“Nihilists! F*** me! I mean, say what you like about the tenets of National Socialism, Dude. At least it’s an ethos!”
— Walter Sobchak (John Goodman), The Big Lebowski
Walter’s right: nihilists can be a pain, especially if the World Trade Organization is in town. But no one needs killin’ more than Nazis. Fortunately for PC gamers, not only are we still warm in the glow of Return to Castle Wolfenstein, but EA and 2015 have done us the great service of whipping up another batch of the 20th century’s most evil bastards, all ready for the killin’.
Medal of Honor: Allied Assault is every bit the equal of Wolfenstein, but for the opposite reasons. Whereas Wolfenstein is closer to Kelly’s Heroes (you steal the Nazis’ gold and then you kill ’em), MoH is closer to Saving Private Ryan (you simply survive Omaha, you don’t win it). And while Wolf’s single-play was a respectable prelude to the brilliant multiplay, MoH has an absorbing single-player experience capped off by some fun, if unspectacular, multiplayer mayhem.
We all knew MoH would be more realistic than Wolf — there’s no undead in it, after all. What I was surprised to find is that the game is still more Quake III than Day of Defeat. The damage modeling is rather forgiving: not only can you take eight or nine shots and survive, but unless you make a head shot on an enemy, you’ll have to fill the Nazi bastard full of lead as well. Simply running over a canteen or finding a medic instantly heals you. Ammo and health packs are never in short supply, and there’s no fatigue meter.
Gamers looking for “Ghost Recon circa 1944” may be disappointed by the emphasis on action over realism. You can hold half-a-dozen WWII-era weapons easily, you don’t have to worry about blood loss or encumbrance, and the enemy never plugs you in the dome. And strangely, while the enemies can go prone, you cannot, which further emphasizes the rush-’n’-kill tactics. It’s not that there’s anything wrong with run-and-gun shooters; it’s just a bit strange to see one set in such a “realistic” period setting.
Even though MoH’s basic gameplay hasn’t evolved since the first game in the series (a PlayStation FPS), professional developers can do something most mod makers can’t: use superb production values to create an incredibly intense experience. Nothing captures this sensation more than the now-famous D-Day amphibious-assault level. Even though I’d seen every one of the gameplay movies released on the web, actually playing the mission was one of the most gripping experiences I’ve had on the PC in a long time. I found myself literally hunched over my keyboard, as if keeping my head below the top of my monitor would make me less likely to get hit by shrapnel. It’s so damn fun that after it was over I reloaded it just to play it again.
While the rest of the game isn’t as manic as storming the beaches of Normandy, the other scenarios are still very cool and nicely varied. Missions have you join a squad to free an SAS officer, recon a German outpost, sabotage a sub, destroy a POW camp, and in one instance, commandeer a Panzer tank for some wholesale destruction. You’re never in control of your AI comrades, but fortunately, they’re reliable and pretty self-sufficient.
The enemy AI, however, is only average. The bad guys will cleverly shoot blindly around corners to avoid being hit, or hide in large armoires only to hop out when your back is turned. But they aren’t so hot when it comes to threat assessment.
Some soldiers shot at my tank with small-arms fire until I blew ’em to hell...silly, silly Nazis. And in the stealth-based missions, poor enemy placement had guards inexplicably staring at the corner, their only role apparently to be shot in the head by my silenced pistol.
One thing you’ll notice about capping these guys in the melon: there’s no blood. EA decided to go with a sanitized version of WWII combat that we can’t help but find disappointing. Avoiding an “M” rating may help get the game into more Wal-Marts, but it dilutes the experience and further mutes the game’s limited realism.
The multiplayer mode does, however, bring plenty of added value to MoH.
Though the game doesn’t have the team-based sophistication of other shooters, it does provide a fast and fun experience through some expertly crafted multiplayer maps. Modes include standard team deathmatch, as well as objective-based battles through crumbling urban environments. Picking sides and weapons is a snap, and it isn’t long before you’re in the action and fragging.
Despite the ordinary AI and gameplay, Medal of Honor places its emphasis exactly where it should be: on simple fun. Few things are more thrilling than running for your life while gunning down Nazis in a bombed-out French town in the rain. Say what you want about the game’s innovation, Dude — at least it’s damn fun.
— Walter Sobchak (John Goodman), The Big Lebowski
Walter’s right: nihilists can be a pain, especially if the World Trade Organization is in town. But no one needs killin’ more than Nazis. Fortunately for PC gamers, not only are we still warm in the glow of Return to Castle Wolfenstein, but EA and 2015 have done us the great service of whipping up another batch of the 20th century’s most evil bastards, all ready for the killin’.
Medal of Honor: Allied Assault is every bit the equal of Wolfenstein, but for the opposite reasons. Whereas Wolfenstein is closer to Kelly’s Heroes (you steal the Nazis’ gold and then you kill ’em), MoH is closer to Saving Private Ryan (you simply survive Omaha, you don’t win it). And while Wolf’s single-play was a respectable prelude to the brilliant multiplay, MoH has an absorbing single-player experience capped off by some fun, if unspectacular, multiplayer mayhem.
We all knew MoH would be more realistic than Wolf — there’s no undead in it, after all. What I was surprised to find is that the game is still more Quake III than Day of Defeat. The damage modeling is rather forgiving: not only can you take eight or nine shots and survive, but unless you make a head shot on an enemy, you’ll have to fill the Nazi bastard full of lead as well. Simply running over a canteen or finding a medic instantly heals you. Ammo and health packs are never in short supply, and there’s no fatigue meter.
Gamers looking for “Ghost Recon circa 1944” may be disappointed by the emphasis on action over realism. You can hold half-a-dozen WWII-era weapons easily, you don’t have to worry about blood loss or encumbrance, and the enemy never plugs you in the dome. And strangely, while the enemies can go prone, you cannot, which further emphasizes the rush-’n’-kill tactics. It’s not that there’s anything wrong with run-and-gun shooters; it’s just a bit strange to see one set in such a “realistic” period setting.
Even though MoH’s basic gameplay hasn’t evolved since the first game in the series (a PlayStation FPS), professional developers can do something most mod makers can’t: use superb production values to create an incredibly intense experience. Nothing captures this sensation more than the now-famous D-Day amphibious-assault level. Even though I’d seen every one of the gameplay movies released on the web, actually playing the mission was one of the most gripping experiences I’ve had on the PC in a long time. I found myself literally hunched over my keyboard, as if keeping my head below the top of my monitor would make me less likely to get hit by shrapnel. It’s so damn fun that after it was over I reloaded it just to play it again.
While the rest of the game isn’t as manic as storming the beaches of Normandy, the other scenarios are still very cool and nicely varied. Missions have you join a squad to free an SAS officer, recon a German outpost, sabotage a sub, destroy a POW camp, and in one instance, commandeer a Panzer tank for some wholesale destruction. You’re never in control of your AI comrades, but fortunately, they’re reliable and pretty self-sufficient.
The enemy AI, however, is only average. The bad guys will cleverly shoot blindly around corners to avoid being hit, or hide in large armoires only to hop out when your back is turned. But they aren’t so hot when it comes to threat assessment.
Some soldiers shot at my tank with small-arms fire until I blew ’em to hell...silly, silly Nazis. And in the stealth-based missions, poor enemy placement had guards inexplicably staring at the corner, their only role apparently to be shot in the head by my silenced pistol.
One thing you’ll notice about capping these guys in the melon: there’s no blood. EA decided to go with a sanitized version of WWII combat that we can’t help but find disappointing. Avoiding an “M” rating may help get the game into more Wal-Marts, but it dilutes the experience and further mutes the game’s limited realism.
The multiplayer mode does, however, bring plenty of added value to MoH.
Though the game doesn’t have the team-based sophistication of other shooters, it does provide a fast and fun experience through some expertly crafted multiplayer maps. Modes include standard team deathmatch, as well as objective-based battles through crumbling urban environments. Picking sides and weapons is a snap, and it isn’t long before you’re in the action and fragging.
Despite the ordinary AI and gameplay, Medal of Honor places its emphasis exactly where it should be: on simple fun. Few things are more thrilling than running for your life while gunning down Nazis in a bombed-out French town in the rain. Say what you want about the game’s innovation, Dude — at least it’s damn fun.
