Platoon impressions

Strategy First recently showed us its upcoming tactical real-time strategy game Platoon, which will bear the official movie license from MGM. But despite the license and a few references to the film, the game itself won't be based on the actual events in the movie. Instead, the game will have an all-new cast of characters fighting in the Vietnam War, each of whom will be a fully fleshed-out character with a unique back story.

The game itself will be a tactical strategy game in which players will manage squads of units through a total of 15 different missions (though the game will also have six additional multiplayer maps and will be released with an editor). In the single-player game, players will fight through story-driven missions, using high grass and trees as cover, climbing hills to gain a height advantage on their enemies, and trudging through different weather effects, including heavy rain. In multiplayer, players will be able to play either as American soldiers or as Viet Cong. In either case, players will control squads of soldiers with different skills and abilities, much like in Commandos 2. You can expect to see heavy weapons specialists, medics, scouts, and engineers among your ranks, as well as your commanding officer, who can call in reinforcements or air strikes.

Though Platoon won't be released until this November, it already looks pretty far along. The game will have a 3D camera that will let players zoom in on their units, and though the different soldiers didn't seem as detailed as the game's terrain (which will have swaying trees and individually rendered blades of grass), they'll carry themselves differently and should be easily distinguishable. We'll have more information on the game soon.