This multiplayer demo for the upcoming action shooter expansion includes the 'bridge' and 'stream' maps.

Acting as an elite soldier, players of "Vietcong" command the A-team, part of the U.S. Special Forces, in realistically represented Vietnamese environments.

Players will lead as many as six expertly trained soldiers through 20 dramatic missions, and follow a storyline that captures the danger, fear and unpredictability of the war itself. The full-featured multiplayer mode also allows gamers to play as U.S. Special Forces or Vietcong soldiers and to battle over specially designed levels.

In "Vietcong," the player chooses from more than 25 weapons, including M16's, grenade launchers and sniper rifles. Players can order air strikes or ambush enemy patrols, but success ultimately depends on their ability to keep a level head in the thick of intense action.

DEMO REVIEW

In the Vietcong Fist Alpha demo you can sample two player classes (American soldier and Vietcong fighter) and two maps. One of the maps is Stream, from the original Vietcong. While it’s a good map, and popular, it doesn’t really illustrate the Fist Alpha expansion. The other map, Bridge, is new and promising. Teams square off from either side of a strategic rope bridge stretched across a gorge. Having such a hotly contested chokepoint makes for exciting action when a flag carrier breaks for home.

Weapons and game modes are less restricted than classes and maps. Not only do both forces have a full complement of weapons (at least, the ones the soldier and fighter can use), but they can both also attach a bayonet to several weapons -- handy for close encounters. In addition, both of the demo’s maps allow you to play plenty of different game modes. You can engage in deathmatch, capture the flag, assault, last man standing, and more.

It’s easy to find players using the in-game browser. The game list shows games running from both the demo and the full expansion, and you can join any of them so long as they’re using either the Bridge or Stream maps. (To make this easier, you can sort the game list by map name.) In the event that you can’t find a game (or can’t get online), you can even create a co-op game and have a satisfying fight against skilled AI enemies.

If you’ve never tried Vietcong, this demo will be a worthy introduction. Players wanting to sample what’s new in the expansion, though, are pretty much just getting one map.

Demo review by Keith A. Garrett.

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