![]() ![]() As you pan around the hooch where you’ll spend the duration of your Vietnam War, you can catch glimpses of soldiers getting ready to go out on a mission, while outgoing artillery hammers away at some far flung enemy. Then it cuts to black, and your downrange tour begins… in a tent, with a map, your shades, coffee mug, and of course, that trusty radio. The first mission kicks off with a nifty little propaganda video imploring you - a commander with the excellent call sign “Papa Bear” - to carry on the heroic legacy of those who came before, as you “fight against a sinister enemy,” meaning the North Vietnamese forces, that wish “to enslave the freedom-loving people of South Vietnam.”Īnd don’t worry, the cheery narrator advises, you’ll be back home in time for the holidays. ![]() Instead you play as the commanding officer of an Army infantry unit, who has to manage the heavy burden of command, as you coordinate combat operations, artillery fire, resupplies, and troop movements from an outpost armed with just a radio, and a map.Īfter some early crowdfunding, Radio Commander is now available on Steam for $20, as is their squad management pack, which the developers provided to Task & Purpose for review, along with the original game. Radio Commandertakes place during the Vietnam War, but unlike other real time strategy games, you’re not looking down over the battlefield, and ordering soulless little avatars into war. Yes, someone finally made a game where you get to play as a micromanaging company commander. Yet, in spite of these critiques, there’s always - and I mean always - that one guy who chimes in with: Well, if you wanted a realistic war game, you’d just be standing on post for 12 hours. Things like health, munitions, and morale are, at best, measured with a status bar that can be regenerated by moving your troops out of harm’s way for a few seconds, before tossing them right back into the meat grinder the next moment. ![]() The critiques extend beyond just first-person shooters, with real-time strategy games often giving commanders an omniscient view of the battlefield, as if you were the god of war looking down from Olympus while your mortal playthings heed your every command. When it comes to realism in military video games, the gripes are pretty consistent: Everyone’s an operator who can shrug off a few rounds of 7.62mm like they just got hit with spitballs ammunition is universal and works for every gun your weapons never jam you can run for days without needing to catch your breath and barring a few exceptions, “suppressing fire” is just code for “spray and pray” rather than a legitimate tactic meant to keep the enemies’ heads down so your buddies can maneuver on them. ![]()
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