By: Mack E. Velli

Electronic Studios has released their newest first-person-shooter, “Collateral: Vietnam.” In addition to being an action-packed shooter, this game will also have a major story-line centered around the character’s problems with PTSD and the crumbling veteran’s health infrastructure.

According to ES’s CEO Gabe Tres, “We’ve decided to think outside the box on this one. Our developers realized in the early stages of ‘Collateral: Vietnam’ that the video game industry has largely ignored the post-war experience, so we decided to dedicate the next game in the ‘Collateral’ franchise to this very issue.”

The title has been praised by multiple gaming reviewers, including Internet Gaming News, (IGN) who rated the game a 9/10, saying “It’s the best ‘Collateral’ game in the series since “Collateral: Benghazi.” Most reviewers also praised the storyline for its depth and the consequences surrounding decision-making. For example, if a player decides to abuse heroin in order to distract himself from the emotional pain of burning down an entire village with a flamethrower, then the player might have to sell ass on the streets back home to prevent crippling withdrawals.

During the game-play trailer, Tres displayed a demonstration of various parts of the game, including one segment at a Veterans Affairs Hospital five years after the main character leaves Vietnam. Tres explained that, in this particular scene, the player must wait five hours for a routine check-up appointment following his double leg amputation, with only his thoughts to torment him.

Many critics and players have rejoiced at the new enemies that are used throughout the game, especially the boss combat scenes. “The games used to revolve around just killing some evil colored person,” said one of the gamers at the event. “Now, we’re fighting the insurance agency to pay for the main character’s prescription medication.”

ES has already announced multiple downloadable content (DLC) to be available in the coming week, including the “Alcoholism DLC”, the “PTSD-Fueled Divorce DLC”, and the “Trying to Get Your Children to Visit You in the Nursing Home DLC”.

When asked about how he felt about the prospect of future ‘Collateral’ games, Tres replied, “Trust me, something tells me we will have quite a bit of content to choose from for future collateral games. Just keep your eye on the news.”