Battlefield Vietnam

For other uses, see Battlefield (disambiguation).

Battlefield Vietnam
Developer(s)	Digital Illusions Canada
Publisher(s)	Electronic Arts[a]
Designer(s)	Armando Marini
Artist(s)	Riccard Linde
Series	Battlefield
Platform(s)	Microsoft Windows
Release	NA: 15 March 2004[1] EU: 19 March 2004 Redux NA: 15 March 2005
Genre(s)	First-person shooter
Mode(s)	Single-player, multiplayer

Battlefield Vietnam is a 2004 first-person shooter video game developed by Digital Illusions Canada and published by Electronic Arts for Microsoft Windows.^[2] It is the second installment of the Battlefield franchise, coming after Battlefield 1942. Battlefield Vietnam takes place during the Vietnam War and features a large variety of maps based on historical settings, such as the Ho Chi Minh Trail, Battle of Huế, Ia Drang Valley, Operation Flaming Dart, the Battle of Khe Sanh and Fall of Saigon. On 15 March 2005, EA re-released the game as Battlefield Vietnam: Redux, which includes new vehicles, maps and an EA-produced World War II mod, based on the previous installment Battlefield 1942.

Gameplay

In the game's playable maps, the player's primary objective is to occupy Control Points to enable allies and controllable vehicles to spawn. Battlefield Vietnam employs similar point-by-point objectives to its prequel, Battlefield 1942, as well as a form of asymmetrical warfare gameplay. The two teams, the U.S. and North Vietnam, are provided different equipment and vehicles. The U.S. relies on heavy vehicles, employing heavy tanks, helicopters, and bombers. The Vietnamese rely on infantry tactics, utilizing anti-tank weapons. The developers intended to reflect the actual conditions of war throughout the game. The game features a "Sipi Hole" as a mobile spawn point, which is representative of the vast tunnel networks utilized by Vietnam forces.^[3] Similar to previous games in the Battlefield series, spawn tickets (reinforcements) play a vital role in defeating the opposing team.

Battlefield Vietnam features the United States with Marines, Army and the Navy; South Vietnam with Army of the Republic of Vietnam; and North Vietnam with People's Army of Vietnam and the Viet Cong.

Built on a modified version of the Battlefield 1942 engine, Battlefield Vietnam has new and improved features compared to its predecessor.^[4] The game gives the player a variety of weapons based on the war and features various contemporary weapons and concepts, such as the AK47 assault rifle and punji stick traps. The game introduced several vehicle improvements over the prequel, such as air-lifting vehicles and working vehicle radios. The radios feature 1960s music and an option for the player to import their own audio files into a designated directory. Unlike the prequel, players are able to fire their weapons from vehicles when in the passenger seat of a vehicle. The game is the first in the Battlefield series to utilize a 3D map, allowing players to see icons that represent the position of control points or friendly units, giving the player increased situational awareness.

Reception

Reception

Aggregate score

Aggregator	Score
Metacritic	84/100[5]

Review scores

Publication	Score
Computer Gaming World	[6]
Edge	8/10[7]
Game Informer	8/10[8]
GamePro	[9]
GameRevolution	B+[10]
GameSpot	8.5/10[11]
GameSpy	[12]
GameZone	9/10[13] (Redux) 6.5/10[14]
IGN	8.2/10[15]
PC Gamer (US)	90%[16]
Maxim	8/10[17]
Playboy	88%[18]

In June 2004, Battlefield Vietnam received a "Gold" certification from the Verband der Unterhaltungssoftware Deutschland, indicating sales of at least 100,000 units across Germany, Switzerland and Austria.^[19] Overall sales of Battlefield Vietnam reached 990,000 copies by that November, by which time the Battlefield series had sold 4.4 million copies.^[20]

The game received "generally favorable reviews" according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.^[5]

Battlefield Vietnam was a runner-up for Computer Games Magazine's list of the 10 best computer games of 2004. It won the magazine's special award for "Best Soundtrack".^[21] It also won GameSpot's 2004 "Best Licensed Music" award.^[22]

Notes

1. Released under EA Games imprint

References

1. Apache (15 March 2004). "Battlefield: Vietnam Ships to Stores". IGN. Retrieved 6 December 2023.
2. Arts, Electronic. "Battlefield Vietnam". Electronic Arts Inc. Retrieved 18 April 2023.
3. "'Battlefield Vietnam' Celebrates Ten Year Anniversary, EA DICE Discusses the Iconic Game". International Business Times. 17 March 2014. Archived from the original on 5 December 2019. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
4. "GameSpot Head-to-Head: Battlefield Vietnam Versus Battlefield 1942". GameSpot. Archived from the original on 12 March 2017. Retrieved 2 November 2021.
5. "Battlefield Vietnam for PC Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on 6 July 2017. Retrieved 11 October 2015.
6. Green, Jeff (June 2004). "Battlefield Vietnam" (PDF). Computer Gaming World. No. 239. p. 80. Archived from the original on 31 May 2004. Retrieved 11 August 2017.
7. Edge staff (April 2004). "Battlefield Vietnam". Edge. No. 135. p. 103.
8. "Battlefield Vietnam". Game Informer. No. 133. May 2004. p. 106.
9. Vicious Sid (9 April 2004). "Battlefield Vietnam Review for PC on GamePro.com". GamePro. Archived from the original on 9 February 2005. Retrieved 11 August 2017.
10. Sanders, Shawn (21 March 2004). "Battlefield Vietnam Review". Game Revolution. Archived from the original on 1 April 2004. Retrieved 11 August 2017.
11. Ocampo, Jason (16 March 2004). "Battlefield Vietnam Review". GameSpot. Archived from the original on 11 August 2017. Retrieved 11 August 2017.
12. Kosak, Dave (15 March 2004). "GameSpy: Battlefield Vietnam". GameSpy. Archived from the original on 10 December 2017. Retrieved 11 August 2017.
13. Watkins, Rob (27 March 2004). "Battlefield Vietnam - PC - Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on 4 October 2008. Retrieved 11 August 2017.
14. Giacobbi, Kevin "BIFF" (10 April 2005). "Battlefield: Vietnam Redux [sic] - PC - Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on 2 October 2008. Retrieved 11 August 2017.
15. Adams, Dan (16 March 2004). "Battlefield Vietnam Review". IGN. Archived from the original on 5 August 2017. Retrieved 11 August 2017.
16. "Battlefield Vietnam". PC Gamer. June 2004. p. 64.
17. Porter, Alex (15 March 2004). "Battlefield Vietnam". Maxim. Archived from the original on 3 June 2004. Retrieved 11 August 2017.
18. "Battlefield Vietnam". Playboy. March 2004. p. 39.
19. "Awards Juni 2004" (Press release). Verband der Unterhaltungssoftware Deutschland. 7 July 2004. Archived from the original on 5 September 2004. Retrieved 4 June 2019.
20. Fahey, Rob (10 November 2004). "DICE results reveal Battlefield sales figures, next-gen plans". Gamesindustry.biz. Archived from the original on 2 September 2012.
21. Staff (March 2005). "The Best of 2004; The 14th Annual Computer Games Awards". Computer Games Magazine (172): 48–56.
22. "Best and Worst of 2004". GameSpot. 5 January 2005. Archived from the original on 7 March 2005.

External links

• Battlefield Vietnam at MobyGames