Battlefield Vietnam is a 2004 first-person shooter game created by Digital Illusions Canada and released by Electronic Arts for Microsoft Windows. It is the second game in the Battlefield series, following Battlefield 1942. The game is set during the Vietnam War and includes many maps based on real historical events, such as the Ho Chi Minh Trail, Battle of Huế, Ia Drang Valley, Operation Flaming Dart, Battle of Khe Sanh, and Fall of Saigon. On March 15, 2005, Electronic Arts released a new version of the game called Battlefield Vietnam: Redux. This version adds new vehicles, maps, and a World War II mod created by Electronic Arts, inspired by Battlefield 1942.

Gameplay

In the game's maps, players must capture Control Points to allow teammates and vehicles to appear. Battlefield Vietnam uses similar objectives to Battlefield 1942 and includes a type of gameplay where each team has different strengths. The U.S. team uses heavy vehicles like tanks, helicopters, and bombers. The North Vietnamese team focuses on infantry tactics and uses weapons to fight tanks. The game's creators aimed to show real wartime conditions. A feature called "Sipi Hole" acts as a moving spawn point, representing the tunnels used by Vietnamese forces. Like earlier Battlefield games, reinforcements (spawn tickets) are important for winning against the enemy team.

Battlefield Vietnam includes the United States' Marines, Army, and Navy; South Vietnam's Army of the Republic of Vietnam; and North Vietnam's People's Army of Vietnam and Viet Cong.

The game uses a modified version of the Battlefield 1942 engine, adding new features. Players can use weapons from the Vietnam War, such as the AK47 rifle and punji stick traps. Vehicles have improvements, like air-lifting and working radios. The radios play 1960s music and allow players to add their own audio files. Unlike Battlefield 1942, players can shoot weapons from the passenger seat of a vehicle. Battlefield Vietnam is the first game in the series to use a 3D map, showing icons for control points and friendly units. This helps players better understand the battlefield.

Reception

In June 2004, the game Battlefield Vietnam earned a "Gold" certification from the Verband der Unterhaltungssoftware Deutschland. This certification showed that it sold at least 100,000 copies in Germany, Switzerland, and Austria. By November of the same year, total sales of Battlefield Vietnam reached 990,000 copies. At that time, the entire Battlefield series had sold 4.4 million copies.

The game received "generally favorable reviews" from Metacritic, a website that collects and summarizes game reviews.

Battlefield Vietnam was a runner-up in Computer Games Magazine's list of the top 10 computer games of 2004. It won the magazine's special award for "Best Soundtrack." The game also received GameSpot's 2004 award for "Best Licensed Music."