ShellShock: Nam '67 E3 2004 Preshow Impressions

Some games and films portray war and its participants in a heroic light, putting the emphasis on service, duty, and sacrifice for country and belief. Other media cast a harsher light on war, showing how it brings out the darker side of man and decay upon the human condition. Eidos' upcoming game ShellShock: Nam '67 definitely places itself closer to the latter of the two media types, as it portrays the Vietnam War in the same, unflinchingly gritty fashion as many Vietnam War movies, such as Platoon and Full Metal Jacket. The game will be on display at this year's Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles.

Right off the bat, the yellowish, grainy filter that the developers at Guerrilla have applied to the game's visuals will convey a sense of despair and hopelessness to the player. ShellShock isn't going to be a cheery, feel-good game--its aim is to show the Vietnam War in a stark, uncensored fashion. You'll begin the game as a green recruit, going on dangerous patrol missions into the jungle, exploring tunnel networks, and dealing with brutal ambushes. As you stay alive through the first few missions, you will eventually earn your way into the Black Ops special forces, where you'll take on even more dangerous missions, such as assassinating a Viet Cong general.

Along the way, you'll experience the horrors of the Vietnam War, such as seeing the effects of sinister booby traps, fighting against militiawomen, and seeing both friend and foe not just die from wounds, but become maimed by them and continue fighting through severe injury. While the game will allow fire support such as artillery strikes and napalm drops, friendly-fire accidents can happen, which will help depict the confusion of the war during intense firefights.

ShellShock's environments include dense and steamy jungles, rice paddies, tight tunnels, and rural villages. These areas include many hiding places where you and your squadmates can be ambushed; some enemies will even "hide" in plain sight, posing as villagers. A historically accurate array of weapons will be at your disposal, and you'll also be able to scavenge the Soviet-style weapons from NVA and Viet Cong enemies.

Unfortunately, no multiplayer mode will ship with ShellShock, as the developers wanted to concentrate on creating a compelling single-player experience. The game is currently slated to ship in June for the PlayStation 2, Xbox, and PC platforms. We'll bring more information on ShellShock: Nam '67 as it becomes available.