NOVEMBER 19, 2003 CULTURE 14 Game Over: Game Review By Brad Prangnell Medal of Honor Allied Assault Medal of Honor Allied Assault (MOHAA) places you in a World War II setting where, as an army ranger, you will infiltrate Nazi facilities, blow stuff up, and partic- ipate in the assault on Omaha Beach. The single-player mode is defi- nitely the highlight of this game. The campaign is well structured, with differing objectives and gameplay styles. Everything that happens will seem spontaneous and realistic, although it’s actually very heavily scripted. The graphics are generally very detailed and lifelike, however some environmental textures are somewhat lacking. The-sound is all outstanding. The weapons all have realistic, powerful sounds, and the voice acting is excellent. The greatest flaw with MOHAA is the quality of the single-player AI. They: have incredible percep- tive senses, and are unnaturally good shots. MOHAA also has a very good multiplayer mode, with well designed, varied maps, numerous modes, and a good assortment of player classes: Overall, MOHAA is an incredi- ble single player experience and one of the best first-person shoot- ers ever, in my humble opinion. I give it 10 out of 10. Medal of Honor Allied Assault Spearhead Spearhead is the first expansion pack for MOHAA, and has you parachuting behind enemy lines prior to the D-Day invasion, fight- ing in the Battle of the Bulge, and swiping documents out of Berlin before the soviets capture the city. This sounds like a lot, but an expe- rienced gamer should be able to finish the game in only 3 hours. Mind you, those few hours of game are very good. The action is as tightly scripted and choreo- graphed as in the original MOHAA. The graphics and sound are the same quality as MOHAA. Spearhead also makes some great additions to the multiplayer, with 12 new maps and a new mode. Tug-of-war assigns a num- ber of objectives to each team, with the team that completes their objectives first winning. Overall, Spearhead is great, while it lasts. I give it 8.5 out of 10. Medal of Honor Allied Assault Breakthrough Breakthrough is the second expansion pack for MOHAA, and has you participating in the push to capture North Africa, the inva- sion of Sicily, and the drive up the boot of Italy. This sounds like a fair bit, and while it is roughly twice as long as Spearhead, a longer game would still be nice. The level design, pacing, graph- ics, and sound are exceptional, as before. Like Spearhead, Breakthrough also makes some additions to the multiplayer, with 9 new maps and a new mode. Overall, Breakthrough is far more substan- tial than Spearhead, but is still rather short. I give it 8.5 out of 10, OUT OF INK? REFILLS Etim ON-SITE REFILL SERVICE DROP & SHOP COMPATIBLE CARTRIDGES REFILL KITS UNBC STUDENTS CLIPTHIS ADTOSAVE. ON ALL OUR PRODUCTS & SERVICES! PINE CENTRE MALL NEXT TO THE KEY SHOP PHONE 563-4123 ee ee ee ee ee ee ed re re le) l p Offer in-effect 01 to 30 November, 2003. Cannot be combined with any other offer. | The Manga Review fain Rien ‘i ee by Dana Schwehr This issue’s manga offering is the hilariously funny Full Metal Panic, written by Shouji Gatou, and drawn by Retsu Tateo. Full Metal Panic is a high school com- “Full Metal Panic is the sort of thing that one -weulds~read when one is looking for a time spent away from the world of thoughtful contem- plation.” edy, which is, predictably, a com- edy story about those infinitely angsty folks stuck in the public education system. This particular manga appears to be directed ata shounen, i.e. predominantly male, audience. The story is full of explosions, military hi-jinks, and the occasional busty lady clad in only a tiny towel. Even so, it can be appreciated by all audi- ences who understand the humour involved in blowing up a shoe cabinet at one’s local high school. Full Metal Panic is the sort of thing that one would read when one is looking for a time spent away from the world of thoughtful contemplation. Full Metal Panic tells the story of Kaname Chidori, the popular vice president of Jindai High School’s - student council. Kaname is completely oblivious to the fact that she has been tar- geted for kidnapping by a terror- ist organization, who believes that Kaname has special powers. Part of the reason for Kaname’s state of ignorance is Sosuke Sagara, a military man who has been dispatched to protect Kaname. Try to imagine a hard- ened soldier posing as your aver- age high school student. Of course, the soldier in question is likely to stand out like a rocket © launcher in the middle of a foot- ball game, but that is where all con eit “drawn, well- Full Metal Panic 01 >> Shouji Gatou, Retsu Tateo >> ADV 2003 the conflict in the first volume is generated. Kaname thinks that Sosuke’s antics are utterly ridicu- lous. But she never loses an opportunity to tell him that he is a stupid jerk, and she just can’t understand why no one else thinks that Sosuke should just stop overreacting to what she sees as everyday: life. _all, Pull Meal Panic is a itten comic that offers a welcome escape from the everyday despair that is often called “Midterm Season”. The art is quite nice, and this printing has six glossy colour pages at the front of the book. The action panels are relatively easy to follow, and they manage to escape being too cluttered, which can sometimes be a prob- lem in manga action sequences. The jokes used serve not only to entertain, but also build an impression of the characters, and further the plot. Somehow, there is just something refreshing “Somehow, there is Just something refreshing about someone shooting a gun in the cafeteria in order to get service. Maybe it is the fact that many people wish for the same level of liberation in daily life.” about someone shooting a gun in the cafeteria in order to get ser- vice. Maybe it is the fact that many people wish for the same level of liberation in daily life. So, if you're looking for a fun romp full of explosive humour, and you think that you can handle seeing a lot of really short skirts, then you should definitely give Full Metal Panic a try.