When Steven Spielberg's Saving Private Ryan debuted in movie theaters across the country in the summer of 1998, it sent shockwaves through the entertainment industry. Unsuspecting viewers were bombarded by graphic images of the Normandy landing of June 6, 1944, in grisly detail usually only reserved for slasher films. Yet while the action was indeed shockingly violent, it was not gratuitous. For once, civilians had a brief glimpse at the horrors of war as actually experienced on the battlefield. This revelation struck a chord in many viewers, and was the linchpin of the public's newfound fascination of all things World War II. This interest transcended film and documentary productions, and soon spilled over into the burgeoning realm of video games.
Electronic Arts, then in cooperation with Spielberg's fledgling game development company Dreamworks Interactive, created theMedal of Honor series of first-person shooters back in 1999. Since then, numerous versions and sequels have been spawned on a handful of platforms to both critical and commercial acclaim.Medal of Honor European Assault™ is the newest game in the series to grace the Xbox® console. Not only does it offer the same great action of its predecessors, but it also packs in a few nifty improvements that spice things up.
Something Old, Something New After a brief hiatus from the European theater with Medal of Honor™ Rising Sun, EA takes us back into the mainland conflict versus the Nazi threat this time. Like those featured in previous games, each location featured in European Assault is loosely based upon real-world places where WWII conflicts were savagely fought. The level design, building architecture, objects, and textures all faithfully recreate a period setting, putting you in the mood to stomp some Jerry behind. Likewise, the intermissions that string each level together are comprised of a mix of war journalism film reels, narration, and in-game "intelligence reports"—all of which are given a nifty weathering treatment to look as if they've seen better days. It's an effective artistic touch that really brings the action to life.
The ground fighting has also been kicked up a notch. Rather than burden you with the responsibility of winning the war yourself,European Assault instead opts to immerse you in squad-based combat scenarios. At any given time, you are supported by three other grunts, who follow your commands as issued from an interface similar to the one employed by Ubisoft's Brothers in Arms games. Simply point your aiming reticule at a desired location (such as behind the cover of a Nazi truck or some shipping crates) and click the left thumbstick, and your men muster to their new location to provide covering fire. It's a good thing you've got company this time around, as you are confronted by far more enemy troops who've taken a few lessons in sharp-shooting since the series' last iteration. In other words, you need all the help you can get.
Hectic battles force you to take cover.
Your Mission, Should You Choose to Accept It The designers at EALA (the Los Angeles EA development studio) added secondary objectives to each mission. At the start of each level, you are presented with a short list of primary objectives, which must be satisfied in order for you to pass on to the next. In addition, you have the option to discover and complete a handful of secondary missions. Some require you to explore the various nooks and crannies on each map to track down and eliminate a "Nemesis," while others send you on covert demolition runs.
Keep your men alive at all costs.
These extra tasks won't go unrewarded, though. You're not only treated to some fireworks when you sink an enemy spy sub or grenade a mini-boss, but you find additional revives (items that give you a new lease on life when your health runs out) and med packs, as well as gain valuable intelligence on a future mission that can help you later in the game. The game's levels have been widened and expanded to fit all the extra content, and as a result, the game feels more open-ended and less restrictive. No longer are you guided through a linear mission "on rails." Instead, you have more options available. So keep your eyes peeled for suspicious locations and hidden pathways, as they might help you flank your enemy without taking direct fire. On the whole, having so many options to solve the problems before you makes combat a satisfying experience.
Check back for more details on EA's latest WWII shooter as I take a closer look at the gameplay mechanics found in Medal of Honor European Assault and provide both combat tips and level walkthrough coverage.
