Genre : Action
Publisher: Vivendi Universal
Developer: 2015
Release Date: October 26, 2004

Pre-order 'MEN OF VALOR': Xbox | PC

No war has had more game titles released than those that reflect the long struggle to win WWII. In the last year, players have been able to relive famous moments during WWII through games such as Call of Duty and Medal of Honor, putting players in harm's way at famous locations, including Normandy Beach, the Battle of the Bulge and the Battle of Kursk. With the upcoming release of Men of Valor from developer 2015, players will soon be able to live through the hell of war in one of the most controversial wars to date, Vietnam.

Taking on the role of Dean Shepard, a recent high school graduate turned U.S. Marine, players will play through multiple missions in first-person perspective, utilizing AI controlled teammates in the solo campaign. While our preview disk was not a full version of the game, the early levels do recreate the war-torn environment and atmosphere of war very well, with gritty conflicts in dense jungle landscapes and open rice paddies.

Equipped with an assortment of weapons from the era including the M14, M16 and the infamous M79 grenade launcher, players will face off with Viet Cong and the North Vietnamese Army (NVA) equipped with the latest soviet weapons, including the distinct-sounding AK-47. Another common feature in the Vietnam war was the large amount of bobbytraps and claymores used, and Men of Valor follow this theme allowing you to find, detonate or deploy enemy or your own booby-traps.

The early limitation to the game, I can see, is the non-linear game-play it provides. Missions have objectives that you will have to complete with a squad of teammates, but at no time during the early missions are you able to control or direct the NPCs. In fact, it will be up to you to keep up with them and base your strategy on how they contact enemy fighters. On top of this limited interaction with the squad, you are almost tunnelled to the end location of each mission rather than having an ability to explore and create a strategy based on sound use of the terrain. While this does limit your ability somewhat in how you choose to complete the missions, it does not lower the drama, action and intensity of the encounters with enemy forces by any degree. Thanks to the AI, following the guidelines of no man left behind insures that the NPCs will be watching your back while they expect you to watch theirs.

Between various missions, players will be able to view several in-game cut-scenes that set up the mission goals and provide an in-depth resource for historical facts. As players begin each new mission, they are faced with an opponent that plays completely by guerilla warfare rules, utilizing ambushes and booby-traps, not to mention your limited supply of ammo and supplies. As players shoot and kill enemy soldiers, they are able to inspect the bodies to retrieve items such as more ammo, bandages, weapons and first-aid kits.

When shot, your health bar will go from gold to flashing red, indicating you have been wounded and are currently bleeding. By holding down the F key, you can administer bandaging to yourself to slowly stop the bleeding and over time slowly heal your health bar back to gold. In addition to the health bar, players will see a compass, reticle and weapon bar on screen during game-play. The weapons bar will show players what weapon they currently have equipped, the firing mode set and the amount of ammo in your weapon and your reserve ammunition.

Utilizing the Unreal engine, developer 2015 has created a well represented and visually pleasing jungle setting showing off the Southeast Asian continent with a great degree of realism. From thick jungle underbrush to wide open rice paddies, players will be able to play in various environments and will soon learn to base their tactics and movements accordingly.

Sound quality and sound effects are top notch for a shooter. Using licensed music from the war-torn era, players will be greeted to the sounds of James Brown and many more. Combat sounds are on par with what shooter fans of the genre would expect, with whistling rounds of artillery to loud explosions of tank, gunfire and booby-traps. Voiceovers within the game are one of the most appreciated qualities, allowing each squadmate to have his own personality in conversations with NPCs and your character. There is also a huge assortment of vocalization and yelling during gunfights or when the enemy has been spotted.

On top of the solo campaign, players will have access to a 24-man multiplayer system, offering several classes of soldiers and several game types from which to choose. Allied soldiers will have access to an assortment of classes from the Tunnel Rat to a Marine Corpsman, each with their own advantage, weapons and disadvantages. Communist players will have access to everything from NVA Riflemen to Viet Cong Guerrillas. Game types include the normal Deathmatch and Team Deathmatch options, along with Search and Destroy and Frontline modes.

While Men of Valor does have some work to be done in the AI department, 2015 may well have created the best shooter title to date about the Vietnam era. Set to release on the PC and Xbox later this month, fans of the genre should prepare to get muddy as we hit the jungles of Vietnam.