Medal of Honor: Allied Assault First Look

OK, I don't want to get ahead of myself here, but a couple of impressions based on the MP demo are in good taste I guess... It's been a long wait for Allied Assault: Medal of Honor and I don't want to bore you too much with the details. Let's just say, this is one of those games eagerly anticipated by the Action Trip staff.

What we got in this multiplayer demo is a single free-for-all DM level that hopefully doesn't represent the kind of action we'll see in the final product. Though MoH is a quality title, the multiplayer gameplay seen in the demo is in no way indicative of that fact.

First thing's first, the Quake III engine works like a charm - the net code is decent and the graphics are realistic and gritty enough to make you believe you're actually stranded in a soggy suburb of Stalingrad during World War II. MoH graphics clearly show that we're dealing with probably the best modification of the Quake III engine yet; with high artistic value -- details like parts of the building flying off when a grenade goes off, animated curtains and great lighting, and with probably the best physics engine in any of the Quake III modifications to date; objects react to impact and bounce off in a manner that clearly indicates they're governed by the laws of physics. This part is of course not to be confused with the level of in-game realism, which is ridiculously high in certain aspects (player movement) and completely lacking in others (try jumping from about 20m and see what happens - you lose 20HP - bah!). I couldn't help but marvel at some of the interiors, as they're striking and depicted in a highly meticulous fashion. The gun models are superb, and the character animation is even better than in Return to Castle Wolfenstein. The sounds are also very appealing and perfectly complimentary to the visuals...

Overall, I would have to say that MoH has succeeded in successfully delivering a genuine and moody representation of a WWII setting, and I just hope there is more of that to come in the final product.

Now, as for the multiplayer demo, one can clearly see that 2015's programmers are not as skilled in making a good online shooter, as one would hope they'd be. Though we only got to play a single map, Stalingrad, it's clear that the weapon balance is way off, and that the damage model is somewhat dodgy - fit maybe for grand-scale 32-64 player battles, but not really good for smaller 4-16 player deathmatch games. Simply put, a well-placed bullet will be the end of you, and there's no getting up - well 'till you respawn. And although this is in many ways adding to the realism, it certainly doesn't appear balanced enough for a smaller-scale deathmatch game. Allied weapons (especially the rifle) seem far superior than anything the 'Axis' have at their disposal, and despite the fact that the Stalingrad map might be considered a sniper's paradise, I had some serious problems 'handling' players armed with the highly accurate allied rifles. Also, the rifles in question have a relatively fast rate of fire, to go with the high accuracy, which instantly makes them a whore weapon. The snipers are 'a one-shot kill' deal, but you can see the crosshair when unzoomed, which simply doesn't work well, as any 1.0 and later CS player would tell you. Some players believe that the configuration of the Stalingrad map (lots of windows, a courtyard - sniping grounds, and a number of hiding places) are ideal for a sniper, but I beg to differ. When isolated, the sniper has no chance against an allied rifleman (even in a long range firefight), especially considering the fact that the bullet impact makes you jerk more than Howard Stern in an all-Catholic school for young virgins. Naturally, this is never too good when you have to aim with a sniper.

Generally speaking, recognizing a whore weapon like the allied rifle in the first few minutes of the game is exactly what people working on the mother of all online shooters, Counter-Strike, are trying to avoid. The Stalingrad map is too monotonous and restricted, not so much in terms of the visuals, but more so in the way it is concentrated around a single focal point, and that is the sniper-happy courtyard.

Still, it's hard to tell if the multiplayer is any good or not, simply because we haven't played any grand-scale battles, or modes like team play and other various variations of the DM game. A large-scale WWII battle might actually be what MoH's multiplayer game is geared towards, so I cannot really understand why 2015 decided to include this particular map in the demo.

The biggest thing about MoH however is its single player campaign, and we haven't had the chance to try it out yet. So, let's keep our fingers crossed and hope 2015 can deliver an enticing story and great AI to go with this visual splendor and excellent sound seen and heard in the demo.