Not that I have anything against the place, mind you. Some of my fondest gaming memories entailed battling through famed Normandy strongholds like Utah Beach and Sainte-Mere-Eglise (Call of Duty anyone?) so I approached this latest Half-Life 2 total-conversion WWII mod with an open mind. Would it bring something new to the table? Read on and find out.
Resistance and Liberation Alpha 2 Demo (Half-Life 2)
According to its release notes, the goal of the Resistance and Liberation Mod is to convincingly portray the events and actions taken by the 82nd Airborne during its chaotic tour through Normandy in June of 1944. I can't really speak for the veracity of this claim (historical perspective is hard to quantify when a bunch of online strangers keep shooting at you) but this early-stage 438MB download certainly does a nice job with its maps, graphics and weapons modeling.
The initial multiplayer-only alpha release features three maps -- Ste. Marie du Mont, Ste. Come du Mont, and La Fiere -- where the 82nd Airborne (and 101st Airborne) fought pitched battles with the defending Germans in the early hours of June 6th, 1944. Each map displays impressive detail with authentic-looking stone buildings, village squares, and bombed-out roadways littered with dead German tanks and half-tracks.
What sets RnL apart from most Half-Life 2 add-ons is its unflinching dedication to realism. While most WWII realism mods eschew conventional FPS targeting crosshairs for old-fashioned iron sights, this mod takes the "no aids" concept much further by stripping the HUD away altogether. There are no more mini-maps, health bars, or ammo counts to keep you in the loop and, if you hit someone, no messages to tell you whether you shot an enemy or an ally. With no compass or directional locator, players may also have to communicate with their NCO (who does carry a map) to determine their current location. There are also no death messages so you can never be sure if that enemy you blasted through the fence is dead or just playing possum.
RnL doesn't feature any vehicular combat -- so no tank battles -- and the weapons variety is pretty basic by modern FPS standards (although more guns are expected in future updates). Allied paratroopers currently carry a standard loadout of M1, Thompson, and Browning rifles and sub-machine guns while German troops defend with MP40 and Karabiner small arms. You can aim your weapon from one of three positions -- hip, shoulder, or iron sights -- and toggle between the three with a quick spin of the mouse wheel.
