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I’ll admit it.
I have been a Delta Force 2 addict ever since the game came
out. I don’t know why. The graphics are less than appealing,
the sound isn’t that good, but the gameplay is amazing. It’s
sucked me in from the first time I played it. When they came
out with Delta Force 3: Land Warrior, the graphics were a lot
better, the sound was clearer, and the gameplay was a lot
better. But I never got into it. Why?
For one simple reason: the was no tall grass to snipe from.
Sniping was my strongpoint and DF2 made that not only easy,
but exciting. Picking off people from 300 yards out and having
them hunt you down like the camper you are is always a good
time.
I had that same feeling when I first played Medal of Honor:
Allied Assault. The graphics were really good, the sound was
incredible, and the gameplay was there... a
complete
package. But something
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was missing. I
couldn’t put my finger on it for a long time. My brother,
Tiamet, seemed to find every single flaw in MOHAA in
his review. I’m not as picky as he is, but if you
fixed all the things that he points out that could be better
it would end up being Game of the Decade. What I found was
missing in MOHAA was what I discovered in Spearhead: another
part of the story. I knew all about the beaches of Normandy,
but never about the British 6th Airborne.
Gameplay
The biggest complaint that is widely heard is that Spearhead
is just too damn short. Just as you start getting into it, the
campaign is over and you’re left with a sense of unfulfillment.
Most gamers can shoot through the expansion pack in around 6-8
hours. If there was another expansion pack waiting in the
wings that would be one thing, but from what I have heard that
isn’t the case. The best new feature is that you can carry
more than one primary gun, giving you choices when you want to
take out the Nazis.
Playing the campaign can quickly get old, but this is
commonplace for most games that have a stout multiplayer, and
thank God Spearhead has that. There are more than 1500 servers
hosting maps, and even more every day. The challenge for some
servers is incredible, while others are barren for days. The
key to having an enjoyable time playing multiplayer is finding
a server where you and a bunch of your friends can invade.
There is nothing better than fragging your buddies and holding
bragging rights over their heads until the next frag session.
Aside from the various modifications (aka mods) out there such
as being able to use German guns when you are British or vice
versa, as well as tons more, the biggest and brightest new
feature in multiplayer is Tug of War, which is a fantastic
concept and has the gaming world buzzing. The concept is
rather simple: if you want to win and win quickly, you take
out their spawn areas, which means once you kill someone they
are gone for good until the map ends. This is great because it
gives teams that have a disadvantage, say 10 against 5, a
chance to eliminate the other team and become victorious.
Graphics
If you are looking for vast improvements in graphics from
Allied Assault to Spearhead, you’ll be disappointed. The
graphics in the original were very lifelike and sharp, so the
minor improvements, such as shading and various shadows,
usually go unnoticed. Just like with most other graphic
intensive games, the beefier the video card, the sleeker the
graphics will appear. The most notable choppiness is in the
introduction sequence where you drop into Normandy, which is
eerily reminiscent of when Easy Company is flying over
Normandy and parachutes behind the enemy. Very freaky, but
cool at the same time. If you like this sort of stuff and you
enjoy reading, two fantastic books are “D-Day June 6, 1944:
The Climactic Battle of World War II” and “Band of Brothers: E
Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne from Normandy to
Hitler's Eagle's Nest”, which are both written by the World
War II expert Stephen Ambrose. The HBO mini-series Band of
Brothers is based on the latter book.
Sound
Sound is a quality that many people tend to overlook. If a
game has horrible sound, it will get a less than stellar
review, regardless of all the other redeeming qualities it may
have. My 7 piece Creative surround sound speaker set made this
game that much better. After a few hours of gameplay I was
beginning to wonder if I would ever get out of the woods alive
or if I would meet up with my comrades. I could feel the
impact of some of the explosions and could just about feel the
zing of the bullets as they parted my hair. The sound is more
crisp than Allied Assault, and the new sounds that are
introduced into the game kind of give you a sense that you are
playing a different game. Watch out for prices of speakers to
drop while the quality of sound in games goes up. It’s the
beginning of a trend that is definitely good for the consumer
and the gaming industry as well.
Final Thoughts
Medal of Honor: Allied Assault = Saving Private Ryan. Medal of
Honor: Spearhead = Band of Brothers. If you liked the movie
and the mini-series you will already be hooked from the first
bullet that whizzes past your head. If you didn’t like them,
give the game a chance, because it is so much more. Some of
the new features are definitely worth taking a look at, but
what might make an expansion pack that lacks in length of
playing time and difficulty could be made up with a lower
price tag, say $20 instead of the current $30. I’ll throw 3.5
Planets at it, simply because it is still an improvement over
the first, but loses planets because of the lack of length.
Had it been twice as long and more involved, I would have
probably given it another half planet, and depending on what
else it had to offer, maybe even a full planet.
HYNDSY Rating:
3.5 out of 5 Planets
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