For more on Air Conflicts: Vietnam, check out our full Air Conflicts: Vietnam review. Or, for more of the best Playstation 4 games for a 10 year old, why not try our Family Game Finder
Air Conflicts: Vietnam is an arcade flying game set during the Vietnam war. With two campaigns on offer, you're able to play as either a soldier in the US Air Force, or a similar soldier flying for Vietnam, in a story that tells you fairly little about the actual battles and history of what took place, instead focusing on two personal stories.
Across a sizeable number of short missions, you'll complete a variety of objectives, from dogfighting in jets, to completing bombing missions, flying helicopters over fields taking out enemy anti-aircraft installations, and even spraying forests with Agent Orange. There's a surprising amount of variety here, and plenty of types of planes to get the hang of, and different ways to use them.
However, while it may have arcade controls, this is a game aimed at those who have a decent knowledge of plane and helicopter types. Mid mission, you'll be expected to switch from one type of plane to another, but the game won't tell you when, or which plane in your squad is best suited to the task at hand. The game also doesn't tell you which of your missiles are surface to air, and which are surface to ground, and doesn't tell you which are guided either. It's something you can quickly pick up in game, but a working knowledge of planes of the era makes things a bit easier.
The air combat itself, though, is very fast paced, and very twitchy, with unusually nimble planes and challenging controls making this tough for younger players. Mission objectives often take a bit of searching, as the map isn't the clearest, and the game's difficulty level means a few hits are often all your plane can take before crashing out of the sky on fire. While most of the game (bar the tutorial) is fully voiced, this is one that's best suited for older players.
Air Conflicts: Vietnam contains only mild swearing, and fairly mild violence. While you'll spend a lot of time shooting down planes and blowing up ground installations, only rarely do you see the people you're shooting. Some missions put you on a minigun poking out the side of a helicopter, and ask you to provide covering fire for your troops by strafing the Vietcong - this is one of the few times in the game you'll be shooting real people, with a minor puff of red blood popping up when they're hit.
Bad language, meanwhile, is infrequent, and mostly contained in song lyrics rather than dialogue. The strongest it gets is b**tard, but even then, swearing is pretty rare.
Age Ratings
Format Reviewed: Playstation 4
