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Medal of Honor: Pacific Assault

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Medal of Honor: Pacific Assault
Developer(s)EA Los Angeles
Publisher(s)EA Games
Artist(s)
  • James H. Dargie
Composer(s)Christopher Lennertz
SeriesMedal of Honor
EngineLithTech Jupiter (Single-player) id Tech 3 (Multi-player)
Platform(s)Microsoft Windows
Release
  • NA: November 4, 2004
  • EU: November 19, 2004
Genre(s)First-person shooter
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Medal of Honor: Pacific Assault is a first-person shooter video game developed by EA Los Angeles and published by Electronic Arts. The game is the seventh installment in the Medal of Honor series and serves as a sequel to the Medal of Honor: Allied Assault, with its story set during the Pacific War. The title was announced on the March 5, 2003,[1] and was released in North America on November 4, 2004,[2] and in Europe on November 19, 2004, on Microsoft Windows.

Medal of Honor: Pacific Assault introduced some new features to the franchise, such as recovering health by calling the corpsman, and the ability to order squad members to give covering fire, regroup, move up and fall back.

Medal of Honor: Pacific Assault Director's Edition features some additional content, such as a presentation that shows the history of American-Japanese war, behind the in-game missions (levels) and a built-in music player that allows the user to listen to the soundtrack.

Plot

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The game begins with the player, in the role of Pvt. Thomas Conlin, a U.S. Marine in the Pacific Theater of World War II, taking part in the landing on the Tarawa atoll. As Conlin's Amtrac approaches the shore, it's hit by an artillery shell, throwing Conlin and the other passengers into the shallow ocean, forcing them to wade ashore. Conlin fights his way onto the shore, only to get cut down by a bullet during a Japanese counterattack. As he bleeds out, the game flashes back to the start of Conlin's first day of basic training, where the player is introduced to the characters that will become his squad; the squad leader Frank Minoso; a big, smooth talking, New Jersey native; sniper William "Willie" Gaines, a country boy from North Carolina; and corpsman James Sullivan, a quiet sailor from a rich family in Oak Park, Illinois. After training, Conlin is assigned, without the rest of his training battalion, to serve aboard the USS Arizona. He arrives at Pearl Harbor early on the morning of December 7. Conlin is reassigned to the 2nd Marine Raider Battalion, and together with his old bootcamp training mate they take part in the Makin Island raid. During the raid, they are tasked with destroying a radio tower, destroying a supply dump, and rescuing a downed airman, before returning to their insertion point to fend off a Japanese counter-attack and defend their submarines from an aerial attack.

Following the Makin raid, the squad is assigned to the 1st Marine Raider Battalion and deployed in the Guadalcanal, where they are first tasked with the defence of Henderson Field and the outlying area against a Japanese attack, culminating in a push to re-take the airfield. They take part in the Battle of Edson's Ridge and patrols of the Lunga River. As part of the Guadalcanal Mission, Conlin becomes an impromptu pilot, as he is required to take control of the SBD Dauntless.

Afterwards, Conlin is promoted to sergeant and squad leader. During the invasion of Tarawa, Conlin secures the beachhead before neutralizing a major Japanese command center and destroying Japanese AA guns, which are used by the Japanese to prevent American landing craft from approaching Tarawa atoll. Conlin and his men then continue to clear Tarawa of the remaining enemy forces.

Development

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Pacific Assault was developed by EA Los Angeles and published by EA Games for the PC.[3] It is primarily a first-person shooter, with the exception of one level in which the player flies an SBD Dauntless in the middle of a dog fight. The engine of the game is a modified id Tech 3 in additional with Havok physics engine.[4][5] The music was composed by Christopher Lennertz.[6]

Reception

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The game received "favorable" reviews according to video game review aggregator Metacritic.[7]

Pacific Assault received a "Silver" sales award from the Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association (ELSPA),[21] indicating sales of at least 100,000 copies in the United Kingdom.[22]

During the 8th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards, the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences nominated Pacific Assault for "Computer First-Person Action Game of the Year", which was ultimately awarded to Half-Life 2.[23]

References

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  1. ^ "Medal of Honor Pacific Assault revealed". GameSpot. Archived from the original on December 10, 2022. Retrieved June 5, 2023.
  2. ^ "Pacific Assault Director's Edition ships". GameSpot. Archived from the original on September 14, 2015. Retrieved June 5, 2023.
  3. ^ "Medal of Honor Pacific Assault revealed". GameSpot. Archived from the original on June 15, 2022. Retrieved June 15, 2022.
  4. ^ "Physics Engine: Havok". MobyGames. Archived from the original on June 15, 2022. Retrieved June 15, 2022.
  5. ^ "Medal Of Honor: Pacific Assault - Victor Dods". thedods.com. Archived from the original on December 31, 2022. Retrieved December 14, 2023.
  6. ^ "Medal of Honor: Pacific Assault – Christopher Lennertz". christopherlennertz.com. Retrieved June 15, 2022.
  7. ^ a b "Medal of Honor: Pacific Assault for PC Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on August 20, 2020. Retrieved November 2, 2012.
  8. ^ "Medal of Honor: Pacific Assault". Computer Games Magazine. No. 171. theGlobe.com. February 2005. p. 58.
  9. ^ Coffey, Robert (January 2005). "Medal of Honor: Pacific Assault" (PDF). Computer Gaming World. No. 247. Ziff Davis. pp. 92–93. Retrieved December 29, 2018.
  10. ^ Edge staff (December 25, 2004). "Medal of Honor: Pacific Assault". Edge. No. 144. Future plc. p. 92.
  11. ^ Reed, Kristan (November 10, 2004). "Medal of Honor: Pacific Assault". Eurogamer. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved September 25, 2015.
  12. ^ Biessener, Adam (January 2005). "Medal of Honor Pacific Assault Director's Edition". Game Informer. No. 141. GameStop. p. 142. Archived from the original on September 23, 2009. Retrieved September 25, 2015.
  13. ^ Bones in Britain (December 7, 2004). "Medal of Honor: Pacific Assault Review for PC on GamePro.com". GamePro. IDG Entertainment. Archived from the original on February 4, 2005. Retrieved September 25, 2015.
  14. ^ Gee, Brian (November 12, 2004). "Medal of Honor: Pacific Assault Review". Game Revolution. CraveOnline. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved September 25, 2015.
  15. ^ Kasavin, Greg (November 4, 2004). "Medal of Honor Pacific Assault Review". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on July 25, 2015. Retrieved September 25, 2015.
  16. ^ Accardo, Sal (November 5, 2004). "GameSpy: Medal of Honor: Pacific Assault". GameSpy. IGN Entertainment. Archived from the original on October 21, 2017. Retrieved September 25, 2015.
  17. ^ Giacobbi, Kevin "BIFF" (November 15, 2004). "Medal of Honor Pacific Assault Director's Edition - PC - Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on October 2, 2008. Retrieved September 25, 2015.
  18. ^ Adams, Dan (November 4, 2004). "Medal of Honor: Pacific Assault". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on September 22, 2015. Retrieved September 25, 2015.
  19. ^ "Medal of Honor: Pacific Assault". PC Gamer. Vol. 12, no. 1. Future US. January 2005. p. 70.
  20. ^ Ring, Bennett (November 20, 2004). "No killer, this". The Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Media. Archived from the original on March 31, 2016. Retrieved December 29, 2018.
  21. ^ "ELSPA Sales Awards: Silver". Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association. Archived from the original on February 21, 2009.
  22. ^ Caoili, Eric (November 26, 2008). "ELSPA: Wii Fit, Mario Kart Reach Diamond Status In UK". Gamasutra. UBM plc. Archived from the original on September 18, 2017. Retrieved October 24, 2018.
  23. ^ "2005 Awards Category Details Computer First-Person Action Game of the Year". interactive.org. Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Retrieved October 27, 2023.
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