ShellShock: Nam '67 (PS2)

ShellShock: Nam '67 - I was looking forward to NAM 67 when I first read a preview in a PS2 mag. It's about time a good Vietnam shooter was on the market I thought. I bought the game the day it was released hoping for a good few hours of entertainment. When the game started, a good narative and footage of the war got me into the mood and I was ready.

The levels in NAM 67, I quickly realised, are in essence the same. You get a briefing and then fire your gun as many times as you can at enemies while running, or crawling through the obvious route of the level, only stopping at times to detonate a trap which is clearly marked by twigs pointed together. I found the controls easy enough to get to grips with, however, became very frustrated at how clumsy it all became. There you are, lepoard crawling silently through the jungle, and you suddenly reach a boulder which you spotted a while back to use as cover before leaning to one side and killing some 'charlie'. But you crawl too close to the rock and instead of just not being able to move due to the obtsacle you immediately stand up and make so much noise doing so the entire enemy platoon turn and shoot. You run backwards to escape but get caught up in a tree and move no further, you aim for the next big gap you see and can't get through as you reached the game's natural margins on the screen. By which time you have been hit around ten times and your shock meter has finally dropped to the next level allowing another twenty hits before you finally die and your head blows up.

There is no realism in the injuries you or your buddies endure, you look around and see your SGT on the floor having been hit a few times and he just stands up and starts again.

The sound effects are good, listening to far away firefights and jets overhead makes for a good atmosphere, however, the game lets itself down again when you hear VC soldiers shout "go home in a body bag GI" in a poor Viet accent before trying to kill you, not what I imagine Viet soliders saying.

There is a wide choice of weapons you can play with and being able to pick up enemy guns as you go adds to realism (grenades are especially good). However, if I have to blow one more thing up with C4 to complete a mission, I'll go mad.

The game has an 18 cert which I can't understand, sure there is violence and prostitution, but I have watched PG films with more gore. There are some more disturbing moments from your troops which I can understand some parents would not want their kids to see, but then war is not pleasant.

All in all, this is a very average game with no really outstanding qualities, even becoming 'special forces' is no different to being a runt except being able to kill people with you knife silently from behind, unless of course you crawl into a rock.