Men of Valor

Sure it has racial slurs, profanity, gunfire and political undertones--but is Men of Valor any fun?

With such an abundance of historical first-person shooters flooding the market, attracting the loyalty--and cash--of picky gamers means today's titles must offer players an exciting, unique experience superior to that of competing genre entries. Men of Valor does many things right in creating fast-paced, frantic-combat scenarios and providing a story saturated with historical information and an authentic, hardboiled wartime atmosphere. However, the edgy themes and frenzied battles are muddled by restrictive, linear levels, and lackluster gameplay that fail to push Men of Valor over the top of the cluttered heap of mediocre military shooters.

"American G.I. Number One, Beaucoup!"

Developer 2015 (makers of Medal of Honor: Allied Assault) has obviously taken great care to recreate the experience of American combat in Vietnam by faithfully representing the racial, ethical, and political dilemmas that shaped that era in gritty unflinching detail. Unfortunately, much of the dramatic tension that could have been elicited from such a historically accurate approach falls flat because of sadly uninspired dialogue, awkward cut scene animations, and (for the most part) down right cheesy voice acting. In fact, the high cheese-factor is so prevalent in MOV that it spills into other areas of the game. For instance, the "Hogan's Alley" style A.I. employed by the NVA and Viet Cong soldiers is almost as frustratingly simple as the woefully ineffective support provided by your non-controllable (and apparently untrained) fellow squad members. There's also no worry about becoming lost in the jungle environments, as each level has annoyingly tight and straightforward boundaries, thereby dramatically limiting your attack and defense options.

"Now Dig This, Sucka!"

Graphically, Men of Valor looks great and well detailed, and the music and sound effects are (as expected) also top shelf quality. The control is excellent for the most part, but trying to bandage yourself while walking is quite clumsy on the keyboard. Overall, Men of Valor is an adequate entry into the emerging Vietnam-sub genre that offers plenty of simplistic shooting fun, but fails to capture the depth and grandeur of similar titles like Battlefield Vietnam or even Call of Duty despite the obvious inclusion of so much historical information.

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