The first thing worth noting in the gameplay department, is simply the massive size of the battle; as Tommy and his squad are landing on the island, there are already dozens of soldiers from other units doing the same thing, and they're not all alive at this point either. Once you make it ashore, Tommy and his squad get to go head to head with the Japanese forces, powered by a rather impressive and realistic AI. Among the features of MoH:PA's AI subsystem is the use of more dynamic abilities in place of more traditional scripting, allowing players to experience a different game every time. The AI also has its roots in realism, with Japanese players charging at you with their bayonets as a last ditch effort to save the island.

The game also stresses realism through its morale system, which affects how the AI players act. If something happens to drop morale(such as the death of a commanding officer), the AI players aren't as willing to fight to the death. The AI also recognizes targets of opportunity, such as the benefits of taking out your medic, so protecting the medic is critical if you want to be able to get guys healed and back on the field; the medic can heal you, but you can't bring back a dead medic.