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Medal of Honor: Allied Assault

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Medal of Honor: Allied Assault
PC cover art
Developer(s)
2015, Inc.
  • Westlake Interactive (Mac)[3]
Publisher(s)
Designer(s)Vince Zampella
Jason West
Writer(s)Zied Rieke
Steven Spielberg
Composer(s)Michael Giacchino
SeriesMedal of Honor
Engineid Tech 3
Platform(s)Windows, Mac OS X, Linux[4]
ReleaseWindows
  • NA: January 22, 2002[1]
  • EU: February 15, 2002
Mac OS X
Linux
2004
Genre(s)First-person shooter
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Medal of Honor: Allied Assault is a 2002 first-person shooter video game developed by 2015, Inc. and published by Electronic Arts. It was released for Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux. Allied Assault is the third game in the Medal of Honor series. The game uses the id Tech 3 engine, with modifications from Heavy Metal: F.A.K.K.², to simulate infantry combat in the European and North African theaters during World War II.

Gameplay

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In Allied Assault, the player takes on the role of Lt. James Powell of the United States Army Rangers who works for the Office of Strategic Services. Single-player missions include assaulting Nazi bases in Algiers and Norway, storming Omaha Beach on D-Day, and rescuing comrades behind enemy lines in occupied France. The game's levels are often compared to Steven Spielberg's 1998 film Saving Private Ryan; many of the levels are direct quotations of the scenery (or even complete sequences as in the Omaha Beach mission) in the film. Omaha Beach was re-created in Medal of Honor: Frontline for consoles.

Multiplayer

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Once a game server and type is selected the game starts in spectator mode and the player can choose between joining the allies or the axis then select the set of weapons. The game uses a point system, adding points for the number of kills and rounds, deducting points for suicides and addition of death points for getting killed.

Multiplayer contains four different modes. Deathmatch in which every player has to kill everyone else and get the highest score, Team Deathmatch in which a team has to kill other teams and get the highest score, Round Based which is similar in gameplay to Deathmatch but counts the rounds instead of the score and "Objective" mode where a player must win the most rounds by completing missions.

Plot

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Luitenant James Powell, the protagonist, is a skilled U.S. Army Ranger and later an agent of the Office of Strategic Services. Powell and a squad of Rangers are in German-occupied Arzew, Algeria, fighting on the North African front. The squad fight their way into the city, but an ambush kills all the team except Powell. Hargrove continues into a German base, where he rescues S.A.S. agent Major Jack Grillo and retrieves his equipment. The major and Lt. Powell split up, with Grillo securing transport, while Powell does sabotage in a motor pool. He links back up with Grillo, who has commandeered a jeep with a mounted machinegun. The two drive to a German airfield, where they successfully destroy the Bf 109 fighters and Stuka dive bombers grounded there. While Grillo distracts the German forces, Powell sneaks into a bunker, cuts off Axis radio contact and fights his way to a coastal lighthouse to signal the Allied fleet to begin Operation Torch, the invasion of North Africa. He escapes with Grillo in a German transport truck.

Following the Allies' success in Africa, Powell and Grillo are sent to German-occupied Norway to infiltrate the city of Trondheim, where a Kriegsmarine U-boat is being outfitted with a prototype Naxos radar detector. Grillo makes it into the base first, but is killed in action by German guards while opening the front gate for Hargrove. Powell fights his way into the base, where he disguises himself as a German officer and infiltrates the loading dock. He goes to the lab where he destroys the Naxos prototype and gains access to a submarine intended to be fitted with the prototype and blows it up. He fights his way out of the base, where he is extracted by an Allied squad.

Thanks to Powell's efforts, the German U-boat threat is neutralized, clearing the way for the Allied invasion of Europe, Operation Overlord. Powell, as a part of the 2nd Ranger Battalion, is sent to Charlie sector of Omaha Beach under Capt. Ramsay, where he and his fellow Rangers storm the bunkers, despite taking heavy casualties, and secure the beach. He is sent into the countryside beyond the beaches to assist various American units who are being harassed by Nebelwerfers.

Powell is assigned to go behind enemy lines and acquire intelligence on German troop movements. After rescuing a stranded British pilot Joe Baylor, Powell meets up with French Resistance member Manon Batiste (the protagonist of Medal of Honor: Underground). She sends him out to conduct various acts of sabotage against the German war effort. He raids a manor house being used as a command post where he secures important enemy documents, including the blueprints for the new King Tiger tank. Powell escapes the manor house with Manon's aid.

Powell's next mission involves hijacking a King Tiger tank and using it to secure a vital bridge at the city of Brest. After navigating through the sniper-infested ruins, he meets up with the American tank crew chosen for the mission. Hargrove and the tank crew capture the King Tiger and use it to fight their way through the countryside. Upon reaching Brest, Powell provides cover for the King Tiger to protect the bridge, until reinforcements come to secure it.

Powell's final mission sends him to Fort Schmerzen, a German mustard gas-producing facility that was previously raided by Lieutenant James Patterson (the main protagonist of Medal of Honor as well as Medal of Honor: Frontline), but has since been restored to operation, supposedly as a prisoner-of-war camp, but is being used to produce mustard gas. Powell is parachuted into the woods, where he destroys some Flak guns that are shooting Allied planes. He infiltrates a weapons depot, and destroys a stockpile of StG 44 assault rifles and destroys a German communications outpost, cutting off Fort Schmerzen's communications. Powell hijacks a freight train and along with a squad of US Rangers, uses it to reach Schmerzen. Upon arriving at Schmerzen, Hargrove and his fellow Rangers storm the fort and release all the prisoners. Powell fights his way into the lower levels of Schmerzen, where he discovers that the fort's mustard gas production facilities are still operational. He plants explosives on the gas facilities, and escapes just before Fort Schmerzen is destroyed.

Development

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The game was developed by a team of 22 developers.[5] Development spanned from 2000 to late 2001 and used id Software's id Tech 3 engine with modifications from Heavy Metal: F.A.K.K.².

Legacy

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Vince Zampella and Jason West left 2015, Inc. to later form Infinity Ward with Activision to develop the Call of Duty series, with the first installment taking inspiration from both Return to Castle Wolfenstein and Allied Assault.

Expansion packs

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Spearhead

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The first expansion pack for Medal of Honor: Allied Assault. It re-enacts three major European Theater battles through the eyes of Sgt. Jack Barnes (voiced by Gary Oldman), a paratrooper of the 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division. Barnes lands behind the Atlantic Wall on D-Day in Normandy, holds the line near Bastogne in the Ardennes during the Battle of the Bulge and infiltrates Berlin before the Red Army begins their attack. The expansion has several new weapons added to the player's arsenal in Spearhead including the Russian PPSh-41 and the British Lee–Enfield.

Spearhead received a "Silver" sales award from the Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association (ELSPA),[6] indicating sales of at least 100,000 copies in the United Kingdom.[7] It was nominated for GameSpot's annual "Best Expansion Pack on PC" award.[8]

Breakthrough

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Breakthrough, the second expansion pack for Medal of Honor: Allied Assault, puts the player in the role of Sgt. John Baker of the US 34th Infantry Division. The campaign covers the Battle of Kasserine Pass, the fall of Bizerte, the Allied invasion of Sicily in 1943, the bloody Battle of Monte Cassino, followed by the amphibious landings and defense of the beachhead at Anzio, Italy (Operation Shingle) and the battle of Monte Battaglia in September 1944. It adds the Spearhead weapons and some Italian weapons like the MAB 38 submachine gun as well as newer British weapons such as the De Lisle carbine and the PIAT anti-tank weapon.

Compilations

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Medal of Honor: Allied Assault Deluxe Edition

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The first compilation pack included the Medal of Honor: Allied Assault main game, the Medal of Honor: Allied Assault Spearhead expansion pack, two strategy guides, a music CD soundtrack from Medal of Honor: Allied Assault and a preview of Medal of Honor: Pacific Assault.[citation needed]

Medal of Honor Allied Assault: War Chest

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The second compilation pack included the Medal of Honor: Allied Assault main game and the Medal of Honor: Allied Assault Spearhead and Medal of Honor: Allied Assault Breakthrough expansion packs.[citation needed]

Medal of Honor: 10th Anniversary Bundle

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Allied Assault and its expansion packs are included in the Medal of Honor: 10th Anniversary Bundle, along with a CD containing some of the game's soundtrack, as well as the inclusion of the director's cut of Medal of Honor: Pacific Assault, and Medal of Honor: Airborne.[9]

Music

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Medal of Honor: Allied Assault (EA Games Soundtrack)
Soundtrack album by
Michael Giacchino
ReleasedAugust 30, 2005 (2005-08-30) (Digital)
GenreVideo game soundtrack
Length17:36
LabelE.A.R.S.
ProducerMichael Giacchino
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Game Music Online8/10[10]

The music for Allied Assault was composed by Michael Giacchino. The soundtrack was released on August 30, 2005, on iTunes and Amazon. The soundtrack consists of 5 tracks. In addition, Allied Assault re-used various soundtracks from the original Medal of Honor and Medal of Honor: Underground, which were also composed by Giacchino. For the expansion packs, music tracks from Medal of Honor: Frontline were re-used as well.

Medal of Honor: Allied Assault (EA Games Soundtrack) (Digital Release) (17:36)
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."MoH: Allied Assault (Main Theme)"Michael Giacchino4:04
2."North Africa"Michael Giacchino3:19
3."Schmerzen"Michael Giacchino3:37
4."Sniper Town"Michael Giacchino3:20
5."Tiger Tank"Michael Giacchino3:23

Reception

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In the United States, Medal of Honor: Allied Assault sold 900,000 copies and earned $34.2 million by August 2006, after its release in January 2002. It was the country's ninth best-selling computer game between January 2000 and August 2006. Combined sales of all Medal of Honor computer games released between January 2000 and August 2006, including Allied Assault, had reached 1.9 million units in the United States by the latter date.[18] It received a "Gold" sales award from the Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association (ELSPA),[19] indicating sales of at least 200,000 copies in the United Kingdom.[7] Its Warchest release earned a "Silver" award from ELSPA,[6] indicating sales of at least 100,000 copies in the United Kingdom.[7]

Medal of Honor: Allied Assault was released to universal acclaim. It received a score of 91.05% on GameRankings[12] and 91/100 on Metacritic.[11]

Allied Assault won PC Gamer US' "2002 Best Action Game" and Computer Gaming World's "Action Game of the Year" awards.[20][21] The latter magazine's editors hailed it as "the best single-player shooter since Half-Life."[20] It also won GameSpot's annual "Best Sound on PC" award, and was nominated in its "Best Single-Player Action Game on PC" and "Best Multiplayer Action Game on PC" categories.[8] During the 6th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards, the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences awarded Allied Assault for "Computer First-Person Action Game of the Year"; it also received nominations for "Computer Game of the Year" and "Innovation in Computer Gaming".[22]

Medal of Honor: Allied Assault was the first PC game in the U.S. to be sold in new standard-sized packages recommended by IDSA, already standardized in console video game and DVD packaging.[23][24][25][26][27]

References

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  1. ^ I. G. N. Staff (2002-01-23). "Medal of Honor Ships". IGN. Retrieved 2023-03-27.
  2. ^ "Aspyr: Inside Aspyr". 2003-08-09. Archived from the original on 2003-08-09. Retrieved 2023-03-27.
  3. ^ "Aspyr ships Medal of Honor Allied Assault". Macworld. Retrieved 2024-01-19.
  4. ^ "Medal of Honor: Allied Assault - Linux game database". Archived from the original on 2016-05-20. Retrieved 2014-08-26.
  5. ^ Davidson, Neil (November 9, 2005). "Game's success sparks company's growth". North Bay Nugget. p. 25. Retrieved January 19, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ a b "ELSPA Sales Awards: Silver". Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association. Archived from the original on February 21, 2009.
  7. ^ a b c Caoili, Eric (November 26, 2008). "ELSPA: Wii Fit, Mario Kart Reach Diamond Status In UK". Gamasutra. Archived from the original on September 18, 2017.
  8. ^ a b GameSpot Staff (December 30, 2002). "GameSpot's Best and Worst of 2002". GameSpot. Archived from the original on February 7, 2003.
  9. ^ "Medal of Honor 10th Anniversary Bundlwe". EA Games. Retrieved 8 October 2015.
  10. ^ Elchlepp, Simon. "Medal of Honor Allied Assault Original Soundtrack ::". Game Music Online. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 29 November 2014.
  11. ^ a b c d "Medal of Honor: Allied Assault". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 29 June 2015.
  12. ^ a b "Medal of Honor: Allied Assault". GameRankings. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 29 June 2015.
  13. ^ "Going above and beyond the call of duty". Computer Gaming World. No. 212. Ziff Davis. March 2002. p. 69.
  14. ^ Gee, Brian (1 February 2002). "Medal of Honor Allied Assault Review". Game Revolution. Net Revolution Inc. Retrieved 29 June 2015.
  15. ^ Wolpaw, Erik (23 January 2002). "Medal of Honor: Allied Assault Review". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 29 June 2015.
  16. ^ Accardo, Sal (15 February 2002). "Medal Of Honor: Allied Assault. 2015 and EA start the year off strong with one of the best shooters we've played in years". GameSpy. Ziff Davis. Retrieved 29 June 2015.
  17. ^ Adams, Dan (18 January 2002). "Medal of Honor: Allied Assault. Very few games leave you breathless and gaping in wide-eyed wonder. EA's latest is one of them". IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved 29 June 2015.
  18. ^ Edge Staff (August 25, 2006). "The Top 100 PC Games of the 21st Century". Edge. Archived from the original on October 17, 2012.
  19. ^ "ELSPA Sales Awards: Gold". Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association. Archived from the original on March 19, 2009.
  20. ^ a b Staff (April 2003). "Computer Gaming World's 2002 Games of the Year". Computer Gaming World. No. 225. pp. 83–86, 88, 89, 92–97.
  21. ^ The Editors of PC Gamer (March 2003). "The Ninth Annual PC Gamer Awards". PC Gamer US. 10 (3): 48–50, 54, 58, 60, 66, 68, 70.
  22. ^ "D.I.C.E. Awards By Video Game Details Medal of Honor: Allied Assault". Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
  23. ^ "Archived copy". images.ea.com:80. Archived from the original on 28 March 2002. Retrieved 11 January 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  24. ^ "Archived copy". images.ea.com:80. Archived from the original on 5 April 2002. Retrieved 11 January 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  25. ^ "EA stapt volledig op 'DVD-hoesjes' over - Gamersnet.nl". 17 January 2002.
  26. ^ "The Ultimate Resource for Combat Simulation and Strategy Gamers. (www.combatsim.com)". www.combatsim.com.
  27. ^ "EA's Medal of Honor Allied Assault to Debut with New Packaging for PC Games; Videogame Industry to Follow with Newly Adopted Standard for PC Games. - Free Online Library". www.thefreelibrary.com. January 17, 2002. Archived from the original on August 28, 2018.
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