Medal of Honor: European Assault (review/discussion)
Have any of you played it yet? I feel it is a huge improvement over the last console MoH game, Rising Sun. This one has huge, open levels with multiple ways to enter or exit points with objectives. I never felt like I was on rails, unlike previous attempts at MoH. The objectives are mostly given to you on the fly, depending on whether or not you find it (for example, if you don't find a radar dish in a level, you can still move on, but if you do your tasked with destroying it). You only need to complete three objectives to beat a level, but then you only get a Bronze rating.
Anyway, you play as William Holt, a Lt. in the newly formed O.S.S. As Holt, you'll fight with the British in St. Nazarine and North Africa, the Russians at Stalingrad, and the Americans at the Battle of the Bulge. Since your following one character, your able to follow a nice little storyline as Holt tries to discover the intents of a German officer named Von Schrader.
It's rather easy to see the influence Call of Duty has had on the MoH series. Besides fighting with all three major Allies in WWII, you use all thier weapons (Ppsh, Sten, etc.), as well as some good new weapons I've never seen in a WWII game (Scoped M1 Garand, Scoped Gewher = :D). You can only carry two weapons at a time, you can crouch or go prone, and you fight alongside many other soldiers instead of solo.
Some other new things are more interesting. You can command a squad of up to three, but only basically, telling them to either go somewhere or fall in behind you. However, it's nice to know your covered if a German decides to get you from behind. Also, while you can find health pick ups, it's more oriented on finding Medical Kits, which you can save and use whenever you need health. You can also use them on your squad, should one get in some trouble. You start with anywhere from 2 to 5, depending on how many of you squadmates are still alive at the end of a mission, and find more thoughout levels. Also, instead of Saving or using Checkpoints, you have Revives, which return you to the action with half your health and no Adrenaline (more on that in a minute). You start with 1 or 2, but for each Secondary Objective you complete, you get one more.
Now, as for adrenaline, it goes like this. For doing "acts of heroism", which is basically killing enemies or completing objectives, your Adrenaline meter slowly fills. Once it is full, you can use it at any time to have about 20 seconds of what I call "God Mode". You have unlimited ammo, your invincible, and your shots have a higher likelyhood of being a one-shot kill. While this may seem gimicky, it's actually really useful, especially against Nemesis.
Nemesis are high ranking German officers who are out for you. There is one for almost every level, and they are much stringer than regular soldiers. Thier shots hit for more damage, they have way more health, and they usually have soldiers around them. Usually it's best to go "God Mode" on them, as it makes them much easier.
Now, finally, the rest. The graphics were anywhere from great to okay, but the majority of the time the looked pretty good. The sound is also great, with good musical scores, voices, and sound effects. There are parts at the begining of missions where real veterens recount thier experinces of the battle your about to fight, which I though was nice. The controls are usually spot on, and everything runs smoothly.
In closing, I give Medal of Honor European Assault a 8.5 out of a possible 10.
Discuss. :D
