Medal of Honor Pacific Assault

"Beware "Rambo" gamers"

I bought this game and I wasn't expecting too much; after all, everyone in the forums bashed this game entirely because of the demo. People complained that the demo crashed, ran poorly, the AI was not good, etc. etc. I took in most of these opinions with the idea that this game would suck bad. I then took my time to research some media reviews for this game - most reviews actually ended up giving this game a good score, while a few loathed it. So. to take matters into my own hands, I decided to take a risk and purchase this PC game (you can't rent PC games).

As an avid PC FPS gamer, I found this one to truly be a shocker. The realism of it was just great, and the experience was immersive. (I am also saying this at the moment while I am still playing the two FPS juggernauts, Half-Life 2 and Doom 3. ) Hence, here is my break-down review:

Graphics 10/10

The graphics in this game were just "WOW". People have complained that the graphics in this game were horrible......Actually, it could be because of many factors: 1) Your PC isn't that good 2)Your playing the demo 3) You are color-blind. With that aside, the jungle/beach hybrid environments were well rendered and constructed. Though at times the jungle setting was tedious, the lush, thick bushes and tall palm trees added variety to the terrain. The character models were also excellent. American and Japanese soldiers are wearing authentic USMC uniforms, while Japanese soldiers are wearing the jungle camo they usually wear.

Gameplay: 10/10

This is the cream of the crop. I found the gameplay in this story to be really fun. In fact, the standout point of MOH:PA is the pace of this game. This isn't a fast-paced action game, it's very realistic. You have to flank, provide covering fire, and run away from bonzai-ing Japanese soldiers. In addition, unlike previous MOH games, you are not a loner. You don't take on waves of Japanese and German soldiers by yourself. You have to work with your squad, you have to go prone, crouch, hide behind a rock, whatever really, to survive. There no health packs in this game - a medic is around to provide health restoration. This is the "Verge of Death" feature, and I find it pretty cool, and adds tension to the battlefield. Again, it's all realistic, and not all people may like a game this realistic and slow-paced.

Sound: 9/10

As all of you may know, Medal of Honor games tend to have an awesome musical score. The tradition is kept by this game; it has an excellent loading screen menu and very good in-game music. In addition to the musical score, the sound effects were awesome, and make the game more enjoyable. Gun shots, AI voices, and explosions were all well produced, thanks to THX. The only problem I had with the sound department of this game was that some of the music was taken from Medal of Honor: Rising Sun. I would have hoped that all of the music was done originally for this game.

Replay Value: Your choice/10

I can not really give a specific score for the replayability of this game. You may play it through one sitting and leave it on your desk to collect dust, or, you may play the game through the harder difficulty settings and play online multiplayer. It's up to you, the gamer.

Overall, the misconception that this game is horrible is based mostly on the performance of a DEMO that EA released awhile ago. Unfortunately, all demos are not crafted perfectly, because after all, they are just demos. If you downloaded the demo and was not satisified with the game, I recommend you to try the retail version out. It is worth your time and money, as I found the case to be. To further comment: I am still playing Half-Life 2 in case you totally disagree with my review.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 01/04/05