Probably the most innovative MoH game in a while--too bad it doesn't last
The idea of entering battles from the sky, especially in games, is relatively new. The 101st Airborne was, to my knowledge, the first group of soldiers to do so in WWII, and now, with MoH: Airborne, we have the opportunity to fight as they did, albeit with much less risk and reality. What follows is a very innovative mechanic that, sadly, doesn't save the game from being a middling experience.
Airborne's most touted feature--gimmick, some would say--is the ability to enter a level from the sky, choosing where to land and thus where to begin your mission. Each level opens with you and your fellow soldiers on the plane, cracking nervous jokes and waiting until the dreaded red light--indicating the mission is a go--flashes on. The game struggles, however, to impart this sense of nervousness; there's no parachute failure, no missed landing zones, and thus the tension is lost. Your character will pushed if you stand at the door for too long, but being that there's no tension, there's no real reason to dally at all.
The game succeeds, however, once you've jumped. From the air, you can see the entire battlefield and can, to a limited extent, choose where to land and where to begin. Parachute control is limited at best, and while you can choose to "flare" your landing--as opposed to "botching" it--the only real reason to do so is to get your gun out more quickly. The game can't be blamed of course; I'm sure many players wouldn't be happy replaying the jump over and over should "botching" the landing cause insta-death. It's a refreshing mechanic, however, to choose your landing zone. In one mission, for instance, the game wanted me to land at a secluded spot on the map, indicated by green smoke, which signals additional ammo and explosives pickups. However, I noticed that one of my objectives was to land on the roof on an Italian villa, where Nazi AA guns were stationed. Figuring that I could save much work by clearing the villa from the top down, I landed right on top of my enemy, and in doing so bypassed what has traditionally been a staple of the FPS genre: fight through enemies to reach your objective. This is where Airborne succeeds: most of the time, you can choose where to go. Even upon death, you get the option to jump again, which would be nice if enemies didn't respawn. Airborne being a 2007 game, however, I can't really decry mechanics that would today be archaic.
Other than the parachuting mechanic, however, Airborne is a straight-by-the-numbers WWII shooter, which isn't as bad as it sounds. You'll take out AA guns, ammo depots, and other Nazi periphery. There's really nothing new here in terms of WWII games (besides the parachuting). There's a cool upgrade mechanic, which encompasses upgrades added to your gun as you kill more Nazis, and it certainly keeps the desire to kill Nazis alive. Getting a round-drum for your Thompson after a bunch of kills is rewarding, even though we've seen plenty of games since do the same. One thing that made the game nearly unplayable, however, was the damage system. Getting hit causes your screen to flash red, in a way that other games don't do. When an enemy decides to hit you over and over with his rifle, the screen flashes a bright white, and it's too hard to respond to the attack as a result. Obviously, getting shot or hit should be annoying, much less debilitating, but in a game, it's just not fun. It's a very annoying damage system that thankfully isn't present elsewhere. More annoyances await, however. From one-shotting snipers and rocket-launcher-men to a terrible enemy spawning system (where enemies spawn behind the next corner), the game has many, many bugs.
Playing Airborne today illustrates just how ubiquitous the improvements made by Call of Duty 4 are today. That may sound a bit ridiculous, but the FPS genre was undoubtedly changed with the release of that game. I played Airborne on the 360 in 2007, and it was a great time then. Replaying it today, however, is more of a history lesson than an enjoyable experiences. I enjoy classic games, but there's a difference between classic games and old games that just don't play too well. Airborne is interesting for a few days' worth of playing, but it won't be a standout game in your collection. Probably better than Warfighter though.
