E3: Hands-On Medal of Honor: European Assault
Laptop Battery To say that Medal of Honor: European Assault would like to be the World War II equivalent of Haloand that it did not live up to that dreamwould be the first thing anyone writing impressions would think to say. Its inevitable that any first-person shooter released since the Xbox came out (especially one with a military-esque feel) is going to be compared to Halo, and these games will always be considered inferior, no matter how good they really are.
But thats not the point here. The point is that European Assault is a fun game.
It works essentially like any first-person shooter you can imagine: the game is heavily reliant onyou guessed itshooting things. You play as Lt. William Holt of the OSS, sent by the United States government on a secret mission in the ravaged European countryside helping strategically to turn the tide of the war in favor of the Allies. You command troops and lead them covertly (or not) into battle in order to thwart those Nazis.
There were very few problems with the demo featured at E3, but some were present. The graphics were not quite as smooth as I would have liked (and maybe Im just spoiled by all the amazing games here at the show), and at times the game was actually too hard. A good example of both of these grievances is this: there were times (and thats pluralmany times) that I would revive after being killed literally right on top of a grenade. First of all, this gives exactly zero chance of survival, making progressing in the game rather difficult. Secondly, the explosion graphics are very lackluster. (GoldenEye on the Nintendo 64 had more realistic-looking explosions.) Both of these could very well be fixed by release time, however, and the game is pretty solid otherwise.
The revives I mentioned earlier are kind of interesting. They are, essentially, extra lives, but they are not just handed to you at the start of each level like normal. They are given as rewards for delving deeper into the game, along with things like ammunition, enemy plans, and extra health. European Assault is much more expansive than one might initially think: playing the game straight-through, primary objective by primary objective, will leave you thinking that was okay, I guess; however, taking the time to explore pays off when you discover (accidentally or otherwise) optional secondary or tertiary missions. I was playing, quite lost in the level, when I saw a German gun turret that rather interested me. I got determined, used 2 revives (the second revive was used because the first one placed me on a grenade), and took over the turret. Secondary objective completed popped up on the screen. Sweet.
The AI, while nothing to write home about, is at least on-par with many of the big releases these days. Enemies do not just stand around and wait for you to show up: they move, they hide, and they ambush you and your troops. I wouldnt say that they all roam freely and independently around the levels, but they do get around and they do have a few tricks up their sleeves. I was surprise-attacked several times, much to my health meters dismay.
Multiplayer is nothing too special, but it is existent. It will not sell the game, but it is a good time and it is worth mentioning (much like the multiplayer in Jet Force Gemini, if anyone remembers that). Basically it is what you would expect from a first-person shooter: you and your friends (or enemiesor whoever, really) face off in a confined space until someone simply wins. My only complaint would be that the character colors cause a bit of unfairness in the game: whereas my opponent was black (and cloaked in the dark night atmosphere), I was bright white, which made me very easy to spot. However, there are choices, so it isnt too big a deal. More of an annoyance.
There is nothing revolutionary in the games controls, but they are very solid and very easy-to-use. A cool feature, though, is the ability to peak around corners a bit by holding L (which aims) and moving the C-stick, giving you the ability to use hitherto unprecedented angles to your advantage. Besides that, there is duel-joystick control (the C-stick acting as the second joystick), the ability to jump, and your average aiming system.
The game is solid. If you like shooters, you will most likely enjoy Medal of Honor: European Assault, and (at least in theory) it will only get better as its release date draws closer and closer. I would expect it to wind up being a good rental to play during a 3-day weekend, but not too much more unless you are simply a fan of shooters. You will have a good time for a while.
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