Back when this game came out and for several years after, I was addicted to it, both singleplayer and multiplayer. It was definitely one of the best FPSs for its time and still holds its own despite being about 10 years old; it was made by the same people who made Mafia, it has very well-done scenery and a huge selection of real-life weapons (of both the US and the USSR), all with iron-sight aiming.
The multiplayer was very well-done. You could play as a radioman and call in air strikes with a crude map and compass. It required a lot of guesswork and observation.
I remember that game! Man, the winchester rifle was a lot of fun. And artillery strikes were hilarious! It’s too bad Pterodon screwed the pooch on the sequel and then got folded into Illusion Softworks (AKA 2K Czech) as it’s the only game so far that’s begun to do the Vietnam conflict justice as a game. (Punji stick traps! Arrrrrrgh!)
Haven’t played it in ages, but yeah back in the day it was great fun ! Except for one or two maps (I hated the ruined temple), and facing teams made up of all arty, all the time. Who either were noobs who consistently nuked themselves (not much fun…) or deadly accurate and perfectly timed mortar snipers. Facing cohesive groups with one hidden spotter and 4 or 5 arty guys who staggered their barrages efficiently was real painful.
That being said, there’s a special hell for whoever made the single player tunnel levels.
I also got Vietcong 2, but never played it multi for some reason, and I quickly abandonned the single player too. I loved the jungle in 1, but 2 is more straigthforward “street by street, house by house” fighting and basically all houses have one or two hidden VC with PPSh who instantly ruin your day if you don’t already know exactly where they are and manage to shoot first. It’s an exercize in quickloading, basically.