| | First Encounter Any game developer who chooses to base a game on the Vietnam War had better be ready to make with the goods in terms of authenticity, realism, and the American soldier's true experience. This conflict had repercussions around the globe, still haunts the country to this day, and is not to be taken lightly. Heck, I'm even a little nervous just writing about a game about Vietnam, as it's still such a resonant issue in modern society.
So, it's a good thing that Men of Valor™—the new Vivendi Universal first-person shooter (FPS) that casts players as infantrymen deployed to Southeast Asia in that controversial war—has been designed and developed by 2015, the same folks that blew war gamers away with the gritty realism of WWII in Medal of Honor™: Allied Assault.
Not only did 2015 construct a single-player mode that's just as gripping as Platoon, Full Metal Jacket, or Band of Brothers, but they've also created Xbox Live™-enabled multiplayer modes that maintain the hair-raising, ambush-intensive combat that made search-and-destroy missions so deadly for so many U.S. troops. 
Apocalypse soon-ish.
Like Allied Assault, Men of Valor immediately hits you with the reality of the war through archival footage and grim statistics. Amid stark images of the actual Vietnam War, silent onscreen quotes and facts put the type of combat you'll be facing in disturbing perspective.
Once the action begins, you'll see that this game is FPS all the way. You'll get a bit more preparation than the Normandy stormers of Medal of Honor, however. First you'll be driven to the training grounds, where you'll start the training missions. You'll already notice that there's a very different vibe from World War II-type games that have been so prominent in the genre lately. There's no dramatic soundtrack—no music at all, in fact, except some string music at the opening and ending and the sixties music on any nearby radio. So, for the most part, you'll just hear the sound of the jeep as you're ferried to the beginning of your tour of duty. You'll pass small groups of soldiers, all quietly watching your arrival. Eventually, you'll be riding alongside your squadmates in this situation and can enjoy plenty of scripted, authentic dialog, but right now, it's just you on a ride through the jungle … and it's more than a little foreboding. 
Recreating Vietnam-era combat.
Once you arrive at the base, it's time for the standard military training obstacle course. Follow the yellow arrows for objectives that teach you how to: - Crouch by pressing the thumbstick. Ah, it's Tom Clancy-like. Click and hold to go prone. Get ready to get prone a lot, in both single and multiplayer. Amidst the foliage and thick jungle of Vietnam, it will become second nature soon.
- Staying low keeps you from getting caught in crossfire, which becomes quite obvious when the obstacle course leads you through a live-fire shooting range.
- Manage your health wisely. Talk to the medic to learn how your health meter works, and how you heal. Press and hold B to bandage your bleeding wounds, as they can cause additional damage over time. There are also standard FPS med packs that work more efficiently. Your health bar looks like that little medical snake thing with the wings, you know, like the one on Dr. McCoy's shirt on Star Trek.
- Press Y to climb ladders.
- On to live fire … You'll have the M14 automatic, mounted M79s, and frag grenades, all of which you can operate from a selection menu on the D-pad.
- Learn to mark enemy bunkers by pressing Y to throw a smoke grenade and call in a fiery air strike.
Once you're through training, you'll really need to dig in. You'll get a history lesson before each mission that comes with reams of actual footage from the real war, and you'll get the personal anger through your soldier's letters home to his family. The voice work is spectacular and respectful, which really makes your character and the grunts you serve feel like real people. Touches like this help keep the game in perspective—Men of Valor isn't an action movie, it's a hair-raising tale of survival.
No sooner will you meet the men of your squad (and learn how similar tossing a football is to tossing a grenade), when the war steps in and slaps you in the face. The Viet Cong (VC or "Victor Charlie") is firing rockets on the base from the surrounding hills, and your commander orders you to get ready to head into the jungle to find the enemy—if they're still even there. 
Intense urban war in single- or multiplayer.
The first thing you'll learn is how dangerous this country side is. You'll run up against an old lady trying to get her cow across the road, which brings your vehicle to a stop. While everyone takes odds on whether it's better to ride up top or inside—where roadside booby traps can be more dangerous than ambushes—the cow, the old lady, and the guy in front of you get taken out by a rocket attack. This first firefight is hairy, but clearly defines how the game plays in story mode and online. You'll quickly learn how to take advantage of cover in these types of situations … and how to rely on teammates as they rely on you. It's a truly different way of fighting than we've seen in Xbox® war games, and is eerily reminiscent of the real thing.
Multiplayer is just as deep and soaked in realism. Each side, the Americans and the Communists, get seven different specialized classes for each player to choose from, including snipers, medics, and the like. Even a straight-up death match will force you to think like a soldier, thanks to smartly designed maps that are seriously detail-oriented. VC and GI can appear and disappear out of nowhere in the thick environments. Snipers and booby traps make blasted cities deadly. The only guarantee is that you won't likely see the first attack until it hits you.
Men of Valor treats the Vietnam experience with respect, honor, and an uncanny grasp of the brutal, harrowing experience of the forces on the ground. In a season awash in war games, it's definitely one of the finest to come to Xbox and XboxLive—and a must for history buffs and shooter fans alike. By Ben Barker |
