Operation: Vietnam

Majesco's portable shooter is a decent distraction, but not much more.

The game does a pretty good job of delivering a play style reminiscent of classic top-down action games, and the addition of fun bonus missions is, well… a bonus.

A slightly slow, single-player only arcade shooter. It has ten levels (plus ten bonus missions), above average graphics for a DS game, and a decent auto-aim that can't quite compensate for the fact that you can't strafe, and thus spend a lot of time running directly into enemy fire.

Indeed worth $20 for fans of classic top-down shooters. It's certainly frustrating and is a bit on the short side, but it does provide some fun moments and some shining points that make it worth noticing.

An enjoyable little blast through the sweaty jungles of Vietnam, with a gung-ho storyline and knowingly cheesy, Rambo-esque phrases. [Dec 2007, p.69]

The presentation shines, from the clean visuals to the seamless in-game hints and banter. Even the missions themselves are named after songs appropriate to the era, such as “Bad Moon Rising” and “Break on Through”. You don’t often see a budget DS action title that is “understated” or “cool” in any way, but I have to give it props on both counts.

The concept of a squad-based action/shooter done in a style similar to some of the older classics like Contra and Ikari Warriors is a fair one, but the frustrations of control and the indistinct visuals take away any potential there might have been. What you're left with is a game that's just mediocre – but the foundation is there.