Electronic Arts and the Jeep (the brand) just inked a partnership deal that will give gamers a chance to "experience" World War II-era Jeeps (those be the Willys-Overland ones that were actually used as hardcore off-road workhorses, not the modern soccer mom jobbies by Chrysler) in the forthcoming Medal of Honor Airborne game.

In real life, the Willys Jeep played an essential role in the war effort as an indispensable tool in scouting, intel running, moving troops, and, quite likely, getting-the-hell-outta-there. In fact, over 350,000 Willys Jeep vehicles were built and used during WWII; at one point the assembly line was pushing out one bare-bones bad-boy stomper every 90 seconds. In virtual reality life, players will get to drive a Willys Jeep in Medal of Honor Airborne if they so choose it as a mode of transportation, or use it as a mobile attack platform with its 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. Eg, your tank might hang up or bottom out where a Jeep will not. Pretty sweet.

Medal of Honor Airborne is being developed for the PlayStation2, PlayStation3, Xbox 360, and Windows PC by EA Los Angeles (EALA) and is expected to be available later this year. More info at www.moh.ea.com.