Medal of Honor: Underground

• Release Date: October 27, 2000
• Genre: Shooter
• Style: First-Person Shooter
• Similar Games: Medal of Honor (PlayStation), The World Is Not Enough (PlayStation), Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Lone Wolf (PlayStation)

Game Description

The year is 1940, and the conquering force of the Third Reich has invaded France. Nazi Germany has marched into Paris and claimed the once proud nation as its own in its further quest for domination of Europe. The allied forces won't be coming to liberate France any time soon, as they have their hands full protecting Great Britain. The perception that the French have simply let Hitler walk into their country without a fight has not endeared the rest of the war-torn world to the cause.

As a young woman named Manon Batiste, you will be thrust into the world of intrigue and violence that is World War II doing all you can to save your beloved homeland by joining the OSS and traveling the world as a member of the French Resistance, taking out Gestapo thugs and the SS so that you might become a seasoned veteran and aid in the ultimate liberation of your nation.

Medal of Honor: Underground is the prequel to 1999's popular Medal of Honor, the first-person shooter that threw you into the turmoil of WWII and up against the Nazis. This prequel is designed on the same 3D engine as the first, only this time players will be wrapped up in the French Resistance, making their way through the Underground and assaulting Nazi outposts in France, Egypt and other foreign locations.

The focus of the game is the single-player campaign, which will pit the player, controlling Manon, against all manner of Nazi militia. When players begin one of the 24 different missions, they will be given briefings detailing the objective of that specific operation, be it finding a specific target to assassinate or locating plans and objects that will aide the Resistance in its fight against Hitler.

The developers have attempted to fill each locale with the realism of the actual global conflict. To this effect, you will have computer-controlled compatriots who will occasionally fight alongside you, as well as enemies who possess realistic damage models, where head and chest shots do far more damage than shots to the extremities. Also, each of the twelve weapons contained in the game are authentic to the era and place of combat.

The game will also occasionally allow you to hop into enemy vehicles, such as tanks and motorcycles. You can take pictures of enemies and use them with your own faked credentials to beat border guards and snooping storm troopers. Beyond the single-player game, Medal of Honor: Underground also features multiplayer play for two people, letting them choose different environments from the game to do battle in.

Roots & Influences

Medal of Honor: Underground is a prequel of sorts to 1999's World War II first person shooter, Medal of Honor.

Review: Overall

You creep through the thick forest under the cover of night, rifle in hand, slowly making your way through the trees along a well beaten path that begins to slope downward...all while squinting your eyes and worrying about what's around the next corner.

You peer through the bushes, intently watching three oak trees. Suddenly a soldier jumps out and fires at you while another rushes in your direction and then seeks cover behind a tree. The two soldiers then switch roles; the one who provided the cover now runs towards you while the other fires shots at you. It's only a matter of seconds before they reach you, so quickly you backpedal while looking through your equipment -- only one stick grenade left. Frantically you toss it towards the soldiers as you run backwards, but your aim is faulty and it falls well short of where you wanted it to go. You're backed into a dead-end with nowhere to go.

You watch as the two guards, now next to each other, run up to you. You instinctively whip out your machine gun only to discover that you have two bullets left. The two soldiers approach you, and one of them yells something in German. You see him bend down and pick up the stick grenade and begin to toss it back at you -- now's your chance! You fire your last two shots, stunning the guard. He's still holding onto the stick grenade when it explodes, taking him and his buddy with him. You breathe a sigh of relief, walk up to the bodies and strip them of their ammunition.

You continue through the forest to a clearing only to hear what sounds like an engine purring...suddenly you hear more German screams as a motorcycle with an enemy soldier in the side seat jumps out of nowhere and spins towards you...it gains speed, the soldier raises his weapon and you raise your sniper rifle...

This is the kind of experience that Medal of Honor: Underground has to offer gamers. The title is one of the crown jewels of the original PlayStation, combining realistic and extremely tense yet fun gameplay, top-notch sound effects, and excellent missions. This is one of the few games that manages to completely immerse you in its world, from the sights to the sounds to the missions, it's all here.

Taking place before the original Medal of Honor, Medal of Honor: Underground focuses on the female character Manon and the French Resistance. During the course of play, you take on everything from stationary machine guns (which you can use to your advantage) to destroying huge tanks. On top of the weapons from the original game, new weapons are available that add to the strategy.

In order to triumph over overwhelming odds, you must first understand the advantages and weaknesses of each weapon and then choose the one that will best help you in efficiently combating your enemies in the given battleground. The crossbow, for example, is extremely powerful but slow to reload. If you want to kill your enemy with one shot, this is the weapon you want to use, but be ready to duck and cover if you miss --- you'll be reloading for the next five seconds and unable to switch weapons.

In addition to the phenomenal single-player game, the versus mode offers hours upon hours of 1940s fun. Just like the original, the two-player mode is played from a split-screen perspective and generally runs smoothly.

The AI in this game has improved drastically. In the original, enemies were relatively easy to dispatch until the last few levels. In this game, however, your enemies are tough to beat from the very beginning. They work in teams and are determined to kill you at whatever cost.

The developers spent so much time improving the AI, they apparently compromised on the advancement of the visual quality. This is the game's greatest weakness, and it's a big one. While the PlayStation's power is becoming outdated, the graphics cannot be written off easily, especially since they at times interfere with actual gameplay. For example, the pixilated look of the graphics often results in disorientation, especially in stages like the forest.

The sound quality, on the other hand, is incredible. You can hear moving objects individually as well as collectively. One of the skills you have to learn is to be able to estimate your distance from your enemies from the sound they are making, whether they're cocking their guns, revving their motorcycles, or calling out for help.

The musical score is also phenomenal, completely enveloping you and making you feel as if you're playing inside a Steven Spielberg movie. To fully experience the incredible detail of the sound, it is highly recommended that you use a surround sound system.

PlayStation owners, this is your GoldenEye 007. Medal of Honor Underground is one of the most addictive games available on the platform. The game is challenging and the feeling of suspense is only intensified by the realistic sound effects and dramatic score. The only drawback is the visual quality, but it should not prevent you from experiencing one of the best first-person shooters available on the 32-bit system.

Review: Enjoyment

While it isn't chock-full of different modes or really interesting objectives, the game does serve to put you in a specific time and place. In terms of atmosphere, the title is top notch.

Review: Graphics

While the PlayStation is really showing its age, the full 3D environments still look decent thanks to some nice texture work and level design which serves to put you right into the horror of WWII.

Review: Sound

The game sounds very good, with a great score and accompanying sounds of war played out with dramatic effect during its course.

Review: Replay Value

It is fun to replay the single player missions again, but once you've beaten the game your time will most likely be diverted to the two-player mode. It would have been nice to have more options/customizations available.

Review: Documentation

The instruction manual is a little on the light side when it comes to description, but still does a decent enough job in explaining the game.

Production Credits