If I mention 1967, you might think of the Summer of Love, fields of flower children and plenty of people tuning in, turning on and dropping out. But thousands of miles away from the free love and protest movements, a different and much more brutal life was going on in Vietnam. Hundreds of men were getting drafted, shipped overseas and dying in Southeast Asia every day. Not many games or books have even focused on this section of history, until now, almost forty years later. Eidos’ latest title, Shellshock: Nam ’67, plunges players deep into the bush to experience the danger and destruction that belied the societal times. Nam ’67 casts players as one of three new grunts to the killing fields of Vietnam. As a cherry recruit, you and another green soldier are put on patrol with an experienced squad as they go on a search and destroy mission. Much more than a simple tutorial level, this operation gives you a sense of the tone of the game itself. Your soldier isn’t like action heroes in other games: he can only carry one large, or “heavy” weapon, a sidearm or two, and a few different kinds of grenades. This distinction is important, because you’ll often have to search the fallen, friends and foes alike, for ammunition and weapons, especially if you start running low in a firefight. Choosing which weapon you’ll keep can often be the difference between life and death in these battles, so you’ve got to choose carefully. Thankfully, for most missions, you’ll have a platoon to help cover you in the midst of battle. While players won’t have control over their squad mates, they will provide ample covering or suppression fire for you to take care of different objectives. Of course, the lone tradeoff is trying to ensure that most, if not all of your platoon doesn’t fall in battle. This isn’t limited to straight gunfights or ambushes either. Players will have to carefully defuse booby traps that line the pathways and passes of Nam without having them blow up in your squad’s face. No pressure when you’re under fire from the enemy, right? Accomplishing one objective will often spawn secondary tasks that you’ll need to accomplish to provide safe passage for you and your teammates, but observant soldiers will keep an eye out for spoils of war. This includes everything from officer’s stars to Northern Vietnam flags. These seemingly innocuous items can actually be traded in when you’re returned to the relative safety of the army base for postcards, weapons, or drugs. You can even redeem these “prizes” for a little “female companionship” from friendly local women. Unlike other titles, Nam ’67 isn’t shying away from the brutality of the war. Blood and body parts fly freely, and the settings for some levels seem straight out of Full Metal Jacket or Apocalypse now, complete with hanging bodies and piles of tortured soldiers. This will definitely not be a title for the squeamish gamer. This is supported with a classic soundtrack featuring Percy Sledge, Roy Orbison and other period artists. Nam ’67 is getting ready to emerge from the brush in a few weeks, so check back soon for a full review! Questions or comments about the upcoming release of ShellShock: Nam '67 for the PlayStation 2, Xbox and PC? Talk to us! [ E-Mail Jeff 'Linkphreak' Haynes ] [ Comment in our Forums ]

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