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WHEN BATTLEFIELD 1942 FIRST came out it was a game that we rated very highly. Frankly we weren't wrong! Its multiplayer engine, fantastic graphics, solid maps and the ability to fly, drive and shoot just about anything on the battlefield caused an explosion on the multi-player scene. Now Battlefield Vietnam is about to reignite the scene once more.

The choice of conflict has already caused a bit of a stir on the boards with one camp waving the protest banner of "it's in poor taste" while an equally large amount of people support the game's release. Certainly it's a brave step delivering a game that covers one of the most controversial wars of the past century.

Although some media would have you think that this was an American war, both Australian and New Zealand forces fought in the conflict and for many people the daily news images of the carnage are still a vivid memory. In saying this though, this is merely a game and one that uses the war as a backdrop to deliver a story around what will likely be a superb gameplay experience.

The varied nature of the terrain and the myriad of weapons used in the war have given the designers an opportunity to deliver a far deeper experience that the first series of games. Players will be taken to the steamy tropical jungles and beaches of Vietnam. The battlefields of the Ho Chi Minh trail to the streets of Hue will present players with new challenges while the near modern arsenal of weapons will make you re-think some of the hard learned tactics in the previous games.

You will have the opportunity to use the venerable M60, M16 and AK47 to name but a few of the weapons included in the game. The cockpit jockeys can slip into the F-14, Huey and the MIG 21 as well as a host of other aircraft. All in all this game promises to be a fantastic FPS combat experience.

Game features include: -

Command powerful Vietnam-era vehicles -- rule the skies in the F-4 Phantom, airlift vehicles in transport helicopters, and more.

• Master the weapons of jungle warfare including pongee sticks and booby traps.
  
• Wage war online from dark jungles to villages on the Ho Chi Minh Trail.
  Go to war as a Viet Cong, Green Beret, or other soldier types, each with multiple character skins.
  
• Head into battle with a generation-defining soundtrack blaring from your chopper, including songs by CCR, Jefferson Airplane, and more.

Weapons include: -

US Weapons

• M19 ?Magnum Pistol (do you fell lucky!)
• Car 15 ?Cut down M16
• M1 81mm Mortar
• Mossberg Shotgun
• M16 Assault Rifle
• M16 Sniper Rifle
• M21 Sniper Rifle
• M60
• Frag Grenade
• Remote Mine
• XM148 Grenade Launcher
• LAW rocket Launcher

US Vehicles

• ATC ?Staging ship
• Chinook
• Corsair
• Assault Helicopter
• Transport Helicopter
• M110 ?8?Howitzer
• M113 ?Personnel Carrier (spam in a can)
• Phantom ?F-14
• Patton ?Tank
• Sheridan ?Tank
• PBR ?Fast Attack Boat
• MUTT ?Jeep with attitude
• NVA Weapons
• AK 47
• AKMS ?Cut down AK 47
• Bouncing Betty ?Mine
• Chicom SKS 56 ?Carbine Assault Rifle
• Double Barrel Flare Gun - ??
• M 91/30 Sniper Rifle
• Mat ?49 Mod ?Submachine Gun
• NVA Mine
• 60mm Mortar
• RPD Machine Gun
• RPG 2 ?Rocket Launcher
• RPG 7V ?More Modern Rocket Launcher
• SA 7 Anti Air Missile
• TT33 ?Pistol
• Type 33 Carbine
• SVD Sniper Rifle

NVA Vehicles

• BM21 ?Truck mounted multiple Missile launcher
• BTR 60 ?Amphib Troop Carrier
• M46 Artillery Cannon
• Mi 8 Assault Helicopter
• Mi 8 Cargo Helicopter
• MIG 17
• MIG 21
• PT- 76 Tank
• T 54 Tank
• UAZ 469 Jeep
• ZSU 572 Anti Air Tank
• Scooter

As you can see, there is a wide variety of weapons and we suspect the first few months of online play will be like opening day at the car show with players jumping from vehicle to vehicle just to try them out.

Expect to see the game released here in New Zealand around 25th March.

Show me the screenshots!