Men of Valor

Men of Valor
Developer(s)	2015, Inc.
Publisher(s)	Vivendi Universal Games[a]
Director(s)	John Whitmore
Designer(s)	Kris Jackson
Programmer(s)	Mike Ramsey
Artist(s)	Curtis Cannell Matthew A. Campbell
Composer(s)	Inon Zur
Engine	Unreal Engine 2
Platform(s)	Xbox, Windows
Release	Xbox NA: October 19, 2004[2] PAL: November 5, 2004[1] Windows NA: October 26, 2004[4] PAL: November 12, 2004[3]
Genre(s)	First-person shooter
Mode(s)	Single-player, multiplayer

Men of Valor is a first-person shooter video game developed by 2015, Inc. and published by Vivendi Universal Games for the Microsoft Windows and Xbox platforms. Men of Valor is based on the Unreal Engine 2 and simulates infantry combat during the Vietnam War, more specifically, the Tet Offensive in 1968. The game was released in 2004 to mostly positive reviews.

Plot

The story of Men of Valor follows Dean Shepard and his squad of Marines from the 3rd Battalion of the 3rd Marine Division in 1968, through sixteen missions during the Vietnam War including missions at the height of the Tet Offensive. In historically-based scenarios, the player assumes a variety of roles in which they man the door gun on a Huey helicopter, steer a riverboat along enemy-infested shores, battle their way through enemy tunnel complexes, and call down fire as a forward observer. Mission types include pilot rescues, recon patrols, POW rescue, and search-and-destroy ops, all typical objectives throughout the offensive. Between missions are film clips in both Black and White and Colour showcasing the real war, a similar approach to most WWII games at the time.

Development

Men of Valor was developed by 2015, Inc. shortly after work finished on Medal of Honor: Allied Assault.

Reception

Reception

Aggregate score

Aggregator	Score
	PC	Xbox
Metacritic	71/100[24]	73/100[25]

Review scores

Publication	Score
	PC	Xbox
Computer Games Magazine	[5]	N/A
Computer Gaming World	[6]	N/A
Electronic Gaming Monthly	N/A	6.5/10[7]
Eurogamer	N/A	6/10[8]
Game Informer	N/A	7.75/10[9]
GamePro	[10]	[11]
GameRevolution	C+[12]	C+[12]
GameSpot	7.9/10[13]	7.9/10[14]
GameSpy	[15]	[16]
GameZone	8.8/10[17]	7.9/10[18]
IGN	6.8/10[19]	7.8/10[20]
Official Xbox Magazine (US)	N/A	6.8/10[21]
PC Gamer (US)	58%[22]	N/A
The Sydney Morning Herald	[23]	[23]

The game received "mixed or average reviews" on both platforms according to the review aggregation website Metacritic, with 73/100 for Xbox and 71/100 for Microsoft Windows. The game was praised for its story, character development, setting, gameplay, and atmosphere, but was also criticized for its voice acting, unreliable checkpoint system, and frequent difficulty spikes.^[24][25]

Eurogamer gave the title 6/10, stating: "The net result for the makers of Medal Of Honor is a game that's a pleasantly unpleasant diversion from old WW2 glories, yet evidently not the triple A game Vivendi Universal would have been hoping for. Still, Men Of Valor is a solid, enjoyable and challenging Vietnam take on the sort of scripted cinematic shooters that the public evidently love to death."^[8]

IGN gave the PC version 6.8/10 and the Xbox version 7.8/10.

References

1. "What's New? [date mislabeled "June 10, 2005"]". Eurogamer.net. November 5, 2004. Archived from the original on May 10, 2023. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
2. Adams, David (October 19, 2004). "Valor in Vietnam". IGN. Archived from the original on May 5, 2023. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
3. "What's New? [date mislabeled "November 15, 2004"]". Eurogamer.net. November 12, 2004. Archived from the original on March 26, 2023. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
4. Adams, David (October 26, 2004). "Men of Valor Moves Out". IGN. Archived from the original on May 5, 2023. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
5. "Review: Men of Valor". Computer Games Magazine. No. 170. theGlobe.com. January 2005. p. 68.
6. Chick, Tom (January 2005). "Men of Valor" (PDF). Computer Gaming World. No. 247. Ziff Davis. pp. 94–95. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 5, 2020. Retrieved August 13, 2017.
7. EGM staff (December 2004). "Men of Valor (Xbox)". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 185. Ziff Davis. p. 162.
8. Reed, Kristan (November 4, 2004). "Men Of Valor (Xbox)". Eurogamer. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on August 13, 2017. Retrieved August 13, 2017.
9. Kato, Matthew (November 2004). "Men of Valor (Xbox)". Game Informer. No. 139. GameStop. p. 162. Archived from the original on April 9, 2008. Retrieved August 12, 2017.
10. Bones (December 9, 2004). "Men of Valor Review for PC on GamePro.com". GamePro. IDG Entertainment. Archived from the original on February 7, 2005. Retrieved August 13, 2017.
11. "Men of Valor (Xbox)". GamePro. IDG Entertainment. December 2004. p. 104.
12. Sanders, Shawn (November 3, 2004). "Men of Valor Review". GameRevolution. CraveOnline. Archived from the original on September 10, 2015. Retrieved August 13, 2017.
13. Wolpaw, Erik (October 28, 2004). "Men of Valor Review (PC)". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on August 13, 2017. Retrieved August 12, 2017.
14. Wolpaw, Erik (October 22, 2004). "Men of Valor Review (Xbox)". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on August 13, 2017. Retrieved August 12, 2017.
15. Osborne, Scott (November 17, 2004). "GameSpy: Men of Valor (PC)". GameSpy. IGN Entertainment. Archived from the original on August 13, 2017. Retrieved August 13, 2017.
16. Tuttle, Will (October 25, 2004). "GameSpy: Men of Valor (Xbox)". GameSpy. IGN Entertainment. Archived from the original on December 26, 2005. Retrieved August 13, 2017.
17. Hopper, Steven (October 25, 2004). "Men of Valor – PC – Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on June 8, 2008. Retrieved August 13, 2017.
18. Hopper, Steven (October 18, 2004). "Men of Valor – XB – Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on July 6, 2008. Retrieved August 13, 2017.
19. Perry, Douglass C.; McNamara, Tom (October 26, 2004). "Men of Valor (PC)". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on August 13, 2017. Retrieved August 13, 2017.
20. Perry, Douglass C. (October 19, 2004). "Men of Valor (Xbox)". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on August 13, 2017. Retrieved August 13, 2017.
21. "Men of Valor". Official Xbox Magazine. Imagine Media. December 2004. p. 68.
22. "Men of Valor". PC Gamer. Vol. 12, no. 1. Imagine Media. January 2005. p. 86.
23. Ring, Bennett (February 5, 2005). "Vietnam all over again". The Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Media. Archived from the original on August 4, 2017. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
24. "Men of Valor for PC Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on August 10, 2017. Retrieved August 12, 2017.
25. "Men of Valor for Xbox Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on June 15, 2017. Retrieved August 12, 2017.

1. Released in PAL regions under the Sierra Entertainment brand name.

External links

• Official website via Internet Archive
• Men of Valor at MobyGames