ShellShock: Nam '67 Preview

Playing games like Call of Duty, Medal of Honor: Allied Assault, Vietcong, leave off an impression that war is an effort where good guys always win and heroes always get decorated with shiny medals. Amsterdam based development team Guerilla Games recently announced an ambitious project which differs from such conventional ideas (some of you may already know that these dudes are also involved with the creation of the forthcoming PS2 first-person action game, entitled KillZone). Currently in development for PC, Xbox and PS2 platforms, Shellshock: Nam '67 actually steers clear from the corny premise of a courageous one-man struggle against flocks of enemy soldiers. Granted, there will be plenty of action, but that doesn't mean you get to be the hero at the end of every mission. The objective of Guerilla's new third-person shooter is to capture the horrors and traumas soldiers had to go through in order to endure the Vietnam War. And yes, that includes brutal killings, gruesome scenes of execution depicted through unnerving cut-scenes and more.

You’d better shoot, or you’ll end up like your teammate.

The dreadful image will linger forever in my memory...

Given the circumstances, your goal in this game is pretty simple - to get out of 'Nam alive. No medals, no heroic missions or myths about doing what's right... This is no fairy-tale about playing Rambo in the jungle and then returning home to Peggy Sue. You are a new recruit, dumped in the heart of Indochina and forsaken to fend for his own life. Guerilla Games' main goal is to give you a taste of the horrors that take place during bloody conflicts. It's as simple as that.

It's January 1967. Your character is an inexperienced young soldier, freshly drafted and sent directly into the depths of war-stricken Vietnam. Following your basic training, you are sent on your very first mission almost instantly. Strutting through the thick brush of a steamy jungle, disoriented and scared, you slowly begin to realize that it takes special skill and practice to make it out alive. That's why every soldier is forced to master the art of warfare as quickly as possible before a bullet drills through his skull. Much like in real life, a trooper can only improve combat skills by surviving intense battles. The conditions you must fight in are harsh, but thankfully, your character gradually evolves from an unnerved trainee to a resilient and skillful ops agent as time goes by.

Guerilla admittedly claims that the game doesn't extend the boundaries of casual gameplay styles of present-day action shooters. Well, we have to admit that seeing a development team with modest goals makes a nice change from the typically annoying hypage surrounding video games in preview stage. Don't expect to hear raves regarding revolutionary AI and multicolored visuals embraced in cutting-edge super-high-tech gaming technology. Well, I for one encourage this laid-back attitude. Although many of you may misjudge this approach as a weak link in the game's development cycle, the programming team is actually working their balls off to establish convincing behavioral and movement patterns for VC opponents as well as your squad members. Enemies can set up ambushes or stay under cover if they are outnumbered. They react to gunfire and are often quick to investigate the scene, sweeping the nearby area for any survivors. Teammates also struggle for their own lives as combat commences. When the going gets tough, they provide covering fire and suppressing fire to assist the player as he attempts to complete mission objectives. The unique twist here is that both friendly and enemy combatants are prone to misfiring which sometimes causes confusion in the ranks and even accidental deaths. Of course, the squad will sometimes hang back, which is when there's no one around to watch your back.

Progressing through the game, you are obliged to perform a variety of duties that range from massive encounters with the NVA on huge battlefields, to assignments that require a stealthier line of attack. During large-scale battles, your objectives are fairly straightforward, so essentially all you need to do is pull through and look after your own skin. Stealth-based assignments, however, offer something on the lines of assassination, reconnaissance, and similar stuff. No matter which type of mission is at hand, you'll have to rely on the same skills to complete them.

Returning from a successfully completed task, your squad pays a visit to the base camp. The base camp is a location where troops are allowed to relax and recuperate from the hardship of war. This feature stands as the focal point of the entire game and it remains one of the most important segments where your character can replenish his strengths and inventory. To make a few quick bucks, you'll also be able to sell some of the gear acquired during missions. Additionally, it will be possible to nab illegal firearms which broaden the character's offensive capabilities. Players have access to sorted US weaponry, in addition to using items picked up from enemy soldiers. To correspond with the setting, you'll also be able to call on the heavier stuff. In other words, it's possible to order napalm air strikes and helicopter support to provide cover fire.

The enemy’s way of welcoming unwanted guests!

Lavish accommodation guaranteed.

Level design was treated with care. The surroundings vary from long underground tunnel and drenched fields, to painstakingly designed jungle areas - teeming with trees and almost impenetrable undergrowth. The purpose of these dense harsh jungle surroundings was to give players a good sense of how difficult it is to locate your targets (luckily, the developers incorporated a reticule that changes color to help gamers discern friend from foe).

Generally, the game appears to exhibit solid visual potential even at this early stage of development. Character models received extra attention to ensure effective body animation and authentic reactions to anything that happens during combat. Death animation, for instance, was thoroughly worked at, pledging an impressive diversity of convincing behavior when soldiers are shot. Instead of simply dying, an injured soldier will occasionally stagger and resist the enemy.

Unlike most action games on the market, Shellshock: Nam '67 was resolutely geared towards an authentic single-player experience which plainly indicates the omission of a multiplayer. It was confirmed that there aren't any plans regarding multiplayer or online support. The designers of the game simply do not wish to stray from their goal for one second. They claim an excessive inclusion of classic Deathmatch-style multiplayer modes would mess up the whole concept depicted through the single-player campaign. I don't blame 'em. After all, there are enough multiplayer games out there for the time being.