System Prerequisites
- PC compatible,
- Systems:
Windows 9x, Windows 2000 
Windows XP, Vista, Win 7, Win 8, Win 10. - Game features:
Single game mode
You know something is wrong when a game hits the shelves just in time for Christmas and it’s been patched twice. You really have to worry when a Bonus Level Pack has also been published, otherwise called the rest of the game’. Clearly, there were some last-minute deadline problems leading up to the launch of Men Of Valor, and it shows. Without the patches it’s an unplayable, crashladen mess, and even with them it lacks the polish that games used to have prior to the industry buried its conscience in a New Mexico landfill, under five thousand crushed ET cartridges.
It’s a shame, as in most respects Men Of Valor is an excellent war-themed FPS. More to the point, in the battle of the big, heroically named war epics it unexpectedly slips into second place, nosing ahead of the erratic MOH: Pacific Assault. (Which is sweet justice in a way, provided that 2015 made Medal Of Honor good in the first place.)Extreme Prejudice
However, as far as we’d love to punish the sport for not fulfilling its true potential, there’s no denying its wily charms. It has got a superbly manicured atmosphere, features some excellent use of the word motherf…, and looks as sharp as a pungi stick in a mantrap. Even the script and narrative are of a high quality, even if a little laboured, as you follow the development of the war from a little show of US arrogance into some fullblown jungle apocalypse.
The set-up is familiar enough. It’s 1965. The situation in Vietnam seems comprised, and American troops in Da Nang understand that they’re there mostly as a deterrent. As Dean Shepard, a young black Gl fresh out of boot camp, you throw a soccer gaily together with your group mates Greaser, Hoss and Smooth, little knowing that in 13 bullet-riddled missions you’ll have been ambushed, shot, blown up and killed more times than you can recall. (And that’s not even counting multiplayer games.)
On the way, you’ll take in historic actions such as Operation Starlight, Khe Sahn and the Tet Offensive, together with the booby traps, village-burning and tunnel-clearing that suggests. However, while the mixture of small, squad-based incursions and grand chaotic battles is familiar, the game manages to not come across as simply another Allied Assault clone.
To begin with, there’s a lot less of this scripted rail-rides compared to the formula usually demands, focusing more on tightly directed firefights than large showy set pieces. The dense jungle atmosphere is used to excellent effect to make tension, forcing you to hug trees like your best friend and scan the foliage constantly for enemy presence. The should bandage every wound to prevent huge blood loss also keeps you always on your toes.
Whenever you do get chucked into an on-rails section, it’s efficient and brief, not trying to outdo the competitors with the most significant and best special effects. Nonetheless, whatever it sheds Men Of Valor makes up for with tight assignment design and a pleasing variety of goals. Whether you are laying an ambush or extracting an enemy POW, there’s always an excellent feeling of involvement and comradeship, thanks in big part to the expletive-riddled banter of your pals.
Aside from crafting a very coherent and convincing feeling, this highlights the fact that your only real concern is success, which can be reflected in the gameplay that is sporty. There’s nothing of valour happening here – you largely slip from tree to tree, mowing down people indiscriminately and looting the corpses for ammo and med packs as you go.Can’t Jump, Won’t Jump
Sadly, the game is not without its quirks, a number of them traceable back to its Xbox connections. For one, there is no jump function. More crippling by far is the absence of a quick-save alternative, reducing you to bothersome and frequently widely spaced checkpoints.
The biggest booby trap whatsoever , however, is the Al.. It’s not so much that it is bad – in fact it is admirably ambitious in places – it’s more that it allows you down when you are least expecting it. Like when one of your squad friends walks straight past a VC gunman as you’re reloading, letting Charlie to walk up and blow off your head. Or once an idiotic team-mate plants himself right on your line of fire as you have lined up a tricky sniper shot. What are they fools? It’s enough to make you flip commie.
As for the enemies, they often spawn before the eyes, something that just should not occur in a 21st-century shooter. Additionally, there are some terrible trigger points where countless VC soldiers will pour from a very small hut until you arrive at the magical point in the level that makes them stop.
Yes it is frequently frustrating, however it remains compelling throughout, and will certainly tide you over until the following Call Of Duty expansion pack turns out.
