They say generals always end up re-fighting the last war, but when it comes to Operation: Vietnam, Eidos – and its US publisher Majesco – seems to have ignored the west's recent sandy adventures and reverted a couple of conflicts back.
Indeed, continuing the historical theme, the isometric/top-down squad-based shooter is reminiscent of classic old run-and-gun games such as Cannon Fodder and Commando.
Matt Nagy, of UK developer Coyote, isn't offended by such comparisons. "Hats off to Metal Slug and Cannon Fodder," he says. "Ours leans slightly towards a more serious game conveying a real-life story, but the focus is fun."
Eurogamer reviewed and rated the following games in their DS roundup:
- Warhammer 40, 000: Squad Command - 7/10
- Myst - 3/10
- Jenga World Tour - 2/10
- Ultimate Mortal Kombat - 6/10
- Operation: Vietnam - 4/10
Graphics are simple, yet clear and nicely detailed, with nice touches such as little snakes crawling through the undergrowth and birds flying overhead adding to the jungle atmosphere. The soundtrack - while nothing mind blowing - also does the job, with each guy in your squad having a different voice and responding verbally to your commands.
As you progress though the levels, each different character's skills become useful at different times - the sniper's handy for picking off lone sentries before they can raise the alarm, for example, while RPG guy is especially useful when you're suddenly faced with a number of enemies dug in behind a bunker, and you've got the addition of grenades and medipacks for when the going gets tough, as well as the facility for calling in a limited number of airstrikes.
Operation: Vietnam is a return to a simpler time. Frankly, it plays more like Asteroids or Geometry Wars than a tactical combat sim. Partly, this is to do with the top-down view, which sees you taking control of your squad of four troopers, who are stuck behind Vietcong lines, and spinning them around to wheel out volleys of fire in a rather uncoordinated manner.
