Vietcong: Purple Haze review

Purple Haze is a new packaging of Vietcong which features the original title along with the expansion pack Fist Alpha. Vietcong is a first person shooter set in the midst of the Vietnam War in which you work your way up through the war in a variety of missions. It received a mixed reception on its first release due to a number of bugs which have now been fixed. Purple Haze includes the latest patched up version of the game along with the Fist Alpha expansion. Anyone who owns the original title can pick up the expansion on its own as a budget title, although it does require the original game to run.

Hey Joe

The presentation in Fist Alpha is the same as in Vietcong with elaborate cinematic cut scenes accompanying the new single player campaign with a soundtrack of 60s rock music. The single player campaign is set in 1967 and features a new main character in the shape of Sergeant First Class Warren Douglas, who is backed by the regulars from the original game. This campaign serves as a precursor to the main game following the setting up of the Nui Pek base camp where the action in Vietcong takes place. This campaign is rather short, lasting no more than a day or so for those who are already experienced with the original title.

Where you doing with that gun in your hand?

Fist Alpha does introduce more new content than just the new single player campaign though. The M14 and Scorpion are amongst the new weapons to join the available arsenal and the multiplayer game hasn’t been forgotten about either. Eight new multiplayer maps have been added alongside a new multiplayer game called Table Turn. The multiplayer game available through Fist Alpha does add to the longevity of this expansion. The single player campaign does provide a few hours of gameplay, but the multiplayer enhancements are what will make you decide whether this expansion is worth the money or not.

Going Solo

The single player campaign follows the style of the main Vietcong game in its mission structures. The missions themselves are taxing because the enemy AI is good in its use of scenery as cover and also has a good grasp of basic tactics as well as being an excellent shot. Most of the moving around the map will involve you following your point man whilst keeping an eye out for traps and enemy soldiers. On the odd occasion that you spot the enemy before their muzzle flash gives them away you still won’t find hitting them all that easy. The weapons available in game are realistically inaccurate. All of the guns have a substantial kick to them meaning that you have to shoot in short, controlled bursts or single shots to stand a chance of hitting anything. Fortunately, your squad mates are all good shots and also use cover to their advantage. Their AI is unfortunately limited in other ways though. I managed to fail one recovery mission because the point man kept stopping to have a closer look at some cliff faces causing me to run out of time for the rescue attempt. The stealth missions are automatically failed if you get spotted but you find that the rest of your squad are too keen on putting away their silenced pistols and start shooting with their noisy rifles. This makes these missions, in particular, rather frustrating and more difficult than they should be.

Aging Looks

The graphics in Fist Alpha are basically the same as in Vietcong. This gives a pretty good level of detail and clarity but compared with other modern games set in similar environments, such as Far Cry, it’s clear that the graphics can be done better. The graphics engine is showing its age although as long as you don’t get too close to objects the details, such as swaying foliage, look pretty decent. The cut scenes help to move the campaign along and give a sense of style to proceedings. Within the mission, objectives are updated via your portable radio set, which helps to keep the action moving along. The sound in Fist Alpha follows the style of Vietcong for original 60s rock classics with the likes of Hendrix spicing up proceedings aurally. The sound effects track is also pretty good with convincing weapons fire and explosions and good ambient effects. The sound track helps to get you into the 60s Vietnam mood ready for some stealthy, jungle fighting.

Are you Experienced?

Fist Alpha is a worthwhile addition to the Vietcong game providing a few new hours of solo entertainment. Retaining the same style as the original game will help experienced gamers to feel immediately at home and any newcomers will be able to work their way through the original game and immediately into the new campaign without noticing any significant changes. This ethos extends to the multiplayer additions which are fully compatible with the original title. This has the advantage that upgraded gamers aren’t limited to upgraded servers. The new weapons are available as a patch for gamers who don’t want to splash out on the expansion but do want to make use of some of its enhancements. The Purple Haze pack represents good value for money to those who passed on the game the first time around. The extras may not be much but they do add value and with the patches to the main game this release is more stable. For those who tried their hands at the original then this will open up a little more gameplay at a budget price.