Platoon's gameplay focuses on the 1st Airborne Cavalry Division in the early days of the Vietnam conflict in 1965 to the height of the war - and rapidly mounting casualties - in 1968. Starting out as Sergeant Martin Lionsdale, newly-wed and new recruit, players will need to learn from their experiences of the cruel jungle quickly to be able to succeed in their missions and rise in rank. Ultimately, they'll be responsible for a full platoon of specialised 'grunts' comprising riflemen, snipers, scouts, machine gunners, grenadiers, engineers and commandoes.

In Platoon, each infantryman has his own unique personality and reacts to orders, situations and environments accordingly. The lush 3D terrain, containing dense elephant grass, rice paddy and jungle and the dynamic weather effects, including wind, rain and monsoons, affect each soldier's speed and combat abilities and also the enemy detection through both sound and line of sight.

With over 400 motion-captured animations, Platoon's infantry movements are all realistic and use vertex shaders for movement as well as grass effects. Gameplay mobility will also feature full vehicle control, including the hardy M113 Armoured Personnel Carriers and the mighty M48 Patton Tanks, as well as static supporting units, including mortars and recoilless rifles. Furthermore, to add to the all-important battlefield authenticity, a complex particle system is used to create explosion effects, smoke and fire.