Ever Want To Be Dropped Into The Middle Of WWII?
Written: Nov 17 '02 (Updated Nov 17 '02)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Engaging Gameplay, Top Notch Graphics, Realistic Historical Missions
Cons: Abrupt Ending, Annoying Snipers
The Bottom Line: Great graphics, great sound, high levels of immersion, and historical faithfulness make this one easy to recommend!
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| jonwes's Full Review: Medal of Honor: Allied Assault For Windows |
I usually like to begin my reviews by establishing credibility on the topic I'm discussing. Today, I decided to share my opinion on the best selling PC title, "Medal of Honor Allied Assault" as well as the sequel "Medal of Honor Spearhead". I finished Allied Assault a couple of months ago and decided to dive into Spearhead, which I just knocked out earlier today. They're both great games for those that like first person, war based shooters. Read on to see why. . .
Setting
Both titles take place during the peak of World War II in Europe. Unlike many games out there that will drop you into a surreal setting that is inherently fictitious in its makeup, MOHAA & MOHAAS aim to recreate various scenarios that actually took place during wartime in the mid 1940's. In my opinion, they have done so admirably with a great deal of work put into the research, design, and execution. This is clearly evidenced by the millions of copies Electronic Arts is selling over a variety of platforms.
Missions in MOHAA will take you into submarines, over war torn Europe, into shattered buildings, and a whole host of other locales. The plot behind each mission varies from rescuing an allied agent held hostage by the Nazis to destroying a U boat. Each level is broken down into various objectives that are required to be met before the next becomes available. There is a "quicksave" option available that prevents you from being forced to restart the mission in its entirety upon your demise. Some of the missions are straight forward shooters, while others require a certain amount of strategy to overcome. A good example of the stategic side of things would be the infamous "Omaha Beach" level that you encounter about half way through. If you've ever watched the opening scene of "Saving Private Ryan", you'll be right at home here. It duplicates the scenario virtually identically from the soldiers arriving in armored boats to the sabotage of the German occupied bunkers and everything in between, but with the twist that unlike the movie that was a spectator's sport, you're thrown into the action in MOHAA. As I mentioned above, you have to apply strategy here, or you're dead meat. If you try to rush to the shore haphazzardly, you're sure to feel the cool spray of bullets in your face. Instead, you must dart from barricade to barricade with just the right timing to avoid being shot. The sense of realism on this level is unmatched at any other point in the game. It will literally make you feel like you're there, particularly if you have surround sound and a decent monitor.
The Spearhead add-on, which there's currently no slot available for review here on Epinions, throws you into three specific recreations of WWII, which include: Normandy, Bastogne, and Berlin. Much shorter in length, but with virtually no slowdown in the action. It's action packed from beginning to end. The missions take place around 1944, simulating some of the true triumphs for the allies during the war. My disappointment with Spearhead was the unbelievably short length of the title. Give it three to four hours, or as I did, an hour a day over three days and voila! You're done. Some might find this unforgivable, given the $30 price tag, while others will just be glad to get the additional missions. I had heard there were nine levels, which led me to believe that when I hit Berlin, I was only a third of the way through. Much to my surprise and dismay, the credits began scrolling right after I finished defending the bridge at the end of the level. Looks like EA counted sub-levels as levels in their figure. As I mentioned, lots of action in Spearhead, but it's over before you know it. Decide if it's worth the money to you before you pick it up.
Graphics
Both MOHAA and MOHAAS utilize Id's graphics engine, which is most notably associated with titles such as "Quake". Definitely top notch visuals here with a great use of textures and detail. Trees blow in the wind, water ripples, soldiers' helmets get blown off, fog sets in, etc. It's up there with the best of the best in recent years. The level involving maneuvering a tank in Spearhead is particularly well done with a level of realism that would leave people standing behind you think that they're watching a movie. Speaking of tanks, there's a significant improvement in Spearhead that allows you to control both the gun turret as well as the machine gun while navigating. Many have commented on the difficulty of the tank mission in Berlin, but with a fair amount of caution exercised and a ton of "quicksaving", you should be able to get through it even on "medium" difficulty, as I did.
Sound
There was definitely a lot of work put into the sound effects for these titles. Rifles, heavy artillery, pistols, etc. have all been sampled after their real life counterparts, which lends itself to a heightened level of realism. You'll feel as though you're on the battlefield when bombs are being dropped around you or a squad of enemy soldiers is firing at you from a distant bunker. If you don't have surround sound speakers on your PC, you may want to consider picking some up. They'll bring MOHAA & MOHAAS to life, allowing you to be able to locate where enemies are; not to mention they'll make your CD's and MP3's sound much better. I've written a review on the Altec Lansings that I picked up a few months ago, which are a steal at $135-150. You can read the review at:
http://www.epinions.com/content_77208784516
Requirements
It's recommended that you have at least a Pentium II at 500 Mhz and a 128MB of RAM to run these titles. I'd imagine that this would only be acceptable if all of the graphics settings are at a minimum. I have an Athlon XP 2000 with 512MB of 333Mhz DDR RAM and an Nvidia 64MB Geforce4 and it ran just about right with all of the settings at their highest level. It's a definite plus to be able to turn all of these options on, as there's more details to the game that you won't see at the lower settings. I noticed a few areas of slowdown, but I was running a resolution of 1280x1024. With a drop to 1024x768, everything would have been ironed out, I'm sure. For those that aren't aware, the number of frames per second will drop, assuming the settings remain consistent, as you increase the resolution. Therefore, 800x600 will achieve better FPS than 1024x768 will on the same computer.
Gameplay
As I mentioned above, the missions, visuals, and sound effects will draw you into the action and make you feel like you're there. It can best be described as an interactive war movie, where you have control over one of the soldiers. Everything is done first person, so you never actually see the soldier you're representing, but you'll see your hands holding the weapon you're currently using or the grenade you're about to throw. With regard to weapons, there's plenty here, both German and Allied: Walther P38, Mauser, MP40, smoke grenades, detonating grenades, anti-tank shells, etc. Not to mention the number of stationary weapons you'll be able to take charge of. You'll be much better off if you choose the best weapon for the mission at hand. For example, using a rifle with a scope for enemies that are a fair amount of distance from you will save you a lot of grief. The MP40 for up front attacks can't be beat.
All movement is accomplished via a combination of the keyboard and the mouse. "W" moves forward, "S" back, "A" left, and "D" right. The number keys select the weapon to use. "CTRL" crouches, while "SHIFT" controls running/walking. "E" interacts with the environment and is used to pick things up, open doors, plant explosives, etc. The mouse is your best friend though, allowing you to direct movement, aim, select weapons, and fire. These controls have become very standard for most titles out there these days, so only newcomers should experience any type of learning curve on this one.
I should probably take a minute to mention that the endings to both MOHAA and MOHAAS are somewhat odd. Without ruining it for anyone by being as vague as possible, MOHAA ends rather abruptly without much hint that the conclusion is drawing near. You wrap up the final level and suddenly the credits pop up. "Anticlimactic" comes to mind. I would have liked to have seen a little more lead up to the ending. I think EA was aiming for a "cinema" like experience, but it leaves you desiring more. MOHAAS, much like its predecessor, ends when you're not expecting it and unfortunately, much more quickly as well. As I stated earlier, the cost to benefit ratio here is in question. Some will feel shorted, I'm sure.
Conclusion
I would definitely rank MOHAA AND MOHAAS right up there with the best of them currently. For me, it's an interactive alternative to turning my brain into jell-o watching television and it gives me a sense of accomplishment to single handedly brought down the Nazi empire from the comfort of my office. Anyone that enjoys first person shooters will find something to like here, whether it be the engaging gameplay, fantastic visuals, realistic gameplay, or just a lesson in history of some of the most defining moments of World War II.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
jonwes
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Location: Los Angeles, California
Reviews written: 55
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