Medal Of Honor PA Impression

Finally it is out, but is it actually good or fun to play?

The first thing you obviously notice if you played the demo that the game lags horribly, worse than Doom 3 some reported. So if you want to see my experience with the game and final graphic setting, go to my MOHPA Tech Test and have a read.

Now, back to the impression.


The demo is situated at the Henderson Field.

There is a lot to talk about in is Demo, but I would just state the obvious and issues that need fixing.

The graphics are beautiful if you have the hardware power. Or the game turns into a freakin' slideshow. But you still can enjoy the game with a lower graphic setting. IMO, the lower graphic setting makes it look like "Call Of Duty". Perhaps because part of the team is from the developers of the Call Of Duty game. The graphic level of the demo is beyond Far Cry, shadows fall on the characters as if it were real, explosions are top-notch, and when you are firing a machine gun (or '50 cal, above), on higher graphic level, actually blurs. Also the "Verge Of Death" (now commonly known as VoD) completes the beautiful demo.

What is VoD you ask. It is when you are dying, the place decolourise lightly and blurs around you, sound seemed muffled around you, and as you try to keep awake, sound previously heard would play, like life flashing in your eyes. Then the game slowlys black out, unless a medic (or cropsman, the more correct term) comes to save you. The VoD mode also kicks in when you experience 'shell shock', when sometime near you exploded.


This is just a taste of Verge Of Death, actually, just before I get shell shocked.

The AI looks promising. Now you got a squad to help you, and they do sometimes help. When you charge, they automatically follow you together, sometimes providing covering fire (complete with voiceover from the character). But if you charge like Rambo, your squadmates actually get scared and call you to come back. You also can command them, with the simple directional arrows on the keyboard, and they respond appropriately.

The enemy AI follows the exact same thing. They cover each other, even heal each other. Flanking, and falling back included. But slaying their officer would either send them on a banzai rampage or run away. When they are on a banzai though, looks totally awesome. Just be careful of sharp pointy knifes on the end of their rifle.

It is the best time to shoot now.

It plays like Call Of Duty oddly. It feels like Call Of Duty too. The guns though now fire like a real gun, with power and recoil. In Medal Of Honor Allied Assault, the Thompson feels like a pea-shooter. Now it has the back thrust, and teaching you that spray and pray now have little effect.

But the Call Of Duty feel feels more of a burden. Players want a completely new game, following the Medal Of Honor line, NOT the Call Of Duty. Even the leaning from walls feel different. Aiming also feels too 'Call Of Duty'ish.

The end though, you are pitted against zeros fighters, and your task is to shoot the zeros from destroying your side's aircraft. It feels like those 'moments in gaming' and hope the game also have more than just that.

Lone banzai charge = priceless

Unfortunately, some of the promised stuff are either missing or just didn't turned out as expected. The ragdoll physics are there, but sometimes scripted animations takes over. The game lags like hell on high graphic setting. And the demo is far too short for the 500MB+ file.

Also, the end part of the demo (at the airfield), it is like you are suppose to die, since the '50 cal have no match against an onslaught of zeros and dive bombers.

Other than that, the demo looks good and I am looking forward for the Multiplayer Demo.

In summary...

+ A new game
+ Graphic is excellent
+ It is fun...
- But too 'Call of Duty'...
- Graphic requires lots of hardware power
? Am I suppose to die on the field?
? Is there going to be ragdolls!?