Preview for Medal of Honor: Pacific Assault

Intro:

Medal of Honor started out as a World War II themed first person shooter on the PSOne. It spawned a sequel on that console and then moved in the next logical step, the PC. Medal of Honor: Allied Assault quickly gained praise as the best WWII shooter ever made, and rightly so. Its unique mix of breathtaking scripted sequences and killer visuals captured the hearts of many who before were restricted to far less appealing options. Allied Assault eventually became the victim of a much bigger storm, Call of Duty. Only a year or two after MOH hit the scene and took the crown, Call of Duty promised to do everything that they did, but better. Allied Assault took its place behind Call of Duty which filled online servers to new highs. So EA Games had its job set out for them. How do you make a World War II game even better, without making it seem far too similar? Well first, stop the insane obsession with killing Nazis, and second, change the setting to an area of the war we hear far too little about these days. The U.S. war with the Japanese was a brutal and heartbreaking battle that took the lives of thousands of troops. Today, it’s the least covered section of the war in educational teachings, at least in the routine ones anyway. EA has taken a wonderful risk by focusing its new game on the Japanese front, because aside from that, there really isn’t anything more that can be done with that war in terms of games, except make the graphics look even better then they already do.

Preview:

Veterans of Allied Assault will easily be able to jump into Pacific Assault as it’s formatted in the same way. You are a member of a group of soldiers who run around and shoot people. Of course it’s much deeper than that, but for shooter fanatics, that’s all you really have to know. EA promises a gripping story filled with characters you will actually care for, and ultimately mourn. EA’s sometimes overly high production values are back for the newest installment so you can expect a lot of effort being placed in its overall presentation. Its soundtrack is already gripping from the demo and the sound effects could make some enthusiasts cry. The biggest complaint regarding the original in retrospect was an overly high reliance of scripted sequences. While gripping and enthralling at the time, they became far too repetitive to warrant multiple sittings. In Pacific Assault, most of the story is of course scripted, but the actions of your fellow troops and enemies are based on a brand new AI system. While I still had the overly routine feeling of being led around a museum tour, the game was noticeable less restrictive in terms of battle tactics. Gameplay largely remains the same, but new sequences that include using anti-aircraft weapons will do some good and add a little variety.   The one major problem I had was with the visuals. They aren’t bad, in fact, most of the time, they are breathtaking, but the physics engine powering the game often times feels unfinished or hokey. Barrels feel conveniently placed in areas that are far too obvious (which also manage to have the same exact effect every time) and when attacking with melee weapons, bodies often fly backwards without any true or believable trace of damage. It’s a small problem, which can hopefully be fixed. Two more things must be said, that are purely based on the demo play time. First the mission was too short. Seriously, it was over in five minutes. I hope that the game provides us with a lengthy span because lately, I have seen far too many games slouching in length. Lastly, the system specifications are a bit steep. Its not that the framerate is inconsistent, but quite a few times, especially in the beginning, it will stick here and there, causing some annoyances. Nothing major, just important to point out.

Facts:

The bottom line is that Medal of Honor: Pacific Assault looks to be another engaging entry in the Medal of Honor series. If some of the above mentioned bugs can be ironed out, then Call of Duty will have to start placing troops in order to protect its crown. Release Date: November 2004 ESRB Rating: T For Teen Outlook: Very good, the Medal of Honor series is shaping up to provide an excellent rebound from Call of Duty. Written By: Joseph Bennett

Updates:

Medal of Honor: Pacific Assault Multiplayer Demo   With our Preview of the single player demo in place, the next logical step would be to take a look at the newly released multiplayer demo. The time and thought placed into the game’s single player component is clearly evident in every aspect of its presentation. With the multiplayer, it’s a more wide open, non linear environment, which is why sometimes multiplayer modes in war games can lose a lot of their realism. For a multiplayer game to work, you need an open area with weapon placements, proper spawn points and areas that you really could imagine being a random battlefield. This was done to perfection in Allied Assault, so it’s no surprise that the quality of the map included lives up to that. The map included with the demo is a fairly open map that gives the appearance of being closed and concealed. From this first map, it is evident that winning will be more reliant on ones knowledge of the maps strategic points, rather than catching an enemy in the wrong spot at the right time. The most important aspect of Pacific Assault’s multiplayer which has been seen so far is its foliage. Grass, crates and water prove to be very strategic points in combat, they can also lead to a speedy doom. A skiller player will be able to stalk or evade an opponent by cleverly (and quietly) sneaking into grass or behind buildings and crates. The downside to this is that the sound has also been given an earlift. Moving through grass very fast can quickly alert another player to your presence, which will bring your supposed stealth to an embarrassing end. Where quick feet and fast clicking fingers brought players to victory in Allied Assault, intelligence and cunning will bring it to you in a more rewarding way in Pacific Assault. So far, weapon selection in the demo was sparse. In free for all modes, the only available weapons were two basic automatic rifles. A noticeable change from Allied Assault is that weapon feedback has been tweaked, so that you simply can expect to run around and hit enemies with 100% precision. You must now walk or stand still to properly take an opponent out quickly. Quick shooting is handy though when you intend to play chicken with a newer, less experienced player. So far in the map, from what I have played, the grenades are pretty much useless, and the only explosives worth exploiting are the conveniently places red barrels which explode when shot at (with an added possibility of taking out quite a few enemies in the process).  In terms of the visuals, it ran much better and smoother than the single player mode (less AI on screen), but lag was a bit of an issue, especially when on servers with more than ten players.   It’s possible that we can expect a patch for the demo in the coming weeks, but this demo was really released to give loyal fans and undecided hardcore Call of Duty players a chance to see that Pacific Assault is not a carbon copy of Allied Assault. Its multiplayer has been changed in such a way, that common sense and knowledge of your environment, can realistically lead to victory.