Line #205 VideoGame/Vietcong


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4	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/vietcong_9170.png]]
5	''Vietcong'' is a FirstPersonShooter series consisting of 2 video games and 3 [[ExpansionPack expansion packs]] (2 are [[{{Freeware}} free]]), developed by Illusion Softworks ([[Creator/TakeTwoInteractive 2K Czech]]).
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7	It's quite notorious for its high difficulty, and it managed to capture the atmosphere of UsefulNotes/TheVietnamWar. The games are notable for quite realistic portrayal of hardened soldiers and their environment as well as for including less popular themes, such as supporting the Montagnard tribes and urban combat during the Tet Offensive. With helicopters, a plethora of military tropes and music from the '60s added for good measure.
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9	The first game puts players as US Special Forces Intelligence Sergeant Steve R. Hawkins, assigned to the SF camp in Nui Pek to replace the previous ([[PosthumousCharacter dead]]) intel sergeant, Douglas Warren, who is playable in the expansion pack, ''Fist Alpha''. Both the original game and ''Fist Alpha'' was bundled and ported to the Platform/PlayStation2 and Platform/XBox in 2004 as ''Purple Haze''.
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11	In the second game, players assume the role of MACV Cpt. Daniel Boone and Viet Cong member Mai Van Minh during the Tet Offensive.
12	----
13	!!''Vietcong'' provides examples of:
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15	[[foldercontrol]]
16
17	[[folder:General]]
18
19	* AcceptableBreakFromReality:
20	** Mounted machine guns having BottomlessMagazines? Check. [[HollywoodSilencer Hollywood Silencers]]? Check. Your engineer having unlimited supplies of ammo? Check. The ability to drive tanks despite not being a tank crewman? Check!
21	** Your AI Squadmates have significantly enhanced health, while they will eventually die (And can drop instantly from explosions and headshots.), they will usually get KO'd on the ground, where the enemy will focus more on you/other still standing squad members, meaning you don't need to worry about them dying generally, though any other characters you need to escort generally don't have this enhanced durability, the Medic also is much harder to get KO'd than other squad members. (Since then the player would need to use a somewhat uncommon medkit to revive them.)
22	* AKA47: Subverted. Some weapons appear with their real names, while others, such as revolvers appear with generic names such as the "Revolver 1935".
23	%%* AllAsiansWearConicalStrawHats: Some of the [=VCs=], [[TruthInTelevision quite obviously]].
24	* AllYourBaseAreBelongToUs: In the first game, the [=VCs=] [[spoiler:(later the NVA)]] launched a couple of attacks on Nui Pek. And of course, the Tet Offensive in the second game.
25	* TheAlliance: The anti-communist forces of course, consisting of the USA, South Vietnam, Australia, and New Zealand. South Korean and Thai flags appear in the MACV HQ, too.
26	%%* AlphabeticalThemeNaming: The expansion packs, except ''Red Dawn''.
27	* AmericaSavesTheDay: This being a game that is [[TruthInTelevision true to history]], you'll just instantly know that this trope is {{averted}} big time.
28	%%* AnyoneCanDie: Subverted with your team-mates in the second game.
29	* ArtificialBrilliance[=/=]ArtificialStupidity: The series' AI is impressive, if not above-average:
30	** On the brilliant side, they can go from cover-to-cover, flanking their targets, avoiding ''and'' detecting booby traps (if they're pointmen), healing other team-mates, and can even follow your orders precisely.
31	** On the stupid side, they seem to ignore dead bodies that are ''in front of them'' in stealth missions. Also, sometimes the pointman has problems with waypoint finding.
32	* ArtisticLicenseHistory:
33	** Some of the NVA[=/VCs=] in the first game wear Mao hats that were only worn by the Pathet Lao.
34	** Despite what Boone claims in the second game, a point repeated by some Americans in real life, it is generally [[https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/22/opinion/vietnam-was-unwinnable.html agreed by historians]] that the Vietnam War was unwinnable even from a military standpoint.
35	* AsianSpeekeeEngrish[=/=]YouNoTakeCandle: Any Vietnamese character except the Hue Mayor, the LLDB Mountain Eagle CO, Captain Soat, and Major Thu, all of whom speak English fluently.
36	* ATeamFiring: Averted. You can hit an enemy while firing from the hip.
37	* {{Autosave}}: Sometimes occurs if you've used a radio, or completed an objective.
38	%%* BadassArmy
39	* BagOfSpilling: Averted, at least in the campaign mode. You always keep what weapons you have, except in [[TunnelNetwork tunnel-based]] missions, where you always start with a silenced pistol as your only weapon.
40	%%* BattleInTheRain: Many missions throughout the series.
41	* BlackAndWhiteMorality: How the US and ARVN forces are depicted, sidestepping their more controversial actions during UsefulNotes/TheVietnamWar. The protagonist of the first game, Hawkins, never questions the righteousness of the war, and reacts to VC and NVA propaganda in the same way the average American patriot then would.
42	* BlackDudeDiesFirst: Averted. Both Thomas Bronson and Stone survive throughout the series.
43	* BlastingItOutOfTheirHands: Averted. You cannot disarm an enemy by shooting his weapon out of his hands.
44	* BoobyTrap: Of course. [[TruthInTelevision It's Vietnam]]. On the plus side, the pointman will always spot them, and you can disarm them yourself.
45	-->'''Le Dhuy Nhut''': Trung-si, you see the sign? Charlie makes traps. Signs tell VC where.
46	%%* BoringButPractical: Any silenced weapon and assault rifle.
47	* BottomlessMagazines: Any and all mounted machine guns. However, they will overheat if fired for too long.
48	* ChromosomeCasting: All of the important characters are men. [[JustifiedTrope Only to be expected]] of military fiction set before TheEighties or so; there were only 130 or so enlisted women in the US military by the time of Vietnam.
49	* ColdFlames: Averted. You can and ''will'' be hurt by fire, whether you touch it directly or stand next to it.
50	* ColorCodedForYourConvenience: Anti-communist forces will always wear camouflaged (ERDL[=/=]Tigerstripe[=/=]Duck), lime, or brown uniforms while the NVA wears dark green and tan uniforms. Some [=VCs=] in the first game (or all of them in the second) wear black pajamas.
51	* ConcealmentEqualsCover: Averted. Like ''VideoGame/OperationFlashpoint'', hiding in bushes or tall grass slows you down and makes you both effectively invisible (unless somebody directly stumbles upon you) but also more vulnerable to enemy fire.
52	* ContractualBossImmunity: Averted. But then again, it's not like the bosses are stronger than typical {{mooks}} when it goes to health.
53	* ClusterFBomb: There are lots and lots of swearing. Especially from the Americans[=/ANZACs=].
54	%%* CriticalExistenceFailure: Played straight with the player.
55	* DamnYouMuscleMemory: Try playing this game after playing ''VideoGame/MedalOfHonor'', ''VideoGame/HalfLife1'', ''VideoGame/CallOfDuty'', or any other [=FPS=] where you only need to hold either the left mouse button or the G key to use the grenade. Here, you'll have to press the left mouse button, ''then'' hold the button to cook the grenade, then release the button to throw it.
56	%%* DeathFromAbove: Several times throughout the series. All come from the Americans, who certainly ''love'' this trope.
57	* DirtyCommunists: Played with. The NVA and VC hardly ever commit any atrocities in the first game, but then commit a massacre in the church in Hue in the second. Hawkins, however, tend to view his enemies as such, especially based on his reactions upon finding collectables. For instance he reacts to an anti-American propaganda poster with "[[PrecisionFStrike Fuck you, commies]]", and calls both UsefulNotes/JosephStalin and UsefulNotes/MaoZedong mass murderers if he finds their photos.
58	* DoNotDropYourWeapon: This game has a rare variation where you can drop your weapons[=/=]items by pressing the Backspace key.
59	* DoNotRunWithAGun: Played straight, naturally. Even more so if you're lying down; you cannot fire, let alone aim while crawling, and vice versa.
60	%%* DuringTheWar (UsefulNotes/TheVietnamWar)
61	* DwindlingParty: Averted. None of the player's teammates dies as the series progresses, story-wise.
62	%%* EliteArmy[=/=]ElitesAreMoreGlamorous: We have the Green Berets, the CIDG, the LLDB, MACV, and the Vietnamese Rangers (Black Panthers[=/=]Hac Bao).
63	* EliteMooks: Arguably, the NVA. They're considerably better fighters than the [=VCs=]. In the second game's VC campaign, you have US marines.
64	* EnemyChatter: Naturally. [[OhCrap You know it's time to worry]] when you hear someone who ''isn't'' your pointman or ally shout in Vietnamese.
65	* EscortMission:
66	** In ''Fist Alpha'', once Douglas and his team find the F-105 pilot, they must protect him until the evac chopper arrives. In the second game, the player has to ensure that both Rigley and a US armored vehicle survive throughout certain parts in the US campaign.
67	** It's safe to say that the first game is one huge Escort Mission; if one of your team-mates goes down, it's mission failed.
68	** The worst example is the second mission in Fist Alpha, the entire village must survive and you need to escort a single villager armed with only a double barreled shotgun, and if a single one dies the mission fails. Unlike your allies, the villagers have terminally low health and tend to die instantly; even the hunter who you need to escort can die before you can do anything to defend him.
69	* ExpansionPack: ''Fist Alpha'' and ''Red Dawn'' for the first and ''Fist Bravo'' for the second. The latter two are {{freeware}}, as mentioned in the page description.
70	* EveryCarIsAPinto: Played straight. Any vehicle will explode once they've been badly damaged.
71	* TheFaceless[=/=]HeWhoMustNotBeSeen: Averted. All player characters are depicted visually, both in concept art, cutscenes, and third-person view.
72	* FakeDifficulty: There are certain sections with VC Enemy spawns that literally always know where you are and will rush your position even if you're hiding in a bush, the enemy will also occasionally (and often on Hard onwards) somehow manage to shoot you in the head, through a bush, at an awkward angle from a good distance away with a .38 revolver.
73	%%* FacklerScaleOfFPSRealism: Realistic.
74	%%* ForegoneConclusion: ''Fist Alpha'' and both campaigns in the second game.
75	%%* FriendlyFireproof: Averted. See also VideoGameCrueltyPunishment.
76	* GameMod: There are lots and lots of mods for the series, most of them multiplayer-only.
77	%%* GameplayAllyImmortality: Averted. Subverted in the second game with your teammates, but still averted for everyone else.
78	* GrenadeLauncher: The standalone [=M79=], and the [=XM148=] underslung on some [=M16s=].
79	* GunPorn: There are [[http://www.imfdb.org/wiki/Vietcong lots]] ''and'' [[http://www.imfdb.org/wiki/Vietcong_2 lots]] of guns in the series.
80	%%* GunshipRescue: Many of 'em for the Americans in the form of Huey, Choctaw, and Cobra gunships.
81	* HarderThanHard: Vietnam difficulty. As if the game [[NintendoHard wasn't already very hard]].
82	-->''The most challenging war experience. No ammo counter, no health bar, no radar, no save games. Just you, your squad, and your gun.''
83	** Fist Alpha is even harder than the original game.
84	* HaveANiceDeath: Averted. When you die, the game just says "MISSION FAILED" and allows you to either restart the level, go back to a checkpoint, or return to the main menu as the camera slowly fades to black and a somber (and instrumental) rock song plays.
85	* HealThyself: The player is usually equipped with a medikit (otherwise he can find one himself), which completely replenishes the player's health. You can also use it on any wounded teammate. The [=PS2=] version of ''Purple Haze'' advises the player to only use it when his health is less than 50%.
86	* HellishCopter: Any helicopter shot down by the VC counts. Most notably, [[spoiler:Hawkins]]' Huey [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9T5ZJ9HUrLk crashes while approaching Po Tlong Karai]]. And pretty much all of the Hueys in the VC campaign.
87	* HeroicMime: Averted. All of the player characters talk throughout the series.
88	* HideYourChildren: Civilians appear throughout the series, yet there are no children.
89	%%* {{Hitscan}}: Painfully played straight for a realistic game franchise.
90	* HollywoodSilencer: Played straight with any silenced weapon. Thankfully an [[AcceptableBreaksFromReality Acceptable Break From Reality]], since if this trope is averted, it would've made any stealth-based mission extremely hard.
91	%%* HyperspaceArsenal: Averted.
92	* IconicItem: Pick any headgear worn by the protagonists. From bandannas, boonie hats, US marine caps, NVA pith helmets, the list goes on.
93	* JustPlaneWrong: Averted for most of the time, but for some bizarre reason, [[TanksButNoTanks not so for ground armored vehicles]].
94	* LastStand: In the first game, ''very'' narrowly averted with the LLDB outpost Mountain Eagle and the US radio relay in Dong Tam Hanh hill. If it wasn't for Hawkins and his team's aid they'd be dead for good. Not to mention [[spoiler:Nui Pek]] itself.
95	** Late in the second game, the battle for Imperial City and pretty much the rest of Hue City is this for the NVA. Lampshaded by marine interviewees:
96	-->'''Marine 1''': Yeah man, I've heard that almost all the Communist officers are dead by now and that the North Vietnamese rag-tag troops are commanded by lower-ranking officers.\
97	'''Marine 2''': Their casualties are terrible man, and they're out of ammo. But it's not enough for them to back off. They fight till they can't stand.\
98	'''Marine 3''': We're beatin' 'em hard, but they're still kicking. Any of us can be shot dead anytime by some bastard hiding in ruins or thick bushes.
99	* LevelInBossClothing: The bosses in the series act exactly like regular {{mooks}}, absolutely playing this trope straight.
100	* LifeMeter: Which decreases anytime the player gets healed, depending on how badly injured he is.
101	* LimitedLoadout: You may carry only one knife, a primary weapon, a secondary weapon[[labelnote:]]second game only[[/labelnote]], a handgun, one grenade type[[labelnote:]]two for the second game[[/labelnote]], one medkit, and one special item[[labelnote:*]]a portable radio, C4, etc[[/labelnote]].
102	%%* MilitaryAlphabet: Prevalent throughout the series. Hotel Six, everyone?
103	%%* MirroringFactions: The NVA, the ARVN, and the VC are depicted this way.
104	* MissingBackblast: Jarringly played straight for a realistic game franchise.
105	* MissionControl: In the first game and ''Fist Alpha'', it's Captain Rosenfield. In the second game, we have Colonel Lewis and an unnamed NVA commissar.
106	* MookChivalry: Averted, period. The enemy AI can ''and'' will gang up on or ambush your team.
107	* MoreDakka: Many weapons. From [=M60s=], [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarII WWII]]-era [=BARs=], [=RPDs=], the list goes on.
108	%%* NintendoHard
109	* NoSidepathsNoExplorationNoFreedom: Played straight throughout the series, except with ''Fist Alpha'''s last mission or Nui Pek in the prologue and post-briefings.
110	* NoticeThis: Averted. None of the series' objectives or pickups glow, making it hard to find them.
111	* OneBulletClips: Averted, with the exception of revolvers and shotguns.
112	* OneSteveLimit: {{Averted\|trope}}. Some of the important Vietnamese characters are named "Nguyen". Aside from sharing the same name, they are not related to each other.
113	* OrphanedSeries: Illusion Softworks[=/=]2K Czech has yet to announce, let alone work on a third installment as of 2013.
114	%%* PinkMist
115	%%* RatedMForManly
116	* RemixedLevel: The first game has the Nui Pek camp. The second game's US campaign is especially guilty of this with Hue City's town hall, MACV HQ, and the streets.
117	%%* LaResistance: The [=VCs=].
118	* ReportingNames: Also prevalent. Thunderchiefs, Hueys, etc.
119	* RevolversAreJustBetter: Averted. None of the revolvers were the strongest sidearms in the series, and they take much longer to reload.
120	* SaveScumming: An attempted aversion; you may only quick-save for 5 times. Again, as if the game wasn't already hard.
121	* SceneryGorn: Po Tlong Karai hill and [[spoiler:Nui Pek towards the end of the first game]].
122	* SendInTheSearchTeam: At the beginning of ''Fist Alpha'', Douglas and his team see an F105 going down. Naturally, they search the jungle for its pilot. In the second game, Boone and his team are tasked with rescuing ARVN Captain Soat, who "[[HeKnowsTooMuch knows too much]]".
123	* ShoutOut: [[ShoutOut/{{Vietcong}} Here]].
124	%%* ShortRangeShotgun: Averted.
125	* ShotgunsAreJustBetter: Subverted, gameplay-wise. They are powerful (even more so in short range), but their low rate of fire, not to mention slow reloading speed can be problematic at times.
126	%%* ShownTheirWork: Lots and lots of 'em throughout the series.
127	%%* SniperRifle: The [=M21=], Dragunov, M1 Garand, and Mosin-Nagant.
128	* SniperScopeSway: A particularly annoying example since, unlike other {{First Person Shooter}}s, there's no way to steady your aim.
129	* TheSquad:
130	## TheLeader: You. Doubles as the DemolitionsExpert.
131	## TheSneakyGuy: The pointman. In the first game, he's always an LLDB member, thus making him TheFace as well in certain situations where he's the only guy who can talk to a Vietnamese who doesn't understand English. He doesn't appear in the second game except in one level in the VC campaign.
132	## CombatMedic: Armed with either a submachine gun or an assault rifle.
133	## TheEngineer: The engineer in this case refills your ammo. Doubles as the DemolitionsExpert. In the second game's multiplayer mode, he's TheTeamBenefactor, providing ammo and repairs. His C4 doesn't count because the Commando class has his own.
134	## CommunicationsOfficer: The radioman. In the first game, you have to use his radio whenever the radio icon shows up. In tunnel-based missions, you're equipped with your own radio. In the second game, he uses the radio himself.
135	## TheBigGuy: The machinegunner.
136	* StandardFPSGuns: Played absolutely straight. Knives aside, you have pistols, automatic weapons, semi-automatic rifles, shotguns, grenades, and rocket launchers.
137	* StrawCivilian: Averted. The Montagnards, not to mention the civilians in Hue City are friendly to the anti-communist forces. Even the villages (such as Minh's) that supported the NVA[=/=]VC avoid this trope big time.
138	%%* StuffBlowingUp: Caused by your C4 charges, no less.
139	* TanksButNoTanks: [[spoiler:The old French armored cars are called "tanks" for some reason.]] Not to mention the [=T-34-76s=] used by the NVA, when they should be using [=T-34-85s=], and M50 Ontos tank destroyers in the second game.
140	* TankGoodness: For [[spoiler:[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90AQ6klV_Aw the NVA in the last level]] of the first game and]] the Americans in the second game. Earlier in the first game, air recon picks up what appears to be a couple of VC tanks. [[spoiler:Turns out they're actually just rusted French armored cars]].
141	-->'''Nhut''': Look trung-si! [[spoiler:Tanks will no shoot. This old French tank, me know it.]]
142	-->'''Hawkins''': [[spoiler:So ''this'' is what a VC tank platoon looks like?]]
143	** You can also drive tanks in some of the second game's multiplayer maps.
144	* TitleDrop: Anytime a character says "Viet Cong", "VC", or "Fist Alpha".
145	%%* TruthInTelevision: Lots and lots of 'em throughout the series.
146	* WarIsHell: The series doesn't really demonize war, but its high difficulty, not to mention its focus on realism, screams this trope at the top of its metaphorical lungs.
147	* WeCannotGoOnWithoutYou: Subverted. If you die, your team-mates will continue fighting. Still mission failed, though. By the way, this trope also applies to the aforementioned team-mates as well.
148	%%* YourTerroristsAreOurFreedomFighters: The [=VCs=].
149	* ZergRush: [[spoiler:The NVA assault on Nui Pek in the first game]]. The VC campaign's last level has the player and his allies inflicting this on the Americans.
150
151	[[/folder]]
152
153	[[folder:''Vietcong'', ''Fist Alpha'', and ''Red Dawn'']]
154
155	* AntiAir: In ''Fist Alpha'' the Thunderchief gets shot down by one of these. In the last mission, Douglas and his team sneaks through them and "silences" them.
156	* AttackAttackAttack: The NVA[=/VC's=] ''only'' strategy when it goes to attacking US[=/=]ARVN bases and Montagnard villages. But in some cases, they bring mortars and tanks with them.
157	* AtomicFBomb: "Holy shit! That sounds bad-- FUUUUUUCK!!!"
158	* BilingualBonus: Both Nguyen and Nhut refer to the player as "trung-si", which is Vietnamese for "sergeant".
159	* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler:The NVA assault on Nui Pek was repelled [[PyrrhicVictory at the cost of many American and Vietnamese lives, not to mention the camp itself,]] but Hawkins' part in the war is temporarily over.]]
160	* BloodierAndGorier: Inverted. Compared to the second game, the original is very bloody.
161	%%* BolivianArmyEnding: [[spoiler:Subverted.]]
162	* BookEnds: The game starts and ends with Hawkins entering[=/=]leaving Nui Pek on a helicopter, set to the tune of Music/DeepPurple's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LlDCAoUFVbA Hey Joe]].
163	* CoolPlane: The F105 Thunderchief is a painfully obvious subversion. Granted, it's a fighter-bomber, but in this game, it's essentially an [[Literature/FlightOfTheIntruder A6]] [[Film/FlightOfTheIntruder Intruder]] with the chassis of a, well, Thunderchief.
164	%%* TheComputerIsACheatingBastard
165	* CurbStompBattle: Averted whenever the NVA[=/VCs=] launch an all-out attack on an American[=/=]ARVN base or a Montagnard village. By the player. [[spoiler:And in the case with Nui Pek during the FinalBattle, ''almost'' played straight]].
166	* CrossdressingVoices: An extremely bizarre version; the female [=VCs=] speak with a male voice.
167	* DarkActionGirl: Hawkins and his team encounters some female [=VCs=] in a few levels.
168	%%* DescriptionPorn: Hawkins' diary and documents.
169	* EasterEgg: The very first level has the infamous "VC zombie", which appears after you attempt to open a locked door near your bunk 15 times (acquiring an [=M79=] in the process).
170	* FakeStatic: If you skip a radio call, Hawkins/Douglas will cough then hang up, if you wait to skip until the character on the other line is talking, they may actually cough and hang up on Hawkins/Douglas instead.
171	* {{Foreshadowing}}: Bronson is concerned that the [=VCs=] might send in tanks to destroy the radio relay in Dong Tam Hanh hill. [[spoiler:The NVA does the exact same thing when they attacked Nui Pek.]]
172	* GameBreakingBug:
173	** A really notorious (and famous) example occurs when the game is run on newer computers, especially in the third mission, where the game always crashes after Hawkins says "I can almost smell the VC bastards". It also crashes whenever the radio icon shows up on the HUD. Fortunately, there's [[http://www.vietcong1.cz/index.php?site=files&file=42 a third-party program]] that tweaks the game to prevent it from crashing.
174	** It's possible for your allies to get stuck getting on the helicopter at the end of a mission, soft-locking you, this doesn't seem to happen if the player makes sure to get on last.
175	* GoodGunsBadGuns:
176	** Played straight in Quick Fight mode. As Hawkins you can only start with NATO firearms, while as a VC soldier you can only start with Soviet[=/=]Warsaw Pact firearms.
177	** Averted in the Main Campaign, the VC tend to use captured M3 Grease Guns, the .38 Revolver (Which is considered a US weapon.) and the M1 Carbine, in addition the NVA Officer in charge of some prisoners in one mission carries a captured M16 and a VC Officer looking for the Pilot in Fist Alpha's first mission carries a 1911, the armory in both the Vanilla game and Fist Alpha also stocks Soviet/Warsaw Pact Firearms as the campaigns progress.
178	* ImperialStormtrooperMarksmanshipAcademy: Quick Fight mode suffers from this. The AI accuracy (both friendly ''and'' hostile) is significantly ''worse'' than in the campaign; for most of the time you'd end up doing all the killing yourself instead of your teammates.
179	%%* InkSuitActor: Most of the American characters, as seen [[http://vietcong.scorpions.cz/vc/clanek/galeria-postavy here]].
180	%%* KillItWithFire: The napalm strikes.
181	* LudicrousGibs: Averted. While it's possible to dismember enemies, you should never expect them to rest in pieces.
182	%%* MultiPlatform: The ''Purple Haze'' ports.
183	* NiceJobBreakingItHero: If Hawkins fails to reach the LLDB outpost in time, Nhut will chastise him.
184	-->'''Nhut''': Outpost dead now.
185	* NonStandardGameOver: If one of the player's team-mates goes down and either TheMedic [[EpicFail dies]] or takes too long to heal him[[labelnote:*]]the player counts as well, provided that he has a medkit[[/labelnote]], the mission will fail. See also EscortMission and VideoGameCrueltyPunishment.
186	* NoOneGetsLeftBehind: The only reason why the team, after finding the [[spoiler:French armored cars]] decide to rescue Sgt. Marvin Fisher. Hawkins' first attempt to locate him failed, but eventually they manage to find the village where he's held up, sneak into it, rescue Marv, and blow the village sky-high.
187	* NothingIsScarier: Subverted. Granted, this is Vietnam, where the NVA[=/VCs=] could be hiding ''anywhere'' in the jungles, ready to ambush any unwitting patrols. Fortunately, the pointman can give away their positions, slightly nullifying this trope.
188	-->'''Nhut''': Think VC.
189	* OneManArmy: Deconstructed. In any mission or quick fights where the player is alone, a stealthy approach is the only way to win it, other than using GodMode.
190	* PreMortemOneLiner: "Here's a present, motherfucker!" ([[spoiler:cue T-34 exploding]])
191	%%* {{Prequel}}: ''Fist Alpha''.
192	* RespawningEnemies: Played straight in the last mission of ''Fist Alpha''. If Douglas gets detected after clearing the MG nests and AA guns and meeting up with Defort, the NVA[=/=]VC will scour the whole place for you, not to mention calling in reinforcements. Even if you manage to take down all of the enemies, excluding the colonel, there will always be at least one enemy in the base. Maybe the developers thought that the player will try to clear the base before killing the colonel, gathering the intel, and blowing up the fuel tanks.
193	-->'''Douglas''': Shit, it's gonna get tough now. Should've been more careful...
194	* RuinsForRuinsSake: Double subverted. While nothing is virtually known about the temple ruins on Po Tlong Karai hill other than it being used as an NVA base, it makes completely perfect sense... [[spoiler:until you find a VC tunnel network under it, which leads to ''another ruined dungeon beneath it'' and finally a VC-held village]].
195	%%* ShootingGallery: Obviously present in the tutorial mode.
196	%%* SimulationGame
197	* SliceOfLife: This game is pretty much about the everyday life of a Green Beret in Vietnam.
198	* SortingAlgorithmOfWeaponEffectiveness: Only occurs in the campaign, where the player starts with just a knife. Averted for the rest of the game.
199	* SpikesOfDoom: The [=VCs=]' [[BoobyTrap punji sticks]]. Mostly found in the [[TunnelNetwork tunnels]]. There are also bamboo spikes. Springing or disarming them will result in a JumpScare.
200	* StealthBasedMission: Some missions require the player to sneak through an enemy base[=/=]camp. Getting detected just once will instantly fail the mission. This can be problematic if you're not equipped with a silenced pistol, which itself is useless against long range targets. At least the missions in ''Fist Alpha'' are a hell lot easier with the addition of the silenced Sten SMG.
201	* SuperDrowningSkills: Once you're underwater and deep enough, you may kiss your ass goodbye. This is especially problematic in ''Red Dawn'''s single-mission campaign, which takes place in a slightly submerged land.
202	* TempleOfDoom: Again, double subverted with the Po Tlong Karai temple. Sure, it's filled with NVA forces, but there are no booby traps. [[spoiler:The same can't be said for the VC tunnel network beneath it.]]
203	* TrainingThePeacefulVillagers: The whole point of the CIDG program. Subverted because the montagnards aren't exactly peaceful and they know how to defend themselves against the [=VCs=].
204	-->'''Jarai tribe chief''': VC no move the Jarai!
205	%%* TrappedBehindEnemyLines: Hawkins at several points in the game. While searching for Marv, no less.
206	%%* TrueCompanions: Everyone in Nui Pek.
207	%%* TunnelNetwork: Hawkins infiltrates some of these in the campaign.
208	* UnexpectedShmupLevel: Some of the levels start off with the player becoming a Huey door gunner. Subverted whenever he is forced to disembark.
209	%%* UpdatedRerelease: ''Fist Alpha''.
210	* VideoGameCrueltyPunishment: Killing a Montagnard will result in mission failure. The same goes for prisoners of war you help to capture in one mission, even if Hawkins encourages you to execute them.
211	%%* WalkingShirtlessScene: Some of the "poor" [=VCs=].
212	* YouAllLookFamiliar: Any unimportant NPC. The North Vietnamese[=/=]VC has exactly 6 face textures, while the Americans have 3, and the South Vietnamese (counting Montangards) have 5 (including the tribe chiefs).
213
214	[[/folder]]
215
216	[[folder:''Vietcong 2'']]
217
218	* ActionizedSequel[=/=]SequelEscalation: While the first game mostly consists of patrols, hit-and-run[=/=]search-and-destroy raids, or sneaking missions, the second game consists of intense firefights, full-scale battles, and nothing else. Also, the second game is clearly not designed as a SimulationGame, unlike the first game; it's not as realistic as the latter.
219	* AmericaSavesTheDay: Averted for the Americans. Aside from the ARVN, the game makes a crystal-clear depiction of the [[UsefulNotes/AussiesWithArtillery ANZAC]] involvement in the war. Played brutally and obviously straight for the NVA.
220	* AllForNothing: How Boone view the end of his mission, with the Vietnam War being a SenselessSacrifice.
221	* AnotherSideAnotherStory: While the original game and ''Fist Alpha'' casts the players as a Green Beret, in the second game they're either a MACV operator or a VC fighter.
222	* ArmorIsUseless: Some South Vietnamese and American troops wear flak jackets. Their effectiveness is highly questionable.
223	* AsianHookerStereotype: The US campaign starts in a brothel, so this trope is to be expected. There's even a {{streetwalker}} in front of the MACV HQ, just before the offensive begins.
224	* AwesomeButImpractical: The RPG. While it can bring down a chopper in a few shots, it'll miss. A lot.
225	%%* AwesomePersonnelCarrier: The M113 APC.
226	* BeenThereShapedHistory: Boone and his team for participating in and helping the Americans[=/=]South Vietnamese win the Battle of Hue.
227	* BossInMookClothing: The NVA "hero" and the marines in the last levels of the US and VC campaigns, respectively.
228	* TheCameo: Boone can talk with Hawkins and Rosenfield in the first and third US missions, respectively. Also, [[spoiler:Minh and his team encounter and kill a Green Beret advisor who, according to [[WhatCouldHaveBeen unused game files]], is none other than Hornster]].
229	* TheCavalry: At first, Rigley and his marines. Boone's team end up becoming The Cavalry themselves late in the US campaign.
230	* ClimaxBoss: A high-ranking [[MoreDakka RPD]]-toting NVA officer at the end of the US campaign and an ''entire'' US marine platoon (complete with an [[AwesomePersonnelCarrier M113 APC]]) at the end of the VC campaign. All count as [[FinalBoss Final Bosses]].
231	* DownerEnding: Both campaigns end this way:
232	** The US campaign ends with the tactical failure of the Tet Offensive, but the NVA wins a propaganda victory, becoming the first step to the fall of Saigon and the withdrawal of US troops from South Vietnam.
233	-->'''Boone''': Damn politicians. [[SenselessSacrifice All those lives, all those friends.]] [[AllForNothing Dead for nothing.]] We could win... if they ''JUST'' let us!
234	** The VC campaign ends with Minh and other VC troops sent to assault Hue City's Cathedral and capture a group of priests. [[spoiler:Sure enough, he kills himself when Boone and the marines surround him while holding the French priest hostage]].
235	* HoldTheLine: When the Tet Offensive kicks in, the player is tasked with defending the MACV HQ until Rigley's armored column arrives.
236	* ImmediateSequel: The US campaign takes place 22 days after the [[spoiler:attack on Nui Pek]].
237	* INeedAFreakingDrink: Hawkins. Some of the [=VCs=] in the Cathedral as well.
238	-->'''VC soldier''': I am amazed how great wine is stored under a Christian church.
239	* KarmicDeath[=/=]PayEvilUntoEvil: Boone orders the dead VC ([[spoiler:including Minh]]) in the Cathedral to be buried along with the civilians they've killed previously.
240	* KickTheDog: The CIDG destroying Minh's village at the beginning of the Vietcong campaign. Also, the VC assault on the Cathedral.
241	* LateArrivalSpoiler: Boone's (player-determined) conversations with Hawkins and Rosenfield instantly give away the ending of the first game.
242	* LateToTheTragedy: Boone's team gets to the Cathedral just in time to witness the VC massacring and burying the civilians there.
243	%%* LethalJokeItem: The trombone gun.
244	* NoCampaignForTheWicked: Subverted. You have to complete the US campaign first in order to play the VC campaign.
245	* NumberedSequel
246	* RagdollPhysics: Anytime a character dies, his corpse ragdolls.
247	* SemperFi: Subverted big time in the US campaign. Played horribly straight in the VC campaign, where they are, really, ''really'' hard to fight. At least they still go down easily like anyone else.
248	* StartXToStopX: The Americans and the South Vietnamese employing the NVA[=/=]VC's own {{Booby Trap}}s against them.
249	-->'''NVA officer''': Don't touch the bodies! They could be booby-trapped.
250	-->''[two levels later]''
251	-->'''VC pointman''': Look out, booby trap!
252	-->'''Minh''': Damn. They are using our tactics against us.
253	* StormingTheCastle: The last two missions in the US campaign deals with Boone and his team storming Hue's Imperial City, assisted by ARVN troops.
254	* SuicideAttack[=/=]TakingYouWithMe: At one point in the US campaign, a VC soldier tries to kill Boone by setting off his grenades. Later, another VC runs into an Ontos tank destroyer to blow it up. [[spoiler:He gets killed by Boone as well]].
255	%%* StoryDrivenInvulnerability: See GameplayAllyImmortality.
256	* TheVeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon: Averted with Hue's Imperial City. It's technically the "final dungeon", but... not as "immersing" or "epic" as the other examples.
257	* TranslationConvention: Averted. All of the Vietnamese characters speak Vietnamese and the Americans speak English throughout the VC campaign.
258	%%* UniversalDriversLicense: Played straight in multiplayer mode.
259	* UrbanWarfare: The entirety of the US campaign takes place in Hue City. The VC campaign on the other hand, is much closer to the original.
260	* WeHaveReserves: Conversed by Boone regarding the NVA and the VC.
261	-->'''Boone''': Well, commies never cared much about casualties. Tell it to the French at Dien Bien Phu.
262
263	[[/folder]]
264

Context VideoGame / Vietcong