Medal of Honor: Airborne
Preview
We are in for something special
by Sergio Brinkhuis
previewed on PC
Linear gameplay? Out the window
Another direct result from the choice to let you drop into the battle-zone wherever you want is that there can be no linear gameplay to guide you through the levels. The game doesn't 'know' where you will drop, thus making it impossible to predict what path you will follow. And guess what this design decision brings forth? You guessed it: a new level of Artificial Intelligence design! Sure, it will still be possible to script some of the actions that enemy soldiers and units will take but, overall, they will need to be far cleverer than before when the game knew at least from which direction you would come and all sorts of scripts could be triggered early.
Now, you might think that it would be a good idea to land close to your primary objective, but think again. Important locations on the map will be better protected and Electronic Arts is making sure that they won't be easy to take. A ?more numerous? enemy means more eyes that can spot you parachuting down. The chances of a successful landing near your target will likely be pretty slim indeed. That doesn't mean that it is impossible to accomplish however, and different approaches will lead to different ways to solve the level, adding considerably to the game's replay-value.
Something new
The missions will take you all across Europe. Promising a lot of variation in the maps that you will play on. Aside from your primary missions, the game will present a number of secondary and hidden objectives on each level. The developers call these Targets Of Opportunity or TOO?s. While roaming the map, you may stumble upon opportunities that are just too good to pass up but that are not really part of the overall mission. Often, you won?t know that they even exist until your character notices them and they get added to your objectives log. Completing TOO?s will increase the amount of medals on your chest but may also give you other rewards.
Medal of Honor could well turn out to be one of the most refreshing World War II shooters in years. By far the biggest challenge for the development team is creating a convincing Artificial Intelligence that lets your opponents react to your actions in a believable way. If the team succeeds in this, then there is no doubt in my mind that Electronic Arts will have yet another classic on their hands and that the Medal of Honor series will seize back the crown they lost so many years ago.
