Medal of Honor: Allied Assault

The Good
Beautiful, furious, epic. Those are some of the first things that come to mind when you think of MoHAA. This is a fast-and-furious-take-no-prisoners shooter set in the Spielberg-ized WW2 most people have come to known and love. You are private Powell, and it's up to you to give those nazis some butt-kicking, and save your allied buddies. Essentially a slightly more realistic Return to Castle Wolfenstein with better mission design, and sans the fantasy edge.

Right from the start the game will dazzle you with it's fantastic graphics and John Williams-like music score, the level of detail in the graphics is truly astounding, and the music as well as all of the sfx, are recorded with a truly amazing quality, making full use of directional sound and it's features.

The game progresses through 6 linear campaigns that take you all over Europe and this is in my opinion, a great choice of gameplay progression, since you don't have to worry about a basic plotline to tie it all together. You want a plot? You are at war and you get transferred around, that's your plot. And it works fantastically because the star of this game is the level and variety of gameplay. The game has an astounding level of creativity when it comes to it's missions. Each one has a unique gameplay premise, and while it is most definetively a fps first and foremost, every now and then you get a mission where you have to infiltrate an enemy base, or man a gun emplacement, or take control of a tank, or engage in sniping duels, etc, etc, etc... Even the standard "kill 'em all" missions have interesting touches, all courtesy of the level of detail placed on the real-life weapons, the detail of the character models that react realistically when hit (and even crawl around or limp when injured), or the interesting locales you have to fight through (like the D-Day mission, or the nazi submarine pens).

The Bad
Those are some really nice graphics, huh?? Well forget about them pal, only monster systems need apply for this one, and I blame it all on a non-judicious use of it's engine. The levels are just too big, and the amount of variables (like squadmate behavior, etc.) is just too much for an engine designed for essentially dumb shooters. Furthermore, if you are not one of the lucky souls capables of running this baby at full detail, then you are in for some juggling around, the game offers a nice set of detail settings, but none manage to be really effective, since the basic problems still remain (the levels are still too big, and there are too many things to keep track off), I had to tone everything down to the bare minimum, and I even had to juggle with my desktop resolution every time I wanted to lunch this frigging thing (I never had to do that with the new Wolfenstein, both Q3 games) and there is no way to switch you 3d accelerator card from the main game interface....great.

Other problems include an annoying tendency to include re-spawning enemies on some levels, and an AI that is questionable at best. I'm really puzzled at this, since at times I see it do some really smart things, like making good use of cover (first FPS I see where the enemies actually lean over walls), throwing grenades back at me (or even jumping over them to protect their buddies) etc, etc. However most of the time they behave like the dumbest soldiers ever. Your enemies will run into your line of fire with incredible enthusiasm, or even shoot themselves, and your squadmates first instinct is always to run guns-blazing towards the biggest group of enemies they see...

Aside from those issues I have a less objective bone to pick with this game, and it's the "politically correct" way it handles everything. Not only have you got no blood or gore in the game (not even a Max Paynish-red puff) but there's nothing interesting to pick your imagination or interest in between the missions. The game lacks a certain edge that makes other less-perfect shooters more memorable. There are no iconic characters, there is no ending, essentially there are no "odds and ends" everything is the way it's supposed to be, almost sickening in it's antisepticness, a jewel polished so much that it has no distinctive glow... but well, that's just me. :)

The Bottom Line
Almost perfect in it's presentation and gameplay. And truly funny to play, but for me this game just doesn't have the right stuff. It's better than Return to Castle Wolfenstein in nearly every way, but when I think about it now, I had much more fun playing Wolf, and I'm probably gonna replay it someday... not so with this one.

Of course, most people that get this Spielberg-sanctioned title probably want a "Private Ryan simulator". And this game delivers on that account.

The Good
The graphics are splendid, there is a great feel of being in Europe during the 1940's when you play it. The game play is really cool, learning how to effectively use the old weapons is an interesting challenge if you've played lots of modern shooting games (Ghost Recon, Delta Force, Splinter Cell, America's Army). Lots of enjoyable and diverse levels. Music is great! Voices for characters is really great, they speak their own languages very well. Driving a tank is really fun and sniping in the rain is very cool! I liked this game a lot, too bad it had to end or else I would still be playing it!

The Bad
Multiplayer for this game is below par, if you want a good multiplayer version try Battlefield 1942 but for single player this game is the best. This game also has high system requirments which can make it run choppy on older computers.

The Bottom Line
Play this game just for the D-day level, its a video game spectacle. Makes you gut wrench when you come to the realization of how horrible D-day actually was. The rest of the game is great as well. I enjoyed all of the levels.

The Good
MoH is making its beginning on PSX and it's the first FPS involving WWII to have a such impact on the community. So, EA wanted to expand it to computers. After all, it's THE platform for FPS... at this time (and being a non-console player, I still find that the computer is very well adapted for FPS).

MoH: Allied Assault takes you in WWII in the shoes of Lieutenant Mike Powell, from the US Army, belonging to the OSS office. His first mission sees him in North Africa, trying to save his squad (saving a member nearing death is rewarded by a medal - and it's the only one I couldn't have) and freeing a secret agent from the Nazis' hands. After destroying tanks and cannons, Mike is firing at planes on the airfield, in a jeep, similar to the ride with Moody in Call of Duty: United Offensive.

His second mission is to sabotage a U-Boat in Norway and is your first contact to the disguising gameplay. Find an enemy's uniform, his papers and if you keep your weapon in the holster, you will be not bothered by Germans, only at checkpoints. Eventually, you will have to kill officers if you need papers. But remember to do it quickly or the alert will be given. If you can steal the U-Boat manifest, you'll be rewarded by a Norvegian medal. I was very happy to find it in my medal case.

After that, our dear Powell is sent to France... during Overlord. So, you will have to find a way on the beach to your unit. I assure you that your life will be soon near zero. And if it wasn't sufficient, you'll also be trying to find lost units in villages, calling artillery, etc..

Then, you're still in France, in a special mission, for freeing a secret agent (or a pilot) and leading him in the French resistance, where you'll meet a young woman, reminding me the heroine of MoH: Underground/Resistance on PSX - well, this is really her. Anyway, you'll be in a stealth mission: if you're spotted, kill the enemy before he can give the alert. You can cut it by pressing the action key.

Then, you're sent to Brest in order to find a tank crew and lead them to a enemy tank. Before you can find them, you'll be in a village in ruins, with snipers at every corner. It's a frustrating passage because you can't spot them very well. It's in this mission that the tank ride, as raging as in CoD later, happens.

Finally, you're sent somewhere in a SS "fortress", near the Siegfried line. The village part is the most pleasurable part with the Norwegian and French resistance missions. As in this last one, you have to be careful with the alerts. Anyway, it's the last part that is really frustrating. Well, gaining the medal by limiting the casualties to four isn't easy as many snipers are arriving but I did it. It's after that. Going deeper in the bunker, freeing prisoners and then planting explosives... You don't know it, but you won't have time for breathing because you have to escape the fortress in fire and with Nazis trying to stop you and the fact that you don't recognize your path can make you nervous. And then, it's a pain in a ass to exit the building with SS firing at you when you have a few HP.

As you can see, the gameplay is varied. If the core is to shoot to every enemy you can meet, except when disguised, you will have to plant explosives, steal documents, free prisoners, ride a tank and even disguise yourself as an officer. You can be cured by a medic on the field (very useful during Overlord). Yep, you have objectives you can control by pressing TAB but if you're successful in secret ones, not mentioned in the game, you'll be rewarded by a medal in your medal case in the menu. Save lives, steal documents, lead a a full tank crew alive to their destination, finish the Overlord part (this one isn't even so difficult to find), destroy tanks, try to limit casualties to four and do the sixth mission in the three difficulty modes for having a full medal case.

Usually, you will find a passage about graphics here. Well, for once, it's in the bad part.

Soundtrack is better than graphics. The music is nice and well adapted to the situations, the voice acting is good even if I would have preferred subtitles like in CoD (not only when Germans are speaking) and the sounds are convincing.

About lifetime or/and replay value, there is a multiplayer mode and I suppose that MoH is doing better in it than in the single player campaign. With the three difficulty mode, if you want to go back to Hell, you can. Me, I'll stay at Easy, thank you.

The Bad
Flaws? Yes, this acclaimed game has a lot of flaws.

About difficulty, I only played the game in Easy Mode. You're sure that was the easiest level? No way. The enemy make damage. A lot of it. Medikits are sometime hard to find. Nazis spot you before you can do the same. And even with the indication of the origin of the fire, often, you can't see where is the enemy. The accuracy of your weaponry is disappointing, even with the crosshair well placed, you can miss your shot. You're always wondering if you're gonna live or not with a low HP. I DO not want to imagine what the game is in the hardest mode.

The missions aren't so enjoyable. I mean, only some parts of them were really interesting like the disguising for example. I also loved the second part of Overlord. But you are always wondering what you had to do. Then, you don't know if this silenced weapon will be used or not. Well, you have to be careful but everytime, you're spotted. And adios discretion!

Now, it's time for my famous complaint about the tank ride. I know now where the team behind Call of Duty found their ideas for it. A good part of it were behind MoHAA. If your turret isn't in the same direction as the front of the tank, you'll be trying to position you in the right one, losing seconds and being at the enemy's mercy. Even the jeep ride was easier. Well you weren't driving and it was somewhere very slow but you didn't have to worry about the destination, you had just to concentrate on the Nazis. Well, thanks god, they did the chaingun automatic in CoD.

Graphics are... ugly. It's very rare that I say that about a 2002 game but having play with the same engine on others games, it's always angular, collision management is frequent and well, I can't say that it was beautiful. Half-Life, a 1998 game, is better in this domain. Even Tomb Raider in 1996 was more impressive that MoH in 2002. I can even say that BlueShift, the weakest link in the HL trilogy, is better than AA. Are you sure that the team had exploited the engine at its maximum? You're really sure that MoHAA is younger than Half-Life? Even Quake III Team Arena seemed more beautiful than MoH.

The Bottom Line
As much as I'm not really trying every existing FPS, I consider myself as a fan and a regular player. So, to the hardcore gamers, play CoD instead of it, if MoH is missing in your game collection, don't buy it. For occasional players, MoH can be a good experience of the WWII, even if CoD is better. If you're a MoH fan, if you don't have AA in your collection, you can try it.

I was disappointed by the game in a famous series. Perhaps that in 2002, it was a very good game but I'm not sure that now, it can bring pleasure. Yes, some parts can. But overall, the game hasn't very well aged. When I'll finish Breakthrough, MoH will be out of my hard drive memory, like CoD: United Offensive or Painkiller Overdose. CoD: UO? I wasn't in my shoes when playing it. Overdose? It was bugging, despite liking it, I couldn't afford to let the game eat my memory. MoH: AA? I didn't like it from A to Z with the exception of L... If you prefer, I didn't like the game except for some parts. But they can't save it from disappearing from my computer. Poor Mike Powell, I'm sure that he deserves a better destiny than this one.