Well, who would have ever thought I'd be back here again? After a long, long haitus from epinoneering, I once again head into the breech to deconstruct Medal of Honor: Allied Assault.


Without further ado, I present to you, *Dramatic pause* The Patented Action Snark rundown of MOH:AA.


Plot: Medal of Honor: Allied Assault (MOH:AA) 's plot places you in the shoes of Lt. Mike Powell, an Army Ranger cum OSS operative. As Lt. Powell, you are then thrown into the klieg lights in a series of frenetic combat missions. Missions and locales are spread across Europe, with you doing everything from paving the way for Operation Torch (The allied invasion of North Africa), to bombing U-Boats in their pens, to destroying a top secret Nazi installation. The plot is somewhat episodic and truncated, but is fleshed out well in a series of slideshow briefings and ingame interaction and scripted sequences. While simple and episodic, the plot fits the game quite well. Overall, plot scores an average 7 out of 10 for being an okay way to get you into the mood for blasting Nazi hordes.

Graphics: Graphics in MOH:AA are quite well done. Using what appears to be a heavily modified Quake III engine, the graphics bring WWII to life in a very impressive way. Textures are usually crisp, and models are well done, with only a few notable exceptions. (A few of the French characters have Roman Noses that make them look like they have storks somewhere in their family line.) Maps are quite varied, and each mission has it's own unique flavor. Lots of little graphical nuances have been added to help make the game more immersive, and they pay off. Some of the maps have simply brilliant layouts, that will leave you feeling trepidation at the prospect of yet another Nazi coming out of nowhere at you. Enemies tend to blend into the background in most areas, but that is to be expected, as they are wearing camoflauge after all.
Overall, graphics score an above average 8 out of 10, for being solid and well done. Nothing really earth-shattering, but MOH:AA is very solid in the graphics department.

Sound and Music: EA has done a really top notch job with sound and music in this game. Weapon sounds are realistic and not over the top at all. Lots of litte touches, such as the Nazis shouting commands in German in the heat of battle, and the *PING!* of a Garand ejecting it's magazine really make the game more immersive.

EA also came through in spades with the musical score. While some of the music is kind of schmaltzy and over the top at times, it really fits. Each area has a distinct musical score associated with it, and the scores work to enhance the gameplay markedly. The music in MOH:AA owes a lot to the scores in Saving Pvt. Ryan and the Indiana Jones movies, but that's not a bad thing at all.

Also, the developers were smart enough to know when not to include music. A great example of this is one of the later missions, where you slog through a snow filled forest. The only sounds that accompany you are wind in pine trees, and the creaking of snow laden branches. This sparse aural landscape really made that area of the game inspire trepidation in me, as I would nearly jump out of my seat at certain times.

Sound and Music score a perfect 10 out of 10, for being in contention with AvP2 as one of the most ear satisfying games in current times.


Gameplay: Ah yes, gameplay, the great equalizer. If you're looking for gritty realism, go play Day of Defeat (an incredibly realistic WWII themed halflife mod). MOH:AA plays closer to Quake III or Return to Castle Wolfenstein than it does to DoD or current versions of Counter-Strike. Lt. Powell is a veritable combat machine, able to take dozens of rounds before he goes down for the count. Germans are also equally tough in the game. You have to fill the Nazi barstards full of lead to put them down, unless you manage to score a headshot. Realism takes a backseat to fun in this game. Your character can carry up to two long guns and a heavy weapon (a bazooka or Panzershreck) in additon to a pistol, 5 hand grenades, and a boatload of ammunition.

Actual gameplay is somewhat bipolar. Several missions require close quarters combat, where you will find yourself toe to toe with sons of the Third Reich, laying down lead like there's no tomorrow. Other missions require a more patient, stealthy approach. Gameplay is a hoot no matter what type of mission, but it seems as though MOH:AA doesn't know if it wants to be a blood n guts shoot-em-up, or a taut, stealhy sneaking game. Of course, there are some incredibly good moments in the game. Some scenes are lifted straight out of popular WWII movies, and these areas are invariably excellent. Snippets of Saving Pvt. Ryan and Enemy at the Gates can be seen in several levels, all of which are top notch, and incredibly intense and immersive.

One major flaw in single player is the objective system. Objectives are relatively straightforward, and plenty of help is provided along the way to get you to where you need to be and help you do what you need to do. However, some objectives are a little hard to get to. Mission critical objects will glow red, so finding them is a cinch. However, some objectives will require you to find a specific map location. Other than a small arrow and distance indicator built into your onscreen compass, you have no way of knowing what or where these waypoints are.



Also, multiplayer needs a bit of nitpicking as well. LAN and TCP/IP multiplay are supported. Multiplayer games are a hoot, but the multiplayer system is hindered with some major flaws. As with AvP2, a major hinderance to a quality MP experience is a simple lack of good servers. While there are quite a few out there, they pale in comparison to the number of DoD and CS servers out there. Also, TCP/IP gaming is poorly implemented. The only options for joining a server are to either directly input the IP address, or to shut down the game, and search via GameSpy. While I have no beef against GameSpy, I find it a real pain to have to exit the game to look for a new server, and wait for it to load again once I join a server.

Overall, I'll give gameplay an 8 out of 10. It's unrealistic, cliched, and mindless most of the time, but it's more fun than a barrel of drunken chimps with tire irons.

Overall impression: I really enjoy MOH:AA, and recommend it. While it's lacking in a few departments (MP and realism, namely), it delivers in spades in other areas (Immersive single player, graphics and sound, and sheer fun factor.). If you're looking for an excellent single player experience coupled with a fun twitch game, MOH:AA should be near the top of your list. If you want gritty realism and a more strategic, less run and gun game, look elsewhere. (IE. Ghost Recon) I also feel the need to address the beefs some people have about the game:

Spotty AI Yes, the AI goes from zero to hero and back again. I have yet to see a game with flawless AI in it. MOH:AA tries to straddle so many fences at once (PC vs. Console, Q3 style gameplay vs. Ghost Recon style, run n gun vs. tactical), that something's gotta suffer. The bugs are a pain, but they can be overlooked.

Linearity: Yes, the game is very linear. You have one way to accomplish an objective. Don't expect Deus Ex in Normandy, it's not happening here. This game is a fairly mindless exercise for your trigger finger. Don't expect ultra realism or Q3/UT style antics, this game is somewhere between the two.

Recommended: Yes