Previously known as Medal of Honor: Dogs of War until translation issues reared their ugly heads, Medal of Honor: European Assault isn't just the latest game in the long line of EA's World War II-themed shooters. The Medal of Honor franchise will celebrate its sixth birthday this year, and with that maturity the developers at EA feel that it's long since due that the series' gameplay grows as well. So while the console-only European Assault will look to keep the authentic and intense World War II action that Medal of Honor is known for, it will also ditch some of the heavily scripted linearity that's been a part of every game in the series to date. The result promises to be a Medal of Honor where you have more freedom on a chaotic battlefield that is more dangerous than ever.

European Assault will take you to the lesser-known battles of World War II.

European Assault will explore some of the more shadowy events of World War II, covering some battles that you may not have heard of while also portraying more well-known battles from a different perspective. As is usual with Medal of Honor, all the battles in the game will be based on actual historical events, covering the wide range of the war with battles in France, North Africa, and Belgium. You'll play as William Holt, an American officer and a member of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), the precursor to today's Central Intelligence Agency. As a soldier spy, your job is to accompany Allied troops in battle and search for valuable intelligence that could be used to shorten the war. This will lead to the game's multitiered objective system. In each mission, you and your men have a primary military objective to accomplish, such as blow up a fuel depot, as well as secondary objectives that may come up during the course of battle. On top of those objectives, there are also hidden, tertiary objectives, which will allow you to indulge the OSS side of your character. This will involve locating valuable pieces of intelligence that will help piece together the game's overarching story, which revolves around German attempts to turn the tide of the war.

As a member of the OSS, you'll get to go along on some of the more obscure battles of the war, such as the British commando raid on St. Nazaire in 1942. The purpose of the raid was to destroy the only drydock in the region large enough to service the Tirpitz, Germany's feared battleship. The audacious plan involved packing hundreds of pounds of explosives as well as a couple of hundred commandos aboard a disguised freighter. The ship rammed into the drydock at night, the commandos battled their way onto shore to destroy valuable equipment, and then, after withdrawing to the safety of other British vessels, blew up the freighter. In European Assault's version of the battle, you'll lead a party of commandos ashore and onto the naval facility, which is part of the drydock. And it's at this point that we should probably note how European Assault will differ from earlier Medal of Honor games.

EA likes to compare the earlier Medal of Honor games to roller coasters. In other words, they are thrilling, highly scripted affairs that manipulate your emotions and take you for a wild ride. However, like roller coasters, those games play out exactly the same way every time. In comparison, EA says that European Assault is a theme park, and that's because EA is embracing the idea of open battlefields. Instead of taking part in a very linear experience that propels you forward in only one direction, you'll have more control over where you go on the battlefield. EA's idea is to create missions that take place on large levels that offer multiple objectives and places to go while leaving the decision making to you.

The open battlefield will let you choose where to go next, but rest assured, there will be something to do.

In the St. Nazaire mission, for example, you'll fight your way off the boat and then decide whether you wish to advance along the left side of the base, charge through the middle, or skirt along the seaward side. Depending on which route you choose, you'll have different obstacles, choices, and challenges to overcome. For instance, go up the middle and you may be ordered to take out antiaircraft guns on the roof of a building, whereas if you head right you'll have to take out shore batteries firing on British destroyers. Once you accomplish those tasks, you'll again get to choose where to go next. As you can probably tell, this branching structure will give you a lot more sense of being in control of your destiny rather than following a straight line, not to mention that it will give the game a whole lot more replayability.