VIDEO GAME REVIEWS

'BATTLEFIELD VIETNAM'
Nick Wadhams (Associated Press): "Anyone who's seen Chuck Norris' "Missing in Action" understands that the hero isn't going to analyze Vietnam's moral ambiguities -- he's going to karate-chop them in the head.
Movies are nice that way: There's the deep stuff, and the cheap stuff. With computer games, almost everything is the cheap stuff, as "Battlefield Vietnam," Electronic Arts' follow-up to the popular World War II game "Battlefield 1942," demonstrates.
This title for the PC echoes the hundreds upon hundreds of other "first-person shooter" games that put you behind the gun and send you running across terrain to chase down evildoers.
The only hint of politics in "Battlefield Vietnam" comes in the soundtrack, but even that feels stale. Electronic Arts includes a few Vietnam movie standbys such as Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Fortunate Son."
"Battlefield Vietnam" is almost exclusively a multiplayer game, meaning when you drop into various maps with checkpoints scattered throughout, you have to take those bases along with up to 63 other game players alongside you. You can hop into UH-1 Huey helicopters, jeeps, Soviet-made choppers and patrol boats.
The problem, however, is the problem of countless other multiplayer games -- people just march around, taking and retaking bases scattered around the terrain. The best multiplayer games set out distinct objectives that force players to work together rather than just run around capturing and losing territory like a kid trying to hold onto too many toys.
For a more satisfying experience in which the graphics are just as good, check out the U.S. Army-sponsored "America's Army," which has the unassailable advantage of being free.
If, though, you can't resist laying down the $39.99 for this one, you'll find several awkward blunders that made me think computer games aren't ready for Vietnam.
You'll find a game oblivious to the social commentary of allowing you to choose the color of your computer soldier's skin when you start.
And you'll find a game that tries to lure you with clunky, borderline-offensive catch phrases ("Some call it a conflict -- we call it all-out war!") and promises that you'll come to "master the weapons of jungle warfare, including punji sticks and booby traps."
'FINAL FANTASY XI'
Victor Godinez (Dallas Morning News): "Final Fantasy XI" has finally arrived for the Sony PlayStation 2, hand in hand with the long-awaited 40-gigabyte hard drive for the PS2.
Although "Final Fantasy XI" is a fun game and the hard drive may prove to be a spectacular success, I don't recommend buying the package unless you're willing to plunk down a large chunk of change.
"Final Fantasy" comes pre-installed, or bundled, on the hard drive. For now, there's no way to buy the game and hard drive separately. So that's $99 right there.
Then it's time to install the drive.
You must have a network adapter to use the drive because the adapter is what connects the drive to the PS2. And "Final Fantasy XI" (suitable for ages 13 and up) is an online role-playing game, and you can't go online without the network adapter. So if you don't have a network adapter, that's $39 more.
Although the game works with dial-up access, you must download so many files and updates before you start playing that users may want to think about upgrading to cable or DSL.
With the hardware plugged in, you then have to create an account with Sony to play "Final Fantasy."
Laboriously typing in codes and account numbers with your standard PS2 controller is a good way to give yourself arthritis, and it took me nearly two hours to go from opening the box to playing the game.
Once you're playing, you'll want to chat with other online players and party members, and the clumsy controller-onscreen keyboard setup will leave you pecking furiously and stupidly as you try to keep up with the conversation.
So you'll want a keyboard for your PS2, and the most intriguing option I saw was Logitech's NetPlay Controller, which is a PS2 controller fused with a keyboard.
That's $49 more at GameStop.com (or $69 at Logitech's Web site). Cheaper stand-alone PS2 keyboards are also available.
OK, so you're all set to start adventuring, right?
Except for the $12.95 monthly fee to play "Final Fantasy," although you do get the first month free.
So if you just have a standard PS2 without a network adapter, you'll spend almost $200 just on hardware, plus the monthly fee.
Granted, the game is a blast.
Combat is fluid, the graphics are surprisingly good for such a huge game, and my online connection never faltered.
A tip for first-time online role players: Learn the controls and commands before you join a party, and fight on your own for a while to get your experience level up. That way, you have something to offer other gamers.
For gamers with deep wallets, "Final Fantasy XI" and the hard drive won't disappoint."
'MVP BASEBALL 2004'
Phil Villarreal (Arizona Daily Star): "Electronic Arts was the first publisher to get the greedy yet brilliant idea of cranking out a new title in each sports franchise every year.
The difficulty with such a business strategy is that programmers are burdened with besting the previous season's product every year. The pressure is always on to knock the ball out of the park, and "MVP Baseball 2004" (rating: E; platforms: GameCube, PlayStation 2, Xbox) rockets the pitch into the cheap seats.
In the new "MVP Baseball," the rosters are updated, the graphics are sharper and the control and sound are a shade more realistic than in the 2003 entry. All the stadiums are updated with their new corporate-ownership titles, and the most welcome innovation of all is the inclusion of the farm system.
All Triple-A and Double-A major-league affiliates are included, which means the Durham Bulls and Toledo Mud Hens are on deck and ready to swing.
"Home Run Showdown" is a minigame that lets the big-stick holders do battle in a home-run derby. The new "Pitcher Showdown" mode pits flamethrower vs. flamethrower in a contest of who can bag the most strikeouts.
Just as in last year's game, pitching and hitting are intuitive and thoroughly detailed. The strike zone is divided into nine boxes, and certain areas are shaded red to indicate a batter's hot zone and blue to show weaker "cold" areas. Thus, you walk to the mound with the knowledge of a game-tape junkie like Curt Schilling, and you can aim your pitches accordingly.
At bat, players can guide the direction of the swing with the joystick, and when the opposing dirtbag plays you some chin music, you can charge the mound and give him a piece of your business."