Rising Storm 2: Vietnam is a realistic first person shooter game, with large scale battles, similar to those of games like Battlefield. What sets this game apart is how realistic it is, it takes one to two shots to take down an enemy with the basic gun. So does this shooter feel like an accurate Vietnam War experience? Or is it a crappy Forrest Gump running simulator? Lets find out.
There is nothing scarier than running through the rice patty fields with napalm strikes going down around you. The sounds in this game are some of the most amazing I have seen in a video game. If you are trying to talk with friends and bombs or a helicopter with a machine gunner are firing near you there is no way you are going to hear your friends. The bullets and explosions sound like they are actually happening around you; it gets absolutely terrifying sometimes.
The graphics are a pretty big let down in my opinion. With the sounds being so good and the graphics are not optimal. The visuals are one of the bigger disappointments of this game because it lessens the immersion that the audio effects build up. The graphics aren't horrible they are just not great.
The game modes are pretty standard domination type game modes you would find in other multiplayer shooters. There is generally one team defending points and the other is attacking points. The Vietnamese team are generally always defense while American teams are generally attacking.
The Americans have a slight advantage over the Vietnamese because the Americans get helicopters and flamethrowers. These weapons and vehicles can be extremely overpowered especially when it only takes one bullet to kill somebody. The Vietcong team is not completely mistreated they get tunnel systems that give more cover and quicker routes throughout maps. The Vietnamese can also make squad tunnels which are extra spawn points for your squad which are extremely helpful near capture points.
The maps are absolutely great. They have maps that represent all of the terrain the Vietnam war would actually be fought in. There are maps in cities, long open farm fields, destroyed burning hills, rain forests, etc. The Vietnamese have tunnels that they can use to their full advantage. When Americans enter the tunnels they cannot use their primary weapons. One thing I love about the maps there are no clear paths it is open and you can go pretty anywhere you see unless it is out of bounds.
There are different classes to choose from but only a couple people get to be each class. That leaves almost everyone using the same weapon with the grunt class. The class weapons are pretty cool and they can vary depending which team you are on. You need to be fast if you want a specific class or else someone is going to take it and never switch.
Rising Storm 2 also has a leveling system when you level up you can unlock new character customizations. This is really kind of disappointing to me because there are no new weapons to unlock and I kind of get bored of using the AK 47. It would be a factor that would keep me coming back to the game but I get bored playing for something that won't change the games experience. But I heard a lot of people like the fact there are no more weapons to unlock so maybe it is just me that has a problem with it.
This game is best with friends so you can plan your strategy to bum rush the Vietcong to finally win the battle. The strategy aspect is fantastic in RS2, because you and squad mates can take many different approaches to attacking or defending. You can try to to bum rush throught the tunnels or pick the enemy off from long range. But be careful friendly fire is always on and if your gun accidentally goes off, sending a bullet into your friends head, it was because he deserved it.
The game play is pretty solid except for some minor bugs. The recoil on weapons is insane and you probably won't want to hold the trigger down the whole time your shooting at someone. Bullet drop is a major factor in long distance shots. This won't be too much of a problem if you are in the front lines but it makes a sniper's job a bit harder.
Overall
Overall Rising Storm 2: Vietnam makes for a fantastic multiplayer shooter. I would recommend to play mainly with friends so you guys can get blown up together. There are many bugs the developers need to fix and I would appreciate some game play changing unlocks. The audio effects make up for underwhelming graphics and performance. More maps would be nice but the current ones are great and the balance to the teams is slightly unfair but it actually makes it more fun. I know I have made the game sound a bit bad but it is really fun especially for the price of $24.99. I would check this game out, the audio and the satisfaction of burning people alive with flamethrowers is really worth it.