve already fought. Still, the seamless inclusion of land, sea and air combat coupled with the intensity of jungle warfare wins it a medal of honor.

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ActionTrip

What I personally would've liked to have seen from DICE is even more creativity in terms of map design, game modes and player classes.

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Inside Gamer Online

BF:V has a ton of AI routines to run all at the same time, and it sucks every last resource from your system. Online play, however, will probably run quite well in comparison.

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Games Radar UK (Pre-2006)

Battlefield Vietnam loses out for just one reason, and that reason is that it never feels like a genuine sequel. The quantum leap isn't quantum; evolution has not created a new phenotype. It's simply not different enough or inventive enough. [PC Gamer UK]

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IGN

Does it bring the same overwhelming feeling of joy and freedom that the innovation of Battlefield 1942 brought to us? No...[but i]f you're a fan of 1942, you'll have fun in Vietnam.

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2404.org

It really does a fantastic job at letting you in on the Vietnam era, and I’m sure that after a few patches it will be even better.

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VIA Gamers Arena

The only truly outstanding aspect of the game is the scope and ambition of the game, which it pulls off just as competently as it's predecessor. It's close resemblance to the original works both for it and against it.

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GamerFeed

Vietnam has all the great play elements 1942 had, and the addition of more varied aircraft such as attack choppers coupled with more technologically advanced weapons provide enough spice to make the games distinct.

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Game Informer

An incredibly good time if you can find an amicable crew of fellow soldiers. [May 2004, p.106]

Boomtown

Water effects are much prettier and the added bump-mapping makes the massive tanks very impressive. It’s not much, but it’s nice to see that the graphics have evolved.

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GameShark

With the inclusion of a fully accessible level editing utility included with the game, as well as the capacity to accept third party modifications, Battlefield Vietnam is probably going to make as big an impact as "Battlefield 1942" did.

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Australian GamePro

Riddled with annoying little bugs (such as the worst collision detection, ever), it provides an above average FPS war experience, but never echoes the ‘wow’ factor of the original.

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PC Arena

Though the glaring omission of the single player campaign is inexcusable, the multiplayer component most definitely makes up for some of it.

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Edge Magazine

Vietnam is not about skill or proving your worth. It's about taking part in recreations of famous battles, crawling on your belly, loving every minute. And when it works, nothing can touch it. [Apr 2004, p.103]

RealGamer

Lush environments help to feed the games realism value along with detailed and nicely animated character models.

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Maxim Online

What sets Battlefield apart is that you can pilot choppers and tanks to a cool ’60s soundtrack. And you can even cue up “Ride of the Valkyries” for that air cavalry attack. Sure smells like victory to us.

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Computer Gaming World

The only real bummer in the new stuff? The M-60 machine gun, which is so powerful and easy to use that it lets even blundering newbies rack up ridiculously high frag counts. It needs tuning down.

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Worth Playing

There’s a certain, “been there, done that, bought the t-shirt” feel to the game and what’s going to determine the long-term success of the game how much the mod community endorses the game.

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G4 TV

A Teen-rated, sanitized version of one of America's defining moments. And perhaps this substance is what's lacking, because while Battlefield Vietnam is a capable game, it doesn't have quite have the impact that its predecessor.

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Yahoo! Games

Although the game pays lip service to the famous -- and feared -- tunnels of the VC, there are no claustrophobic underground chambers and passageways. Perhaps engine limitations are the reason, but it's certainly a missed opportunity.

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FiringSquad

BFV's lack of originality can't be excused - not only isn't it all that much different from the original, it isn't even clearly better than the Desert Combat mod.

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Xequted

Has a great fun factor that allows for hours of online battles with your friends and enemies –despite the lack of true Vietnam grit.

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1UP

Branding aside, perhaps most frustrating is the omission of environmental interactivity -- napalm does nothing to bush and tanks are rendered useless by the thinnest slice of bamboo.

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games(TM)

The fact that 1942 was such an enjoyable title means the gameplay's already a proven factor, but combine this with all the other new goodness you get for your money... and you get a game that really entertains, albeit in a fashion that some of us might well have seen before. [Apr 2004, p.102]

Gaming Nexus

Unplayable is the best word to describe this debacle.

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What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this game is 7.0 (out of 10) based on 57 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Guy S gave it an8:
Although some of the weapons appear unbalanced, and the AI is poor if you want to practice offline, this game should still be considered a classic and a must in the battlefield series. The best part of the game is napalming a section of the jungle or towing a light tank with a helicopter.

Nicolas B. gave it an8:
The Jungle scenery is great and really effects how you play and what you base your strategy on. The graphics look well polished and the new addition of helicopters is a really good gameplay addition. My only issue was the crummy AI and the buggy physics. Otherwise, a great multiplayer game and it has definitely earned the "Battlefield" name.

Peter B. gave it a5:
A mediocre follow-up to one of the best FPS games ever made.

Chris P. gave it a7:
Its a good game all together, but there are a few problems. For one, when playing on some maps, the AI will only aim at you. This includes all the tanks, which gets extremely annoying when trying to play. Another problem is the freezing up. Sometimes when playing, it will just freeze and when it comes back you will be dead. Other than that, I pretty much enjoyed the game. A neat thing is the "radio" you have when in a vehicle that allows you to play some of the music from the Vietnam era. The helicopters are also pretty cool to be able to use.

[Anonymous] gave it a10:
I really enjoyed this game.

Sam F. gave it an8:
Being this game is alot like BF1942, Most people will enjoy this game. It has a few very good points to it, the most notable is the music. All the music from that era gives the game a new feel. Also the graphics are way better which you will see in the explosions which are more realistic than just a big flash. You see a fireball. Gameplay is the same except there is no capaign in SP. With 14 maps which really set the mood in different areas...your job is still capturing waypoints, but the AI (With a patch) will seem smarter this time around. A worthy succesor to The bf series.

Klaus W. gave it a9:
I was somehow torn between the 8,9 and 10 but I decided on a 8.9 beacause the game somtime acts sluggish in you'r computer even though you have a good graphics card. Some of the levels are recycled wich make you feel as if your ripped off. The a.i is te dumbest ever. But the games music rocks the graphics are good and a lot of the times the game really makes you feel sucked in. The multiplayer is really awsome and there many vehicles to drive. At the price you can pck this up for this game is awsome a little more time should have been spent working on this but anyway buy it if you dont have somethig to do.

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Battlefield Vietnam

Game Info

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