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Medal of Honor minus the FPS gameplay = essential game.
Introduction:
Destination Software's Medal of Honor: Underground was one of the most badly received console to GBA translations released to date. Surely it would take a miracle to turn around the fortunes of the series on the GBA? Well, thanks to EA Games and UK based development team Netherock, that miracle has become a reality. Medal of Honor: Infiltrator, the second attempt to bring the popular historic war series to Nintendo's handheld system, is one of the most playable and charming games to grace the system this year.
Story:
It's World War II, and players are invited to take control of one Corporal Jake Murphy, who has been called upon to lead the Allied forces push to defeat the evil Axis force. Infiltrator takes the player to battle through Africa, the Western Front and the Eastern front, giving distinctly different settings for each chapter of the game. Each mission is introduced through a briefing, a short but effective full motion video clip and the listing of the objectives for the next stage.
Gameplay:
One of the first things you'll notice when first playing Infiltrator is how instantly accessible the gameplay is. Gone are the awkward and unresponsive controls that have plagued GBA first person shooter titles. Instead, a simple but thoroughly effective top down game engine has been put in place. Those who have played Sensible Software's brilliant Cannon Fodder, which was ported to the Game Boy Color towards the end of its lifespan, will be right at home. Unlike Cannon Fodder, in Infiltrator the player just controls the one character, Corporal Jake Murphy. The top-down perspective lends itself perfectly the gameplay, which has the player sneaking around and attacking the Axis enemy.
Much like EA's other recent release, James Bond 007: Everything or Nothing, the player can approach the game with either a stronger focus on action or stealth, which in the instance of this game, works particularly well. During the top-down stages within Infiltrator it's perfectly natural to want to run around shooting everything in sight, and this is possible thanks to the many weapons bunkers located in the environments allowing for unlimited top ups of ammunition. However, during a good number of missions the player is encouraged to take out the enemy more discretely. In many stages an alarm will be sounded if an enemy sights the player, alerting others and triggering swarms of enemy reinforcements. This can result in a pretty intense gunfight, which, if ammo supplies are low, can be pretty hard to get out of alive without some fast reactions. Even the sound of gunfire can alert the enemy, so other tactics must be called upon to get through these missions more successfully. By sneaking up behind an enemy it's possible to use a weapon to execute a fatal blow to the head. Doing so isn't always so simple, as some locations can be heavily guarded, but by studying the way the guards move a tactical and stealthy approach will often be the better way to play the game.
Whilst there are a good number of the aforementioned tactical stages in Medal of Honor: Infiltrator, there are also some stages that are designed for full on shooting action. Such sections have frequent enemy ambushes, where the player is forced to stay in a small portion of the environment and defeat an aggressive attack from many enemy soldiers. Only once all of the troops have been killed is the player able to move on. A good array of weapons is on offer to help the player get through such trying times. Available from weapon bunkers, these come in pairs of primary and secondary weapons. The default pair that the player starts each mission with comprises of an automatic Thompson SMG and 10 grenades. A further three pairs of weapons are also available including the M1 Garand sniper rifle partnered with powerful demo charges and a Colt 45 Pistol with a Bazooka as the secondary option. Only one pair of weapons can be carried at any one time, meaning return trips to the weapons bunkers are frequent. Switching between the two weapons currently held is as simple as pressing the B button, and each is fired with a press of the A button.
Both the tactical and action stages are pretty challenging, and most players certainly won't be able to play through each mission on their first attempt due to the high difficultly level. Fortunately the game doesn't get too frustrating, if anything it makes you more determined to find the right approach. A couple of nice touches to give the player some extra firepower are the inclusion of a couple of interactive features within the environments. Firstly, in some areas there are high-powered gun turrets with infinite ammo, which, once the enemies that occupy them have been killed, can be used against the Axis. The best inclusion is the ability to drive through certain parts of the top-down stages in a tank. The tank is equipped with two types of weapon; a machine gun and explosive shells, both come in unlimited supplies. Whilst the tank only appears two or three times during the game, it has been perfectly incorporated into the gameplay and some missions require its use to destroy certain buildings. Rather obviously the tank also gives awesome firepower against the Axis, and can only be damaged from incoming explosive attacks.
In addition to the action and tactical stages, there is one other type of level that you'll be faced with. These are the first person 'shoot everything in sight' parts of the game. Whilst they are not as involving as the main bulk of the game, the first person stages do provide some mindless shooting fun, and are pretty challenging in their own way despite the unlimited machine gun ammo and a hefty supply of grenades and health pickups. Here the player simply has to shoot as many of the enemy troops and vehicles before they shoot back. All of these stages have a time limit of around two minutes, and only once the counter reaches zero will the player be able to relax and stop shooting.
One of the most pleasing aspects of the game is the variety of mission objectives. Within the two different styles of top-down stages (action and tactics), the player also has a set of primary objectives and secondary objectives. These objectives range from reaching certain buildings or clearing a village of guards, to finding secret papers and destroying ammunition dumps or air bases with explosives. All of the mission objectives keep the player interested, and to get the most out of the game both the primary and secondary objectives will have to be completed earning gold and silver medals.
Lifespan:
Medal of Honor: Infiltrator is split up into five separate missions, each containing three stages. Whilst that only makes fifteen levels in total, the game will last even the most competent gamer at least six or seven hours due to the high difficulty level. There are also a couple of incentives to keep on playing after completion. Firstly, if the player hasn't obtained all the gold and silver medals from the fifteen missions, they won't have unlocked the alternate ending. There are also two additional game modes to unlock; the first of these being the insanely addictive Survival Mode that becomes available after the game has been completed. In this mode the player enters a village with a continuous ambush from the Axis, and must use their weapons, a gun turret and a good supply of health items to stay alive and destroy as many guards as possible. The best Survival Mode times and scores are saved so they can be improved upon at a later date. The second unlockable is the hard as nails Max-GI mode, which is not only faster paced, but it also doesn't let the player save or die even once. The Max-GI mode only becomes available once every medal has been collected in the main game.
Further boosting the game's lifespan is a selection of multiplayer modes. As with most recent GBA titles, there is no support for single pack multiplayer, but if you do have friends with a copy of Infiltrator there's certainly a lot more to discover. A fully configurable deathmatch mode is included, allowing for two players to battle through three different maps. There's also a cooperative allied assault mode. This is based on the first person shooting stages in the single player game and allows for two players to face an onslaught of enemy troops and vehicles. Additionally, by connecting a Game Boy Advance with a copy of Infiltrator to a Nintendo GameCube with Medal of Honor: Rising Sun, the GBA's screen can be used to display a mini map of the locations in the GameCube title.
Graphics & Sound:
Right from the word go, it's obvious that a lot of time has been spent on the presentation of Medal of Honor: Infiltrator. Upon switching on the game, the player is first treated with a wartime full motion video, which leads into some nicely stylised menu's that reflect the nature and setting of the game. Each mission is also introduced with a few short clips of wartime video footage, which add further authenticity to the atmosphere. The in-game graphics are even more impressive and highly stylish; the locations vary from brightly coloured beaches and dark forests to villages and buildings left derelict by the on-going war. The character sprites and animations also impress and are both stylish and well drawn. Overall, the attention to detail and style of the graphics is fantastic, there are even some nice graphical effects for explosions and a neat cut-away effect when buildings are entered or exited.
The use of sound in Infiltrator is also beyond what one would usually expect from a GBA title. The background music is surprisingly decent and in keeping with the war theme and each piece does a great job at creating tension and a moody atmosphere. Gunshots and explosions all sound incredibly realistic and there is a good amount of digitised speech, both for the player's character and the enemy. The only slight let down in the presentation is the occasional moment of slowdown. Fortunately, slowdown occurs very infrequently, and so provides very little cause for concern throughout the duration of the game.
Closing Comments:
To say that Medal of Honor: Infiltrator is an improvement over last year's Underground would not be doing it justice. The game's addictive pick up and play gameplay makes it a lot more accessible, despite the high difficultly level. The brilliant graphical presentation and use of excellent atmospheric music and sounds also help to make this title an absolute gem. Whilst it would have been nice to have had more than fifteen missions, the game does last a good deal of time, and thanks to a good number of bonuses and the fact that it is just such awesome fun to play, there is always going to be something to come back to long after the credits roll. All in all, Medal of Honor: Infiltrator is one of the best Game Boy Advance titles that has been released this year, and that's quite a feat considering the amount of decent titles that have hit the shelves over the last twelve months. Highly recommended to anyone looking for something a little more challenging than your average platformer.
