Medal of Honor European Assault (PS2)

What went wrong???? The writers seem to have completely run out of ideas.

Gameplay is far shorter.
The enemies seem totally clueless.
We have been lumbered with idiot comrades who run around like fools.
The weapons are poor.
The only improvement is the background SXF.

My advice: wait till the game reaches a tenner and then it might be worth it.

The inclusion of the Brits (although the dialogue and accents are a little stereotypical...we don't all have "Gor Blimey" accents over here!), and the Russians is welcome, to give it more of an international flavour. EA Games began this trend with MOH Frontline I believe.

The weapons variety, whilst not vast, gives enough scope to allow one to establish favoured arms. One drawback here. You can only carry two weapons at a time (plus up to ten grenades). Whilst this is maybe a little more lifelike, unlike previous MOH games (and other first person shooters), where you were incumbered with an entire arsenal, it can be a little irritating. Having to go back and search for your previous weapon, (when you find you need it again), is annoying.

Gamers will soon establish a favoured range of weapons, although they are not all the same in all levels, obviously. The M1911 pistol is useless, so chuck it asap. I found the Thompson sub machine gun had too slow a rate of fire, and as a result I tended to favour the MP40 (for smoothness), and the PPSh41 (for it's 70 round drum ammunition capacity). The StG44 is a very nice weapon, but what happened to the front sight? The gun had a relatively prominent sight, and this is captured well on 'Frontline'. On this game it seems to have shrunk to the point that it is near invisible. The end result is that you may find yourself estimating where the sight is, and therefore wasting precious ammunition. One odd thing. I would have at least liked to have seen a squad machine gun...a Bren for example. You have the B.A.R., but that's about it, and even that only appears in the last levels.

The graphics and sound are excellent, although I like the 'revives', I don't like the long winded way they are done. You want, and need to get back into the action as soon as possible.

I'm also not too keen on the fact that you have a squad of three men (two men and a woman on the first Russian level). The object is to keep your comrades in full fighting order, by administering first aid. I found that I was concentrating more on this, and using my health packs, than concentrating on the enemy at times. Also, they tended to get in the way, usually just as I was about to take out an enemy sniper, as they run around freely (unless you use the command feature...I haven't yet)

These are only minor nitpicks, and shouldn't distract from the game.

Personally though, I feel the major drawback(s) are twofold. One, the game can be a little overwhelming at times. This is especially so on the last game of the last level. At every level, you are required to 'kill' what is called a 'Nemesis' figure (usually a high ranking German officer, who has a higher fighting ability than the soldiers around him). This is where my main gripe comes in. Why oh why have EA Games put a time limit in? You are given a set time to diffuse an atomic bomb, but whilst you are doing this, you're fighting the Nemesis figure, and what appears to be the entire German Wehrmacht! I would have liked to see the inclusion of some body armour at least. And that is on the easiest level! There is simply too much going on. A lot of people I've spoken to HATE time limits with a passion. They tend to put people off playing the game, as constantly being killed, and having to restart becomes a bit of a pain.

My second gripe, is the aforementioned "game is too short". As I said, the sound quality, gameplay and so on are fantastic. I would have liked just a little bit more. Actually I quite liked Rising Sun personally, and felt it to be the right length. The scenarios are vast though. This is especially true of the Ardennes(?) Forest at the end. I liked the trench systems, and being able to engage in some hand to hand combat.

Sorry if I sound as though I've picked this one to bits...not my intention, but my personal views are:

For): Great graphics and sound. Extra combatants (Britain and Russia) bought in, so therefore a slightly different mix of weaponry than before. Great gameplay.

Against): Overwhelming odds at times, even on Novice level. That time limit (will I stick at it, or just give up in the end...depends how long my sanity lasts!). Reviving can be a bit irritating, in the length of time it takes. Graphics better than Frontline, and Rising Sun, but game is more disappointing. Would have liked to see a follow on from one of these two, rather than a change of style.

The old saying, "If it isn't broken, don't fix it".