Like the war movies I alluded to earlier, Medal of Honor is not a serious
military simulation. The player's character can take a lot of punishment
and wounds can be healed by finding medical kits. Players also can carry a
number of weapons at a time, managing a load that would put Arnold
Schwarzenegger under duress. Some missions team the player up with other
soldiers, but there is no way to coordinate with them or issue squad
orders. A lot of times the player is assigned to "take the
point", and the other soldiers just help to add a little backup firepower.
At other times, the AI controlled compatriot is a special operations contact and
will lead the player to an objective, but since they are vital to the story they
seem pretty much invincible. Speaking of objectives, the player is helped
along to the next one via an onscreen compass. It serves to point the
player to the next objective and to gauge its relative distance. It also
turns red to help the player determine which direction enemy fire is coming
from. The compass is a useful playing aid, albeit not a very
realistic one.
It is always interesting to see which aspect of warfare game designers choose to
model more precisely than others. In Medal of Honor, it is the
weapons. During the various missions, players are given access to a
handful of authentic US World War II era small arms: the Colt .45, M1 Garand,
and Thompson sub-machine gun to name a few. Each weapon exhibits unique
characteristics based on its real-world counterpart. For example, firing a
Thompson rapidly will cause some shaking from the recoil which will affect the
player's ability to precisely aim the weapon. Each weapon also takes a
certain amount of time to reload. The Springfield sniper rifle has to be
slowly loaded one round at a time, while other weapons simply require a new clip
to be swapped in. Players will need to watch their ammo closely, as they
will be defenseless while reloading their weapon. Luckily, computer
controlled troops also must reload when a clip has been emptied, giving the
player an opportunity to take advantage of them when they are reloading.
The graphics in Medal of Honor look really good, in part thanks to the Quake
III engine it's built on. The environments look great, weapon effects and
explosions are quite convincing, and the animation of enemy and friendly
soldiers is first rate.
The sound in Medal of Honor is fantastic. Every weapon has its own
distinct sounds, from the firing of a round to the sound of a spent clip being
ejected. Sound is also used masterfully to enhance the game's
missions. For example, the cacophony of machine gun fire, artillery
barrages, and screams from the wounded take the intensity of the Omaha Beach
landing mission up several notches. The ambience created by the game's
many excellent audio effects really brings the player into the game.
You'll hear German soldiers engaged in casual conversation before they notice
you (in German, too!), distant artillery barrages, aircraft flybys, and the
ominous and thunderous chinking sound of tanks on the move. These latter
touches really make you feel that you are playing a small part in a much larger
conflict and really help to add to the game's mood. Kudos to the game's
sound designers for doing such an excellent job.
Medal of Honor supports multiplayer games, either through GameSpy or by using
the built-in server browser. There are both free for all and team-based
matches available. The multiplayer games can be fun, but are pretty much
standard fare.
In The End, This Game Hath Been Rated: 93%.
Even if the rest of the game were so-so, Medal of Honor would have to be
recommended on the basis of its D-Day mission alone. However, it is just
one great mission in a series of great missions that provide players with a
thoroughly enjoyable and immersive gaming experience. If you ever wanted
to be a part of a great war story, Medal of Honor: Allied Assault is a must.
System Requirements: 450 MHz Pentium II CPU; 128 MB RAM; 16 MB
Video RAM; 8x CD-ROM; 1.2 GB Hard Drive Space; Mouse.
« Page 1
