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jp's Operation: Vietnam (DS)
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| [April 1, 2022 09:27:36 AM]
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I'm 6 missions or so in - there are at least as many left - and, huh. The longer I play the more impressed I am. I mentioned the little graphical touches the game adds (flying birds, snakes) - now they've added villagers! (I haven't tried, but you're not supposed to shoot them - and when you walk up they often say something and raise their hands).
I've also had to rotate between the different characters. My favorite is the sniper guy because his weapon has a longer range and it's easier to make progress/aim because you can kill opponents before they see you. He can also (I think he's the character that "triggers" this), spot mines - they slowly appear when you get close to them in areas that have mines.
I was expecting this to be a run and gun kind of game. Lots of shooting and running and general mayhem - but the game's pace is actually quite slow. The levels are also quite large - leading to a gameplay experience that hasn't been as exciting as I expected. There are moments of action - for example there are "cave entrances" that spawn enemies until you destroy them, or moments where you're rushed by multiple enemies. But in general, you walk along slowly - kill enemies and so on. You're also incentivized in scouring levels because you can find grenades (super useful in boss fights) as well as tags (collectables).
The game is trying to straddle a semi-serious Vietnam take in the "no unrealistic nonsense", but it sometimes veers from that in a strange way. A few levels I've played have a "boss fight" where you only have one character and you fight a giant tank with turrets. It fires, "light balls" (typical shooter enemy bullets) that are not-realistic and the tank itself is gargantuan. Similarly you often have to wander around to find pressure plates to stand on (to open gates)...which is not "realistic".
I'm feeling like I'm not sure I want to play through the rest of it - mostly 'cause of the pace. And it feels weird to say this - but it's a good game that just needed some extra polish to really shine. And, I'm still surprised there are so few Vietnam-based videogames, even if they are fantastical.
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| [March 21, 2022 09:57:33 AM]
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Played the first two missions and I'm "stuck" on the third (died twice).
It's kind of surprising how few games there are that are set during the US Vietnam War. I don't know why this is, other than it was an unpopular war that was ultimately lost by the US, but still.
The game is basically a cartoon version rendition of the war - so, no realism, and it reminds me of the old Commando arcade game (was that also loosely a Vietnam War game? Huh...need to check) - so, same kind of aiming and stuff. (which I don't like too much - but can sort of make it work).
The big difference is that here you (often) have a squad of teammates that either follow you around (they can also shoot - but they're not good at dodging enemy fire), or you can order to stay put or target enemies they've seen. I've mostly left it on "follow me around" and I suspect that's made things harder for me on the third mission since I've "wasted" all the healthpacks in getting my teammate healed up or resurrected.
I've really enjoyed how the game's environments are made to feel more lively with little details - you often see snakes that run away when you approach them, and occassionally some tropical birds (no idea if this is geographically accurate) fly across the screen. The audio has the usual insect noises and stuff. So, while the environments are definitely not super dense jungle - it definitely adds a lot to the quality of the experience. I mean, this is still a light cartoony game - but hey, it's a neat little touch that deserves kudos (especially on a small/older platform like the DS)
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jp's Operation: Vietnam (DS)
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Current Status: Stopped playing - Something better came along
GameLog started on: Sunday 20 March, 2022
GameLog closed on: Friday 1 April, 2022 |
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This is the only GameLog for Operation: Vietnam. |
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