Medal of Honor: European Assault (Video Game Score)

Review by Thomas Glorieux:

After the departure of half of the entire crew that made Medal of Honor so much beloved over the years (including composer Michael Giacchino), the new game series is trying to improve the matters with simply other names. With Medal of Honor: European Assault they made a promising yet short release that made good things happen in a sadly brief lasting game. The missions were excellent, the pre features of real surviving war veterans was a true calling card to the games authentic look, the gameplay became a thrilling (read more realistic) improvement that made it for playstation matters more interesting and the score by Christopher Lennertz kept growing in the series with a more promising score then his opener Rising Sun and Pacific Assault. As said, its frustrating therefore the game doesn't last long at all, leading the gamer in a short but pleasing war zone and the score that accompanies in an equally too short listen. The score therefore lasts only half of what Giacchino could deliver in his scores, leaving sometimes the development a bit too short to finish it with the final blast. Something that Michael easily could do with ease. However, what European Assault has it advantage to his other 2 scores is a winning main theme. Its wonderful noble heroics was growing over the main menu every time you started the game, leaving you constantly waiting for it finish after minutes. Its a growing elegiac theme that grows over solo trumpets to more orchestral noble intentions and finally to choral majesty, letting the emotional content of the music really soar over the game's intentions. That is found in 'Dogs of War (Main Title)', a real opener. With 'Operation Chariot' comes one of the first and perhaps best action tracks, not really exploding in the Giacchino spirit of bombast, but at times getting close with a brassy enemy theme over whirling strings. He introduces us to more main theme variations in this piece too.

With 'Casualties of War' and the closing 'One Man can Make a Difference' we have the softer, more noble variations on the theme setting a calmer mood down, or its through cello and soft strings or through grows of the brass and choir. 'Redball Express' captures the more expected music with the brass and strings doing what they were doing in other scores too while 'Clearing Tobruk' is a short but pleasing return to more Giacchino flesh out ideas, a marching brass growing piece. Sadly the longest track 'North Africa' is not exploding to anything, at time getting a darker tone and some theme variations but it never becomes more then a light suspense builder. 'The Desert Rats' briefly again puts Giacchiano back at the helm, maraca's setting a couple of Michael's ideas at work (parts of themes he wrote) while 'Russia, 1942' is the best piece of the latter part, setting up the choir with a growing blast of brass to the main theme's pounding galore. 'Battle of the Bulge' never resolves in the finish wanted and expected by the listener, however its nice to have a brief version of Giacchino's Nazi theme in the begin while the suspense music over the theme is making growls but never thrills. Altogether Medal of Honor: European Assault is a good score, a better feeling MOH then Rising Sun but it never explodes into the thrill Michael Giacchino could deliver in one track alone. That was Giacchino's strength, he created for each track sub themes, and he expanded on that theme from begin to the finish, here the finish is at times missing. However, Lennertz wrote a great main theme alone that carries half of the weight and wrote various good pieces around it, perhaps not making the final splash but still creating waves around it that can please many people of the MOH series. Orchestral there is nothing wrong with it and thematically it will please a lot with its performance, only it falls a bit light at the end if you want to compare.

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Tracks

Single Disc

1. Dogs Of War (Main Title) (2.57) Excellent Track

2. Operation Chariot (3.16) Excellent Track

3. Casualties Of War (1.39)

4. Redball Express (3.17)

5. To Stalingrad (3.14)

6. Clearing Tobruk (2.05)

7. North Africa (5.21)

8. The Desert Rats (2.18)

9. Russia, 1942 (2.16) Excellent Track

10. Battle Of The Bulge (4.15)

11. One Man Can Make A Difference (2.09)

Total Length: 33.12

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