Well, now that the onslaught of Vietnam games has begun in earnest, we here at Game Over wanted to have a look at the best. Depending on what your personal idea of best is, we chose Men of Valor because it’s by 2015 which, as you may or may not know, is part of what was the Medal of Honor team. Other than that little fact, Men of Valor just looks keen anyway.

So, the first thing that really jumps out about Men of Valor is the fact that the dialog isn’t boring or out of place. In fact, it appears that the design team actually watched some movies or read a few books (such as Dispatches by Michael Herr) before making this game. From the conversations atop APCs while riding down a dirt road to the casual banter while humping through the jungle, it’s easy to tell that some research has went in to making it feel, if not authentic, familiar. The amount of care taken to capture the mood through dialog is readily apparent and a welcome change from the standard fare of war-based shooters.

The overall appeal of the design extends beyond foliage as well, during one early mission you’re forced to walk down a stream bed and the water effects look fantastic. Well, that is if you get to look at them for very long while guys are shooting at you, but you gotta stop and smell the roses. What we’re getting at here is that Men of Valor is a nice looking game.

Player damage is handled in a somewhat interesting way. Once a player is shot, his health indicator will drop and there will be a flashing red section that can be bandaged up that otherwise will slowly drain as your character continues to bleed. Bandaging can be done by the player and doesn’t require the help of a squad-mate. Full health can be attained by picking up canteens and medical packs, per usual.