Platoon is a mission-based tactical combat game taking place in the Vietnam Conflict. Terrain, vehicles and soldiers are all modeled and authentic, right down to the pockets on the uniforms and the types of plants and grass. The terrain affects your line of sight, and the surface and weather impose limits of the characters. The missions themselves are based on real missions undertaken during the Vietnam war. You groups contain up to 30 men, including engineers and commanders.

Platoon is a real time strategy game which to some degree can be played as a semi turn-based strategy game because like in Baldur's Gate you can stop the action at any time, give orders and then continue. Most of the game sees you in charge of a small band of troops with the aim of traversing the map and eradicating the VCs from the area. You play the role of Martin Lionsdale and you're in charge of a small group of troops. Each of your men has special abilities, as in Commandos, and it's up to you to get the best out of them and use them wisely in order to succeed.

The single player game is 12 missions long. These missions are supposed to be based on real life events and battles so that should please the historians among you. Throughout the game you're under the constant threat of the VCs launching an attack and as a result the tension remains high. The terrain is thick with foliage for the most part, you don't see any threats before they happen.

Game Details

Developer
Digital Reality

Publisher
Monte Cristo Multimedia, Strategy First, Inc.

Platform
PC (Windows)

Release date
Nov 19, 2002

Genre
Action, Simulation, RTS, 3rd-Person Perspective

Mode
Single player, Multiplayer

Media/distribution
CD

System requirements

PIII 600 or equivalent
256 MB RAM
32 MB Video Memory
600 MB Hard Drive Space