Line of Sight: Vietnam (PC)

GameSpot editors' review

• CNET editors' rating: 3.5 stars Very good
  Detailed editors' rating
  Overall score: 7.0 (3.5 stars)

• Reviewed by:
  Erik Wolpaw
• Reviewed on: 03/21/2003
• Updated on: 06/18/2003
• Released on: 03/05/2003
• Originally published on GameSpot: Line of Sight: Vietnam (PC) Review

With its last two games, Deadly Dozen and last year's Deadly Dozen: Pacific Theater, developer nFusion proved itself to be exceptionally good at creating solid, reasonably priced tactical shooters. Line of Sight: Vietnam, nFusion's latest title, is something of a step back for what could unofficially be considered a series. It fixes some of the technical problems in Pacific Theater, and though it's certainly not a bad game, Line of Sight: Vietnam isn't as ambitious as Deadly Dozen: Pacific Theater, and its environments aren't as interesting.

Line of Sight's gameplay is more or less completely focused on stealth. Because of the dense foliage of the jungle setting, the realistic damage model, and the accuracy of the enemy soldiers, you'll spend most of your time crawling on your belly through the underbrush, attempting to snipe opponents before they spot you. Clearing levels is an often tense, painstaking process of inching forward and then stopping every few feet to scan the horizon for enemies hidden in the trees. It's almost like a leaf-green-hued game version of Where's Waldo?, except that Waldo will shoot you in the forehead if you don't find him before he finds you.

As in Pacific Theater, nFusion's proprietary graphics engine does a great job of creating a believable jungle environment. The levels are huge and filled with plenty of rocks, trees, and plants to provide cover. You get a real sense of both being hidden and engaging hidden enemies. Spotting camouflaged opponents is ultimately the game's primary challenge. Because of this, even though the game lets you use up to 12 different weapons, the sniper rifle is the one you'll end up using in virtually every situation.

Line of Sight creates a lot of tension, and you may find yourself constantly having trouble deciding whether you should poke your head out of the underbrush for a better view, or stay safely on your stomach. But it also too often crosses the fine line that separates enjoyable tension from frustration--it's not uncommon to be suddenly killed by an unseen enemy. The game does have an option to lower the amount of damage done by gunfire, allowing you to absorb a lot more punishment before dying, but doing so unfortunately also makes enemies considerably more difficult to defeat. On the "arcade" damage level, opponents can often withstand three or four headshots before going down. Neither damage option is entirely satisfying.

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