Xbox

Shellshock: Nam '67

Ever since I played Revenant, Eidos has held a special place in my heart. I always have viewed this company as being innovative with game titles, and products such as Thief and Hitman just keep renewing my faith in them.

Second only to Apocalypse Now, Shellshock provides one of grittiest, fairest, bloodiest accounts of the Vietnam war ever to reach popular culture. With that said, Eidos’ most recent foray into the squad-based action genre, is, in every aspect, a lesson in shame. Shame of a nation, fighting an ugly war, destroying millions of innocent lives, the shame of men, committing some acts most unbecoming of America’s men in uniform, and finally, perhaps least importantly, the shame of a video game style. Yes, if the 60’s were the end of America’s innocence, Nam ’67 is definitely the end of squad-based combat, and it isn’t pretty.

Somebody in the game industry decided that 2004 would be a good year to slam us with an unceasing flow of Vietnam titles. While WWII has always been a popular fountain of source material for games and movies, Vietnam, perhaps due to it’s controversial nature, has never shared a fraction of the limelight. Eidos and Guerilla Games are hoping to change that with ShellShock: Nam ‘67, just one of several games based on the Vietnam war.

If telling the shocking truth of Vietnam is this title's trump card, then it doesn't have a whole lot to cling to. There are gruesome scenes, but that's nothing new to gamers. The shocking truth of Vietnam is more subtly embedded in the American mind than someone getting his head blown off.

The heat is unbearable, cruel. Steam seems to rise from the very ground as if Hell itself was threatening to split the damp soil open and all around us the wildlife seemed to go insane. Every sound I hear makes me think Charlie will spring out of the bush and kill my friends or me. Even with the men by my side, though, I feel alone. Welcome to Vietnam during the worst conflict in warfare history. It isn’t pretty, but then again war never is but at least in video game form it should make for a fun and unforgettable experience. Yet is Shellshock: Nam ‘67 worthy of being remembered?

Shellshock: Nam '67 is a third-person shooter with some serious problems. First, it's set in Vietnam but often feels more like Vermont, North Carolina, or possibly some sort of sparsely vegetated western set that came with a long forgotten Hollywood back lot. Number two: Given all accounts I've been privy to, Vietnam was horrific. While plenty of games have come sporting this particular war theme to further their own specific kind of action, Shellshock is one of the few titles that actually boasts the horror of Vietnam as a selling point. But then it doesn't actually deliver any real horror, so we're pretty safe on that front. Instead, its superfluous violence is laughably animated, less it comes as part of a senseless cutscene that develops no story, but serves as a happy medium used to showcase unnecessary brutality that's completely irrelevant to the game and the plot. But hey, look at what one knife, one jerk, and one helpless victim can make when they're all put together!

Think of Nam 67 as Medal of Honor, in 3rd person, in Vietnam. Take that as you will, but for me, the game fell short of potential. Eidos delayed the release from June of this year, until September, supposedly because they had a strong enough 2nd quarter as it was, but the truth is probably that the game needed some fine-tuning. To be candid, it still needs some work, but for the military enthusiasts out there, consider adding this to your collection.

Note Générale 11/20On ne peut pas vraiment dire que Shellshock soit un mauvais jeu, mais il possède trop de lacunes pour dépasser le marasme ambiant des soft sans réel caractère et dépositaire d'une volonté marketing aboutissant au vite fait, pas très bien fait. Manquant d'assise, laissant passer de grossières erreurs, et ne se focalisant que d'une manière monoculaire sur une partie de l'histoire complexe, le titre de Guerrilla rate le tournant de la qualité sincère. Possédant un véritable potentiel, dû à une immersion passionnante, ce jeu ne connaîtra pas sa destinée rêvée. Nous sommes encerclés.

Well, I’m shocked. Not in a good way mind you. I’m shocked Guerilla Games, the developer of Shellshock: Nam ‘67, resorted to a gimmick to get their game over. The gimmick in question: the atrocities of the Vietnam War. But when you strip away the blood and gore, the cursing, the sexual themes and the violent cutscenes, you’re left with a shell of a game - if you’ll pardon the pun - that fails to deliver the unnerving realism it advertises.

It looks like the Vietnam War is quickly becoming the new World War II. ShellShock: Nam '67 is the second Vietnam War-themed shooter to be released in as many weeks, and another three will arrive in stores over the next month. ShellShock attempts to differentiate itself from the pack by threatening to provide a disturbing level of realism, or, as the official Web site puts it, "the shocking realities and tragedies of what actually happened out in the jungle." Unfortunately, what this means in practical terms is that ShellShock is a run-of-the-mill shooter with periodic interruptions for bad language and really violent cutscenes.

ShellShock: Nam ’67 sounded oh so good at first: we were promised gritty realism unmatched by any other Vietnam-based video game; that we would be forced to make difficult moral decisions; and that our character would develop from a green “cherry” to an elite Special Forces killing machine.