Medal of Honor: Airborne

Honourable

Blimey. EA know how to market a game. I grew tired of FPS games many moons ago, even Half-Life 2 didn't really do it for me. I certainly never usually bow to the advertising campaigns, and the new gimmicky features; amazing set pieces never got me moist. Box-fresh visuals, I dismissed them. Then I saw an advert for Airborne, and I wanted in.

I never intentionally stopped playing FPS titles. I never made a conscious effort to dislike them, it just happened (BF2 and Call of Duty forsaking). But the idea of jumping out of an aeroplane, parachuting anywhere I like into battle struck a chord so loud that I couldn't hear myself think.

However, Airborne isn't anything to do with parachutes or planes. Sure, you get to jump out of a plane but it makes up such a tiny percentage of gameplay time it makes the marketing approach to this offering embarrassingly inaccurate (but ultimately successful). This game is so not about jumping out of an airplane that it should have been called Medal of Honour 17 - With Aircraft (or whatever instalment we're on now).

You start every level in a plane readying yourself to make your jump. It's impressive as you're looking at your fellow squaddies readying themselves. Their faces full of the same anguish that made the very first Medal of Honour's Normandy landing level such an amazing set-piece. Then the light goes red, and then green and you're out. Despite the rather swift nature of this prologue, it does set up a beautiful scene as well as a decent prompt for tactical thinking.

As you drift down you have to aim for the safest spot on the map (marked out by green smoke). However, given the rather imprecise nature of leaping from an aeroplane, this gives you the impression that you could, should the wind take you, drop right in the middle of enemy territory. However EA, despite giving the notion of free choice, really want you to land in the green smoke 'safe areas'. The game works better this way, events unfold naturally and with the correct ascent in difficulty - land in a German stronghold and you're dead. It's realistic, but feels more like an invisible wall blocking your path, rather than an acceptable consequence of making a mistake. As such you're not allowed the kind of freedom you might expect.

Still, this is more open ended than any MoH game that's come before it. Battle takes place across a large area with objectives there to achieve in the order you see fit. These provide the main focus of the conflict, Germans or Italians guarding strategic strongholds which you must take. Achieve one and you're often set of on impromptu sub-missions like reinforcement or sniper duty.

As you progress you'll naturally face tougher enemies but rather than being better equipped or more tactically astute, they're merely harder to kill - essentially they take more damage. It quashes the realism somewhat as you're blasting an enemy in the face with a shotgun and he isn't dying because the game demands that he's more difficult to kill. In real battle, I would assume, the enemy doesn't get tougher, only more savvy to the conditions of war. Admittedly this is difficult to demonstrate through a videogame.

The enemy AI is impressive though, perhaps some of the most difficult opponents I've seen in a game. They're constantly on the move, hiding behind cover, or darting quickly over open ground; they seem to have a sixth-sense for knowing if they're being targeted when you scope your rival. They flank, retreat, surge, and you're often involved in intense back and forth battles over control of objectives - it's an impressive thing to behold. Headshots are of a premium and Airbourne rewards you with weapon upgrades should you take an enemy out in such a way. Your weapons are upgradeable at a rate depending upon your skill with that particular machine. Acquiring faster reloading times, aim-aiding devices all making you're job easier - a good thing, as later levels can be insanely hard to conquer.

This of course all depends upon the difficultly you're playing at. 'Casual', for example, makes it far too easy to defeat foes, while 'normal' makes for a challenging but achievable experience. In fact I'd hasten everybody to play this above 'Casual' as it makes for a more realistic and satisfying game.

When it comes to getting things big EA know what parts fit where. They've managed to create a game that highlights the brutality without it being off putting to play. It feels as if you're part of a greater battle and the sprawling open plan maps make it a genuinely immersive experience. Admittedly you do get railroaded into meeting your objectives, but only in ways that are realistic to an actual battlefield (trenches and the like).

It can't be denied (although EA haters will try), Airborne is an accomplished and challenging piece of video games craft. Its difficult, but not to the point of frustration. Its rewarding, but not in your face. It does boast a very cheesy American Pie narrative, but this is forgivable because you care about the NPCs fighting with you.

A black mark blots the sheet though. The enemy AI is excellent, but your allies are an irritant. They're constantly getting in your line of site and more than often at the critical point of pulling the trigger. You're then accused of friendly fire from your furious squad-mates rather than seeing your unintended target drop to the floor with your bullet lodged in their head. It kills the authenticity a little, accidentally killing one of your own could have forced home the general theme of 'war is hell'.

Still, the fact remains that this is the most enjoyable FPS narrative based WWII shooter I've played in years, and I loved Call of Duty. The multiplayer doesn't match up, but then Airborne isn't about that. It's about taking you through the experience of the parachute regiment, demonstrating the unbelievable odds stacked against them and allowing you to enjoy it all at the same time.

85%

By Gary Flavell