Medal of Honor: Pacific Assault

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Medal of Honor: Pacific Assault

Developer(s) Singleplayer EALA
Multiplayer TKO Software
Publisher(s) EA Games
Engine EALA's own MOH tech (modified LithTech Jupiter) and Havok physics
Platform(s) Microsoft Windows
Release date DVD: November 2, 2004
CD: November 9, 2004
Genre(s) First-person shooter
Mode(s) Single player, multiplayer
Rating(s) ESRB: Teen (T), PEGI: 16+
Media CD, DVD

Medal of Honor: Pacific Assault is the 7th installment of the Medal of Honor series. It was developed by EA Games for the PC. This edition puts the player in the role of Pvt. Thomas Conlin, a U.S. Marine in the Pacific Theater of Operations in World War II. It also uses the Havok physics engine. Levels include the Attack on Pearl Harbor, the Makin Island raid, the Guadalcanal Campaign, and the Battle of Tarawa. The game is primarily a First-Person Shooter, with the exception of one level in which the player flies a SBD Dauntless in the middle of a dog fight. The game's timeline is set in the earlier stages of the war beginning with Boot Camp and pre-December 7th Pearl Harbor (1940-1941), and ending with the Battle of Tarawa (1943).

The game has been released worldwide, with both a standard CD edition and a special Director's Edition DVD, which includes some bonus features and historical movies.

Contents

[edit] Overview

[edit] Prologue

The prologue takes place during the assault on Tarawa. A brief and intense battle takes place as Tommy is part of the first wave assaulters on the beach. When others beckon him to move to cover, and Tommy moves towards them and helps fend off a Japanese assault but is wounded in the progress. This sets the stage for the majority of the game, as while he is wounded he has flashbacks to his experiences at bootcamp and during earlier stages of war.

[edit] Mission 1: Boot camp

Mission one is a tutorial on how to command the character properly. In this "mission", the player is taught on how to move around, attack, use some of the heavier gear, as well as group commands and the healing method.

[edit] Mission 2: The Attack on Pearl Harbor

The second mission is based during the attack on Pearl Harbor, which is stationing the Pacific Fleet at that time. The player starts off the level in a Jeep, heading towards the docks, where he will get on a PT boat and head to his new station on the USS Arizona. However, the Japanese strafe the Jeep, and the player and his driver must fight their way up the docks, shooting down enemy planes and saving injured sailors. Then the player boards a PT boat. After shooting down enemy planes and witnessing the USS Arizona explode (ironically, Conlin's PT boat is only a few yards away from the PT boat where Joseph Griffin was in Medal of Honor: Rising Sun), Conlin proceeds to enter the USS West Virginia. Conlin counterbalances the ship, then rushes up deck, helping medics by moving wounded men near the medics' locations. Once on deck, Conlin mounts a .50 caliber machine gun, and covers the USS Nevada as it escapes Pearl Harbor. Finally, the player gets on a .50 caliber quad gun and finishes off the remaining Japanese planes until they finally flee Pearl Harbor.

A parody of the film Pearl Harbor occurs on this level: on the West Virginia the player encounters a pilot wearing an aloha shirt (similar to Ben Affleck's character in the film) who says "Someone get me on a damn plane!" but is killed in an explosion.

[edit] Mission 3: The Raid on Makin Atoll

After being reunited with his buddies from boot camp, the player takes part in the raid by the 2nd Raider Battalion. After destroying a communication tower (referred to as an "anthill"), and destroying a supply dump, the player's squad is ordered to locate and extract a downed recon pilot. After the team Corpsman, Jimmy Sullivan, heals the pilot, the squad retreats to the beach in a cutscene. Unfortunately, as soon as the submarines that brought the Marines to Makin are spotted, the Japanese attack with mortars and banzai charges. After the player kills the soldiers manning the mortars, Willy Gaines, the team sniper, is wounded by the Japanese. Conlin rescues Gaines and then boards the raft, shooting down two Zeros with Frank Minoso's BAR. The player then boards the submarine and shoots down several Mitsubishi Ki-51s, and also disables the torpedoes they drop by shooting at them.

[edit] Mission 4: Guadalcanal campaign

After The Raid on Makin Atoll, Conlin and his squad are given some R&R time. However, the raiders are transferred to Guadalcanal, and are given the task of clearing out the jungle around Henderson Field, which at this point is still up for grabs. After clearing out the jungle, Conlin and his squad make it back to Henderson just in time for a raid by Japanese forces. Conlin and his squad must clear out the Marine camp, then help the Cactus Air Force pilots get to their planes. After that, the player's squad proceeds to fight in the Battle of Edson's Ridge (better known as The Battle of Bloody Ridge. However, this name is more widely used in reference to a battle during the Korean War in 1951). Conlin is awarded the Silver Star for his actions in which he saved an ammo runner's life. Then, the squad proceeds to clear out river outposts, then presses forward to destroy two artillery bunkers, before finally getting some well deserved rest.

[edit] Mission 5: Flying to the USS Independence

As the Marine Raiders leave for Tarawa Atoll, Conlin's squad is temporarily transferred to the Cactus Air Force as backseat gunners for SBD Dauntlesses. However, Conlin's squad is to be transferred for the attack on Tarawa Atoll, and their pilots take them to the USS Independence, as they are being transferred there too. However, the pilots encounter stiff resistance on the way to the Independence, and the pilot of Conlin's aircraft bails out after being shot and blinded. Conlin is forced to take the controls of the Dauntless, and succeeds in shooting down several Zeros. Conlin proceeds to take out a Japanese garrison on an unknown atoll. After this, the squad captain says that before they can land aboard the Independence, they have to first find and sink the carrier that sent the planes they have shot down, as they will be followed when they attempt to get to the Independence, and thus give out the position of their carrier group. The formation manages to find the enemy Japanese aircraft carrier along with a destroyer. Frank tells Conlin to go after the carrier and destroyer and that Frank and the rest of the formation will deal with the enemy fighters. Conlin, (the player) manages to sink both ships. Conlin then makes a dramatic landing on the Independence, coming within millimeters of falling off the aircraft carrier. However, during the mission, his squad leader Frank Minoso is injured by a Zero and does not participate in the 6th and final mission. However, Gunnery Sergeant Minoso does lend his BAR to Conlin.

[edit] Mission 6: Assault on Tarawa Atoll

In the final mission of the game, Conlin's squad (now with a new Commander, whose name is unknown) is tasked with attacking Red Beach 2. After defeating several banzai charges, Conlin's squad gets off the beach, then moves to help the Marines at Red Beach 3. After taking a joyride on a Japanese Jeep, Conlin's squad then destroys a communications bunker (destroying two tanks in the process), and takes up defensive positions near the edge of the island. After a battle with the remaining Japanese forces, the squad comes across a huge unreachable bunker. After an artillery strike on the bunker, Japanese workers attack in a final climactic charge, where the player (with low health and ammo) must survive in a final do-or-die mode. Finally, the marines raise a flag on top of the bunker, signifying victory.

[edit] Main Character histories

Pvt./Pfc./Cpl./Sgt. Tommy Conlin
Born Thomas Mitchell Conlin in Blue River, Oregon in 1922. His father was a logger and his mother a waitress. He excelled in high school sports and was interested in continuing at the University of Oregon, but he couldn't afford to attend the university on his parents' salary. Tommy continued his studies in the local library while saving money, until he was drafted by the Marine Corps in 1940. After boot camp in San Diego he was transferred to Pearl Harbor, arriving only hours before the infamous attack. He later rejoined his friends as part of the Marine Raiders, and would be recommended for the Silver Star by colonel Merritt "Red Mike" Edson for service on Guadalcanal. Also on Guadalcanal, he learns some basic flying skills from the local Marine Corps pilots, which come in handy later on. (voiced by Dave Wittenberg)
Pvt. Willy Gaines
Born William Freeman Gaines in Gates County, North Carolina on April 1, 1923. His father was a small-time farmer, peddling his chickens to the local grocery store. Willy, as he is known by most, seemed to be born with a gun in his hand. Willy was not much of an educated boy. He would go to school during the week, only so he could go out hunting the next weekend. By the time of his sixteenth birthday, he had become something of a town treasure, often winning local turkey shoots in surrounding counties. After asking his father's permission, he lied about his age to join the Marine Corps. Tommy later saved his life after he was injured during the Raid on Makin Island. He is best known for his short stature (just over the minimum required height), witty remarks, exceptional marksmanship and his sometimes troublesome friendship with Frank Minoso. He acts as the team sniper, carrying a scoped Springfield 1903 rifle. (voiced by Will Friedle)
PhM. (Pharmacist Mate) Jimmy Sullivan
Born James Broderick Sullivan in Oak Park, Illinois in 1918. His father was a successful textiles businessman and his mother was the caretaker of the Sullivan estate - primarily his younger brother and two sisters. Due to the family's wealth, they were treated like royalty in most parts of Oak Park, something James never felt at ease with. He was an academic decathlon finalist in high school. He was reserved in school, tempered by his own sense of self-worth and the want to - if only for a moment - have people to forget he was a Sullivan. James later entered Northwestern University, but dropped out during his junior year and joined the Navy. Whether it was the boredom of the curriculum or the sense he was not far enough from his family name, enlisting in the Navy to become a Corpsman seemed like the most natural thing to do. James later participated in the required boot camp for all enlisted personnel, meeting the other main characters in the process. He acts as the team medic, carrying either a Smith & Wesson M1917 revolver or a Colt M1911A1 pistol. (voiced by Chris Cox)
Pfc./Sgt./GySgt. Frank Minoso
Born Francis Evan Minoso in Trenton, New Jersey on September 20, 1912. Frank is a hulking brute of a man. He's as thick skinned as he is muscular and his Jersey accent only makes him stand out more. He is a street-smart machinist who had no real aspirations past high school except working to one day open up his own machine shop. Frank is a locomotion of strength, voice and character, a man that's built like a truck and can build you one at the same time. After out-talking the recruiter at the local YMCA, he decided he would enlist. He was the drill sergeant's favorite recruit during boot camp, often setting an example. Between boot camp and the Makin Island Raid, he was promoted to sergeant, and was promoted to gunnery sergeant after that. Although he acts like a ladies' man, he actually has a girlfriend back home, which he plans to marry upon his return. The origins of Frank's last name may be connected to the Minotaur of Greek mythology. This would account for his immense physical strength, but this may turn out to be just a coincidence as this has not yet been verified with EA. He acts as the team gunner and leader during most of the game, carrying an M1918 BAR. (voiced by Bart Tangredi)


[edit] Multiplayer

Medal of Honor: Pacific Assault has eight multiplayer maps, three modes of gameplay, and four combat classes. The three modes of play are:

  • Free for All - classic every man for himself action
  • Team Deathmatch - a competition for a higher kill count, with the Axis vs the Allies
  • Invader - for each particular map there will be 3 or 4 objectives that the defenders have to protect against the invaders. As each objective is taken the defenders fall back to the next objective and the attackers advance. Some objectives need to be blown up by the engineer class, some objectives need to be occupied for a set amount of time by the attackers. If all the objectives are taken before the round is over, the attackers win. The Axis are the attackers in Airfield, Bridge, and Wake Island; on all the rest the Allies are the attackers.

The four combat classes, supported in Team Deathmatch and Invader mode are:

  • Infantry - 25% more health (125 versus 100)
  • Corpsman - medic class, able to heal and revive downed allies
  • Engineer - equipped with explosives for getting through objectives in Invader mode, and the ability to place and detect landmines
  • Ammo Tech - able to carry two primary weapons, a satchel charge and place ammo supply boxes to replenish allies ammunition

Online multiplayer is set to be shut down July 1st due to server inactivity.

[edit] Reviews

[edit] External links

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