Allied Assault

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

The narrative follows Lieutenant Mike Powell, a skilled U.S. Army Ranger and later an agent of the Office of Strategic Services. The campaign spans multiple theaters, beginning in German-occupied Arzew, Algeria, on the North African front. Powell and a squad of Rangers fight into the city, but an ambush kills all the team except Powell. He rescues British S.O.E. agent Jack Grillo, and together they sabotage a German airfield, destroying Fw 190 fighters and Stuka dive bombers, before Powell signals the Allied fleet to begin Operation Torch. Later, Powell and Grillo are sent to German-occupied Norway to infiltrate Trondheim, where a Kriegsmarine U-boat is being outfitted with a prototype radar detection device. Grillo is killed in action, but Powell destroys the prototype and blows up the submarine. Powell then participates in the Allied invasion of Europe, Operation Overlord, storming Omaha Beach as part of the 2nd Ranger Battalion. He is sent into the countryside to assist US airborne troops, calling air support on Flak 88 cannons and destroying a battery of Nebelwerfers. Powell is assigned to go behind enemy lines, where he meets French Resistance member Manon Batiste and raids a manor house, securing blueprints for the new King Tiger tank. His next mission involves hijacking a King Tiger tank and using it to secure a vital bridge in a German-held town. Powell's final mission sends him to Fort Schmerzen, a German mustard gas-producing facility along the Siegfried Line. He destroys Flak guns, a stockpile of StG 44 assault rifles, and a communications outpost, then hijacks a freight train to reach Schmerzen. He storms the fort, releases prisoners, plants explosives on the gas facilities, and escapes just before the fort is destroyed.

In Their Own Story

Rain slicked the cobblestones of the French village as Powell checked his rifle. The silence was heavy, broken only by distant artillery. He signaled his squad forward, eyes scanning the shadowed windows for movement. Somewhere in this town lay the evidence needed to stop the German war effort.

Reader's Guide

Medal of Honor: Allied Assault was developed by 2015, a small tight-knit team of 22 developers led by Vince Zampella. Development spanned from 2000 to late 2001. Following the success of Medal of Honor: Underground, publisher Electronic Arts contacted id Software about making another installment. As id Software was busy with Doom 3, they referred EA to 2015. Initially, EA wanted 2015 to port the still-in-development Medal of Honor: Frontline from PlayStation 2 to PC, but 2015 convinced EA to let them make a new original installment exclusive to the PC. The game uses id Software's id Tech 3 engine with modifications from Heavy Metal: F.A.K.K.². Single-player missions include assaulting Nazi bases in Algiers and Norway, storming Omaha Beach on D-Day, and rescuing comrades behind enemy lines in occupied France. The game's levels are often compared to Steven Spielberg's 1998 film Saving Private Ryan; many levels are direct quotations of the scenery or complete sequences from the film. Multiplayer contains four modes: Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, Round Based, and Objective mode. The game uses a point system, adding points for kills and rounds, deducting points for suicides and deaths. Expansion packs include Spearhead, which re-enacts three major European Theater battles through the eyes of Sgt. Jack Barnes, and Breakthrough, which puts the player in the role of Sgt. John Baker of the US 34th Infantry Division, covering battles including Kasserine Pass, Monte Cassino, and Anzio.

Did You Know?

• The game was developed by a small team of just 22 developers led by Vince Zampella.
• The Omaha Beach level was developed independently from Medal of Honor: Frontline's version, as the games were created by separate teams.
• Vince Zampella and Jason West left 2015 to later form Infinity Ward and develop the Call of Duty series.
• The game uses the id Tech 3 engine with modifications from Heavy Metal: F.A.K.K.².
• Spearhead expansion features Sgt. Jack Barnes voiced by Gary Oldman.