Medal of Honor Allied Assault was released on the PC in January 2002, published by Electronic Arts and developed by 2015 (members of which would later form Infinity Ward, creators of the rival Call of Duty franchise).
Medal of Honor Allied Assault continues the franchise begun on the original PlayStation and brings it to PC platform. By doing so, the team at 2015 end up creating what is widely regarded as the best Medal of Honor game in the whole franchise.
The set-up of the game is very similar to the prior PS1 games. You play Lt. Mike Powell, a soldier recruited to work for the OSS on special missions. This structure, while being functionally identical to the prior games, allows for much bigger and more varied missions than you could get on the PS1 due to the power of the PC platform at the time. The missions are all much longer and even more elaborate, and the events they depict are much more epic. The centerpiece of the game and arguably the entire franchise (a level that was repeated in the subsequent console game, Frontline) is the D-Day Omaha Beach invasion level. At the time, it was the closest gaming had gotten to the intensity of movies like Saving Private Ryan, and in that moment the Medal of Honor franchise cemented its place as a leader in the shooter genre.
Many of the best parts of the earlier PS1 games are repeated here, with extended sniper levels, “stealth” levels where you have to sneak around using found official papers and sneaking behind enemy lines to blow up an important weapon (be it a submarine or a Tiger tank). The Medal of Honor games began to evolve and change gameplay styles around the time of Pacific Assault and European Assault, but before that shift, the structure and style of the games was very similar, almost to a fault. However, if you ever wanted to try the best of the old style of Medal of Honor games, this is the best one.
The game isn’t without its problems, however. The chief complaint is by far the pacing of the game. Maybe it’s a modern gaming thing, but the levels are just far too long. They honestly feel long just to be long, not for any gameplay reason. They are quite large, and since this is still the era of shooters before the sprint button was introduced, they feel even bigger today. It’s not game-breaking by any means, but it does make the game feel somewhat dated.
Everything else about the game is absolutely stellar, though. The graphics are the best in the entire franchise for years to come (until the next PC release, Pacific Assault), and with the added power of the PC, events like the D-Day invasion feel and sound like nothing else out there. The sound design and music continue to be a highlight. Michael Giacchino returns to score the game and impresses once again. Some of the music here is the best and most memorable in the entire franchise. The game is a showcase for the PC platform at the time, and it’s still worth playing, especially if you’re interested in the history of the franchise.
Shortly after release of the original game, two expansion packs were released, both with further missions and characters. Medal of Honor Allied Assault Spearhead tells the story of Sgt. Jack Barnes as he travels through D-Day and the Battle of the Bulge. Medal of Honor Allied Assault Breakthrough shows the events of Sgt. John Baker as he does battle in Italy. Both of these expansions are just as solid as the original game, and together they make up what is arguably the best game in the entire Medal of Honor franchise.
Just like the original PS1 releases, Medal of Honor Allied Assault and its expansions are well worth playing to this day. The presentation is unlike anything else at the time, and it took games years to catch up to the intensity of what was presented here. In the same way the PS1 games are essential to play to see where the idea began, Medal of Honor Allied Assault is essential to see what the pinnacle of the original idea could be.
This is the reason why people still talk about Medal of Honor today. Another landmark game.
Next week: Medal of Honor returns to the consoles in Medal of Honor Frontline.
