Medal of Honor:Airborne
From Medal of Honor
Medal of Honor Airborne ™ is the latest video game from EA's acclaimed Medal of Honor franchise, credited with pioneering the WWII first-person shooter genre after its debut in 1999. This is the first game in the Medal of Honor™ series to be released on next generation platforms.
The player stars as Private First Class, Boyd Traver's as part of the 82nd Airborne Division, his WWII campaign takes place from July 1943 to March 1945. As a daring and brave paratrooper, Traver's moves across Europe from Sicily to Italy, France to Holland and eventually to Germany.
While not exactly building on the key tenets of the franchise including historical accuracy and authenticity, Medal of Honor Airborne has the added feature of jumping out of C-47 airplane. The parachuting commences once the player moves forward towards the rear of the plane, the player also can decide to jump out safely or wait until they are pushed, causing the player to somersault through the air until the parachute opens automatically. The player can then direct the flight path and land where desired, creating a free-roaming environment. The landing depends on what the player does to affect it:
FLARED- The player presses either the X button (PS3) A button (XBOX 360) or the spacebar (PC) to land safely on the ground, it then takes approximately 3-4 seconds for Traver's to unstrap hmself from his parachute
BOTCHED- The player does not flare the parachute in time, landing abruptly and possibly causing damage, if landed in a enemy territory, Traver's may be in serious danger from melee attacks and shooting. Takes 9-10 seconds to get up and unstrap the parachute.
GREASED- The quickest landing, and probably the hardest to pull off, by approaching the ground at a shallow angle, the player can run on to the earth swiftly. No time is needed to take parachute off and pull weaponry out.
The Campaign
Operation Husky Operation Husky is the first mission the 82nd Airborne Division are deployed to, whilst up in the air, the group are shot at from the sea. It turns out it is the American Navy initiating friendly fire. The commander and another member are killed and the troops then proceed to jump into battle. The Sicillian village of Adanti is the setting for this daring first mission, anti aircraft guns are needing to be destroyed and Traver's is packing the explosives. The battle continues towards the mayor's office, which has been taken by Axis forces a combination of Italian troops and Nazi soldiers. After entering the building, Traver's moves to the roof where the troops face officers amongst the chaos.
Operation Avalanche Operation Avalanche takes place in Italian mainland to assist the US Fifth Army against Nazi troops, the soldiers are ordered to destroy the supply lines, which include fuel and ammo. Communication arrays are also destroyed by Traver's and the rest of the Airborne squad. The last offense is near some Greek ruins, entrenched by mounted machine guns and Nazi soldiers. After a tense battle, Traver's lights signal flares for the US Airforce to destroy the ruins. The explosion results in ammo being destroyed thus causing a large fireball to emit.
Operation Neptune Operation Neptune takes place one day before D-Day June 5th 1944, on the C-47 at the beginning the commander shouts to the pilot; "Engine's out. Jimmy, can we make it back to England?" The pilot responds with, "No way, you gotta jump!" The pilot could in fact be Lt.Jimmy Patterson, a regular Medal of Honor mainstay, most notably in Medal of Honor: Frontline. In the manual for Frontline, it tells of Jimmy's previous mission before Omaha beach on D-Day, that he flew a plane courageously through French airspace and was shot down landing in a field and shortly going on to fight in the Omaha battle. The plane in Airborne after the jump can be seen landing in a field just like the prologue story in the Frontline manual, showing a crossover between Traver's and Patterson. If this is correct, the line the pilot speaks could be the first known speech he has said in any of the games. Neptune continues through Utah beach as Traver's helps destroy bunkers and clearing any out to assist the boats for D-Day. After the clearing, the fight takes place in the trenches on the beach as multiple enemies fight against Traver's and Airborne. After the bunkers are cleared once more, Traver's is sent to fight in Holland.
Operation Market Garden One of the most famous battles of WWII takes place in Holland during the Market Garden campaign. Traver's is sent to destroy a tank and clear the area. Shortly after, the men regroup and discover a Tiger tank is heading for them. Two US troops flee from the hail of the machine gun before one gets shot in the legs. The other attempts to help but gets shot by Nazi troops. The body of the troop lands on the incapacitated soldier and the Tiger heads for the living man. The camera cuts away as screams are heard after the implied crushing. The tank is dispatched by Gammon grenades used by Traver's. They squad head for Nijmegen Bridge where Panzerschrek enemies are set up. After the dispatch, the team head for the other side of the bridge which leads them to another tank. Again Traver's destroys the tank and the mission is successful.
Operation Varsity The single largest air drop in history starts dramatically with all of the men on the C-47 being killed by enemy planes. Traver's is the only lone trooper and the isolated fall below is accompanied by silence. After the landing, Traver's helps destroy a rail gun as well a clearing out tanks that could be used on the frontline. Traver's follows another team towards a factory where they are greeted by a heavily armored, machine-gun wielding, masked Nazi trooper. Two more appear as Traver's destroys a train from the inside. The victory leads to a final mission...
Der Flaturm The 'Flak Tower' is a heavily fortified German tower with gun emplacements, snipers and soldiers. The beginning is again, action packed as the front of the plane is blown off. One paratrooper hold on for dear life as Traver's hold him, he unfortunately flies out of the back as does Traver's. Traver's flips through the air before releasing his chute and gaining control. The inner workings are to be eliminated. Traver's decimates the inside before confronting multiple masked guards below the base of the tower. Traver's pushes through until he reaches explosives. A tunnel exit provides the escape route as Traver's pushes the plunger on Der Flakturm.
Weaponry Airborne, as typical of a Medal of Honor game, gives somewhat authentic weaponry from WWII. This ranges from Thompson's to M1 Garand's and even German weaponry such as the Mauser pistols and Gewehr rifles. However, this time they can be upgraded. Extra ammo, bigger clips, more firepower, burst fire, stocks and grenade launchers can be placed upon weapons. For example, the Mauser pistol starts as a 10 bullet, recoiling sidearm. When upgraded once Traver's gets 20 bullets in a magazine. The second upgrade gives a stock to reduce recoil and finally it gets a burst fire converter which changes it into something not unlike a modern Uzi. The upgrades are essential in defeating the Nazi war machine and offer cool alternatives to older weapons.
Development
The Medal of Honor Airborne development team continues to ensure that the ideals and integrity of the prestigious congressional Medal of Honor are accurately reflected in the game. The producers sought counsel from numerous expert sources to make certain the game is historically accurate and as true to the WWII Airborne experience as possible. Serving as a military spokesperson for Medal of Honor Airborne, Capt. Dale Dye, who has worked as the Military Technical Advisor for the last 7 Medal of Honor games, will help to create a truly authentic experience.
Trivia
In Mission: Varsity You can look from the top of the sniper tower. Where you destroy the tanks into the backround you can see the Flak Tower.( Better seen with a Sniper rifle)
