I consider the original Medal of Honor: Allied Assault (MOHAA) to be one of the best First-Person-Shooter (FPS) gaming experiences ever to be put to market. Gaming primarily on my PC, I, like many others, was livid upon learning that Frontline would be released for console ONLY. Luckily the Spearhead Expansion pack came along to quench our thirst for more mind-blowing WW2 combat.

As someone who pays attention to his return on investment, I am often left to question the playable value of the games I have purchased. MOHAA took about a day to play through, but had significant replay value. I have played through MOHAA 6X at varying levels of difficulty, employing different tactical strategies each time. Return to Castle Wolfenstein (RTCW), and other titles in the FPS genre did not incur this kind of addiction and necessitated only 2 plays, the second typically to determine if the game was IN FACT as bad as it seemed the 1st time. MOHAA was well worth the $50.00 price tag and has provided more hours of enjoyment than most of my other FPS's combined.

Spearhead adds several new mission, weapon, and plot elements to the original, not to mention additional multiplayer options and maps drastically improving on MOHAA's original multiplayer that was outdone by RTCW's. The additional game-play added to an already exceptional title provides an excellent purchase incentive, but leaves this gamer feeling a little miffed when it comes to his checkbook. The new weaponry is satisfying and appropriate to WW2 historical records, and the addition of colored smoke grenades to your arsenal adds a distinct battle element that is especially useful in multiplayer. I was also thrilled that EA adds secondary attack capability to almost all small arms (pistol whipping and such), an element absent from MOHAA. However, I was able to complete all 9 single-player missions in one evening. Though enjoyable and appealing enough to necessitate a replay, the short length left me feeling a little shafted by EA, and I can't help but think the EA used MOH's name recognition to bump the price tag up from a typical $20.00 to almost $30.00.

The Good:
- 9 more single-player missions of typical MOH excellence
- Enhanced Multiplayer features
- Additional Weapons including Smoke Grenades
- The addition of game-play elements absent from the original(pistol whips, vehicle and gun turret acquisitions)
- Slightly enhanced graphic elements & action sequences
- In-game cut scenes

The Bad:
- ONLY 9 more single-player missions (3 hours - tops)
- OVERPRICED!!!

The Bottom Line:
Despite the substandard return on investment as compared to the original MOHAA, I would still have bought Spearhead, despite the price tag. As an outspoken advocate of the original title there was no decision to be made when it came to shelling out $30.00 for the expansion. Although, I firmly believe that other MOHAA advocates will question the value of their purchase as well. If you were not impressed by MOHAA, Spearhead will do nothing but add to that disappointment. I recommend you individuals, as misguided as you may be, skip this title. However, fans of the series who don't want to miss out on any action should be advised of the expansion's actual content while they are debating waiting for a price drop.

Invest wisely my friends. See you on the battlefield.

25 of 30 found the following review helpful:

Great improvements nearly negated by big flaws.  Nov 15, 2002
By D. Mok
I've always loved the Medal of Honor series, and Allied Assault is one of my favourite games of the past year. Spearhead has made some good improvements on Allied Assault, but those improvements are offset by some highly substantial flaws.

First of all, the price. Whether three new missions and a handful of new weapons are worth the price is up to you. I can say that it's amusing being able to commandeer a Nebelwerfer (the kind you only got to blow up in Allied Assault), and the new revolvers are fun to use, but only three new missions for a purchase price comparable to the original game?

Secondly, the system mechanics. Depending on what version of Allied Assault you have, the installation of Spearhead may cause all your old saved games to become unreadable.

Finally, gameplay. There are plusses and minuses. The graphics took a big leap forward, but with that comes a price -- controls are harder because of all the eye candy. When enemies get close, they often become flurries because of the graphical details. A great improvement is the ability to use physical attacks (the "pistol whip") with weapons other than pistols. Finally, after three games, they give you this very simple, very useful option. My biggest complaint is in some of the level designs. Not only did Electronic Arts not learn from the negative feedback given to Allied Assault's "sniper" level (also known as the "fighting 100 enemies you can't see" level), but they make it even worse with two of the levels in this game. If you fancy fighting enemies who hit you from all over but whom you can't even see, this is the game for you. Not all levels are like that, but for me, it's a major slip-up in game testing that I have to actually fire blindly into the distance without being able to see my enemies.

My biggest complaint is still the price. Frankly, if I'd known there were so few new levels, I wouldn't have bought this game at all. Perhaps the new multiplayer features make it worthwhile? I don't play multiplayer so I don't know. But the package is definitely overpriced. Whereas expansion packs like those for The Sims (Livin' Large being especially impressive) and Armored Core make their original games twice as broad, Spearhead falls far below my expectations.

12 of 14 found the following review helpful:

Way too short...too much focus on cosmetics  Nov 19, 2002
By kevin sherfinski
I enjoyed MOHAA, however, the Spearhead expansion pack is a major disappointment. First off, the game is very short...about 5 hours of game play at the most...even for a casual gamer. Secondly, there are some real frustrating moments. The enemy snipers can now actually be seen, however, there are some other areas that rely on "save and reload" methods once you've mapped out the level...this really detracts from the "fun factor". If the game were longer I could live with this, but considering the game contains only 9 missions, I can't. Thirdly, the graphics and sound are top notch, however, you'll need a decent system to enjoy this game. I'm running an Athlon 1800+, 512M RAM, and a GF4ti and still had hiccups and slowdows. Nothing unacceptable, but I wouldn't expect this (I didn't have as many of these with MOHAA).

There are some fun moments in this game, but it ends too soon. If you put a high value on fancy graphics and production values this is probably the game for you. If you expect more than that, I'd pass on this title.

9 of 10 found the following review helpful:

2 Stars were generous for this sub-par effort  Jan 06, 2003
By Ben Enns
The words "EA Games" should be enough to summarize my entire review. Another typical EA entry but this time it truly showed who was behind the game. Unlike the original Medal of Honor Allied Assault (MOHAA), which was developed by 2015 studios, Spearhead was entirely created by a special wing of EA Games; quite possibly the recipe for complete disaster.
Tragically the single player was a disaster. "How can he say this about a Medal of Honor game?" you ask. Well, actually it is quite simple. Compared to the original, this expansion lacks in every way possible. The typical approach by a company more concerned about the bottom line than how the game turns out. Playing off the inherent popularity of MOHAA, EA thought that they could save money by doing the entire game on their own this time. What occurred was simply a travesty of the MOHAA name, a series that once boasted about being very "playable". Instead of making a large number of missions that are challenging, but still able to beat in one or two tries; EA reduced the number of missions (and sub-missions) drastically. In order to compensate for this, they turned up the amount and frequency of computer controlled enemies. What they were left with was a horrible (and often unbearable) single player game. Where the player is often forced to run gauntlet after gauntlet of enemy fire...
Conversely, the multiplayer was a very pleasant surprise for me. While the single player left me seething, the multiplayer was a welcome and refreshing change. It is quite obvious where the work was put into this game. Unlike most expansions, Spearhead has undergone a complete facelift and even a little tinkering behind the scenes. The maps are much bigger, and the overall game play is more than satisfying.
In short, if you have a fast internet connection and are willing to shell out for the game you won't be disappointed. However, if you are among those who have played the single player campaign of MOHAA (and are expecting this one to compare) and do not have an internet connection, you will most likely feel cheated out of your money.

6 of 6 found the following review helpful:

The Best in FPS History...  Nov 19, 2002
By Nader Zaidan
Allied Assault Spearhead as well as its predecessor are by far the best shooters I've ever played. Unreal Tournament 2003, for examle, falls short of it, simply because I dislike its style. More specifically, it's too fast paced and you feel like you're a Ferrari and everyone you're trying to shoot are also Ferrari's. It gets VERY frustrating. MOHAA's game speed is perfect for a war FPS. I can't seem to find any flaws in the game. The multiplayer aspect of the game is worth the retail price alone. Sound is the best I've ever heard. VERY addictive gameplay. It's a game that's going to result in forgetting what food is. I also sometimes find myself craving for the gun action in the middle of something I'm doing. Could be kind of scary but what can I do...Buy this game.

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