'Medal of Honor': one smart game

Deseret News (Salt Lake City), Feb 2, 2004 by James Derk Scripps Howard News Service

The bar has been raised, that's for sure.

I know I get letters that I spend too much time writing about games, but I am going to do it again, partly because I bought a really cool one and partly because it's my column, and I'll cry if I want to. (You have to be over 40 to get that.)

Anyway, I went in to a local store intending to buy a really cool World War II shooter and ended up getting the wrong one, namely "Medal of Honor." Don't get me wrong -- "Medal of Honor" is a cool game and one I have enjoyed playing for the past few weeks.

However, I had intended to drop my $50 on "Call of Duty," a game from Activision developed by most of the same folks who made "Medal of Honor." This time, however, they have simply reinvented the graphics engine.

When I first had it installed on my PC (with a high-end Crucial Technology video card and a digital flat-panel monitor), my wife walked in, looked at the screen and said, "That looks like a photograph." It really is that good.

There are, of course, two modes to the game: single-player and online multiplayer. I have had little time to play the single-player mode, but from what I can tell so far, this is one intelligent game.

For one, if you perforate your drill instructor with a machine gun, you lose. I know, but he was really annoying me.

But this is the first game I have played that really rewards you for team playing. If you run up the middle of the battlefield like Rambo, you're going to get cut to ribbons. In this game, you listen to your squad leader, follow the objectives and rescue your wounded. From what I can tell, the weapons are realistic as to their behavior (it takes awhile to reload) and the strategy is first-rate.

Interestingly, you can experience the battle from any side (U.S, British, Russian, German, etc.) and examine the tactics accordingly. My only beef is the game is too short in single-player mode, but I expect expansion packs soon.

Online, the experience is less objective-based but still quite intense. In addition to the standard death match and team death match modes, the game offers some cool variants. In "Behind Enemy Lines" mode, a small squad of Allies is pitted against a large group of Axis soldiers. When an Axis player kills an Allied player, the two switch teams and the Allies get bonus points for staying alive over time. The server maintains about a 3-to-1 ratio, and it makes for intense battle.

In "Retrieval" mode, you're all playing capture the flag with just one or two objectives. One team raids, the other defends.

In "Search and Destroy" mode, one team, usually the Axis, is charged with defending some targets such as gun encampments, and the Allies try to raid them and blow them up.

On public servers it's hard to get everyone to play the right role (there are lots of complaints about snipers, although I think the real war had those, too) and it is sometimes hard to get everyone on the same page. But it is so graphically appealing that I find myself staring off into space as I get sniped in the head.

The game is rated M for mature (over 17) and contains lots of realistic gore (shoot someone in the leg, and they will whimper and limp off). You can download a demo for free at www.activision.com.

James Derk is new media editor for The Evansville Courier & Press. His e-mail address is jderk@evansville.net.