 | A Veteran stands guard over his high Score |
WASHINGTON, DC -- Some are calling it an act of Extreme Inappropriateness. While others are saying it the hardest-hitting first person shooter since Halo 2. Under foggy conditions this weekend, hardcore veterans and gamers alike remained sharply divided as they converged on the Vietnam memorial for the unveiling of Conflict Vietnam, the latest offering from SCi games.
Eerily classified as a first person shooter, the game Conflict Vietnam is a fictionalized account of the Vietnam conflict which ended over 30 years ago. The game follows four soldiers trapped behind enemy lines during the 1968 Tet Offensive. Many Vietnam veterans that were in attendance over the weekend were shocked and outraged at the use of the memorial to advertise something like a video game. They were equally upset at the lack-luster graphics and slow game speed.
Barry Lighthouse, a decorated Vietnam veteran, found the display offensive to an extreme. Ive come here many times before and Ive always taken solace in this place but what Sony has done here is absolutely unforgivable. Lighthouse lamented. We come here to remember our fallen brethren and reflect on the time we served in the sheer hell that was Vietnam. Furthermore I found the games opening stage was great but then, like the Medal of Honor series, it just got lost in this ridiculous back-story which provided little action and interesting game play. Id give it 3 out of 5 stars
Bill Huber, North American Sales President for Sony, cant understand the controversy surrounding the release of Conflict Vietnam
 | History is fun! So is Hunting Charlie |
When we set out to make this game Huber reflected we wanted to make sure that we were accurate in its depiction of the conflict in Southeast Asia. We would never want to diminish or exploit the efforts of the men and women of our Armed Forces who honorably served in the Conflict
Huber was in Washington all weekend handing out Conflict Vietnam t-shirts, Frisbees, and plastic dog tags.
Though some worried that making a Vietnam themed video game might trivialize the conflict, many youngsters seemed to be enjoying their exploration of history as they played. Twelve-year-old David Armstrong from Lubbock Texas took home a unique perspective on the history of Vietnam.
 | Not Everyone Found Extra Lives |
My uncle was in Vietnam, David reported. He never really talks about it though. It must make him real mad to know that there where health boxes all over the place and he didnt have to lose his legs. So now I too know what he went through.
As enlightening a walk through history this game is for some, for others it was the reopening of deep wounds. Many were reluctant to even talk about it.
I was there and I can tell you that war is hell! reported a spectator who would only go by the name "Mario, S." No game, or movie, or novel is going to be able to emulate a fraction of the hell that we endured. Sweating it out in the fields, and in the patties. Night after night. While some gorilla is throwing barrels at you. You ever try to climb up a scaffold while youve got a giant gorilla throwing barrels at you man? Well have you? Hey why dont you grab that hammer and break one of those barrels. Uh Oh!!!! Looks like your hammers gone. That's how I lost my brother Luigi. It wasnt a game man. It wasnt a game.
 |
