For the last year, Bad Company 2 players have been getting new maps for free; the Vietnam expansion is the first time we’ve been asked to pay for new competitive arenas. For $15, you score five awesome new maps and a slew of new vehicles and weapons, including a giant machine gun for the medic (!), a two-man tank, and a riverboat with mounted guns.

Like similarly priced map packs for Call of Duty, Vietnam’s an expensive proposition. But when a Huey helicopter nose-dives into the rice paddy in front of you and you roast its captives like marshmallows with your flamethrower, you’ll be too giddy to remember the Microsoft Points.

To keep the playing field level, all weapons are available to every player from the start, regardless of rank. If you’re seeking new upgrade paths for your classes, or fancy new scopes for your SMGs, you won’t find any. The new maps are superb, and though they’re all jungle-based, each feels unique and varied. Our favorite, “Hill 137,” centers on a napalm-burned forest enveloped in a rain of smoldering ash; elsewhere are tunnels and foxholes, and across the dingy river lies a gorgeous waterfall.

This diversity in terrain is Vietnam’s greatest strength, and each map works great for Rush and Conquest modes. The absence of any new play modes is disappointing, though; and despite the promised “two hours of time-typical soundtrack,” we heard only “Fortunate Son” and “Ride of the Valkyries” in a dozen hours of playtime.
We’ve seen a few middling attempts at Vietnam War experiences, but this one rocks because it doesn’t try to bring politics or sense to the table — just lots and lots of death. Like the real war, some might say.

On Xbox Live Arcade

+ Killer map design.

+ More great gameplay in an engaging new setting.

- No new game mode; too much Creedence Clearwater Revival.

? Each of Activision’s many Call of Duty map packs costs the same as Vietnam, but none of them add new weapons or perks. WTF?

8.5