Reinforcing authenticity within World War II videogame franchise

May 23, 2006 14:19 GMT  ·  By

Electronic Arts and the Jeep brand announced that they have signed a deal that will give gamers a chance to experience Jeep vehicles in Medal of Honor Airborne as they were found in World War II. The classic Willys-Overland Jeep will appear for extended, action-packed sequences in several missions of Medal of Honor Airborne.

Medal of Honor Airborne is the newest installment from EA's critically-acclaimed Medal of Honor franchise which was credited with pioneering the First-Person Shooter WWII genre when it debuted in 1999, and is the best selling WWII FPS franchise of all time. By fully controlling the airdrop from the very first step through landing, Medal of Honor Airborne adds a new dimension of player choice by letting the player decide where every mission begins and how it plays out. Building on the key tenets of the franchise including historical accuracy, research, and authenticity, for the first time Medal of Honor Airborne will include fully player-drivable vehicles, including the Willys Jeep.

Jeep played an integral role in the war effort as an indispensable tool in tracking the enemy, exchanging information and moving troops. Over 350,000 Willys Jeep vehicles were built and used during WWII, and at one point the assembly line was pushing out one vehicle every 90 seconds.

When driving a Willys Jeep in Medal of Honor Airborne, the player can choose to use it as a mode of transportation, or as a mobile attack platform taking full advantage of a variety of mounted weapons. Authentic to their use in WWII, the Willys Jeep will be able to access more areas than the other drivable vehicles featured in Medal of Honor Airborne, because of Jeep vehicle's superior four-wheel drive off-road capabilities.

As the first game in the Medal of Honor series to be released on next generation platforms, Medal of Honor Airborne is being developed under the EA brand for the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 2, Xbox 360 and Windows PC.