Cynics might see the re-emergence of EA's
Medal of Honor franchise as an attempt by the company to cash in on the
success of Activision's Call of Duty. You can definitely see some of the
Duty influence in Medal's slick production values, cinematic sequences and
fast-moving gameplay. However, Medal of Honor takes a slightly different
approach to its recreation of modern war that marks it as a unique
experience. Instead of the hyper-pumped action movie approach, Medal of
Honor's basis in reality is much more evident. The game uses a real world
conflict (the war on terror in Afghanistan) as its basic premise which is
evident right away. Even more dramatic is its use of realistic fighting
and combat tactics. Instead of putting you in the role of a normal
soldier, the game has you in the element of an elite force of combat
operatives known as Tier One. These soldiers represent the military's best
of the best, the absolute peak soldiers who know how to spearhead combat
operations. Your mission is to locate and eliminate the entrenched Taliban
and Al-Queda forces while collecting intelligence on their activities.
Missions unfold during a series of chapters that take place in different
locations, ranging from villages to airfields and other sections of the
country. Its an interesting approach to set the entire game during this
single war, but it works to create a coherent storyline that keeps you
engaged throughout. It doesn't mean that the game lacks variety, with
missions that take place in different locations such as valleys and
villages, urban areas and armed camps you won't get bored. There are also
day and night missions, plus different weather to encounter, which gives
Medal of Honor a surprising amount of depth.
As a member of Tier One code-named
Rabbit, you are expected to perform above and beyond what other soldiers
can accomplish. Given these requirements, its not surprising that the
missions you encounter are a bit more elaborate and interesting than
normal shooters offer. During the single player missions, you have to
simultaneously attack and blend in with the enemy Taliban forces then turn
around and attack them. This requires you and your fellow Tier One ops to
complete elaborate missions with multiple objectives. You can't go in with
guns blazing all the time and there is an element of stealth you need to
achieve in order to catch the enemies off-guard. For example, this means
you have to move quietly in the darkness, sneak up on foes and then launch
your attack. In turns, the game also delivers some fairly blistering
combat sequences as well, with extended duration combat where you have to
survive while being pinned down by mortar fire or escape from sudden
ambushes. The enemy forces are surprisingly intelligent and attack you
from all directions, which means you have to find cover and use it
extensively in order to survive. However, players will also contend with
destructible objects. Bullets can reduce the cover certain objects such as
tires offer, this makes for a more realistic combat experience that allows
the enemy to chip away at your position once they locate your operatives.
This mechanic is fairly traditional by FPS standards, but the developers
keep things realistic by using real-world combat maneuvers. It's difficult
to get through the missions without getting hit by enemy fire at least
once. Fortunately, all shots aren't fatal and you can recharge your energy
by finding cover and resting for a few moments. However, you aren't
invincible and can be put down by multiple shots or a nearby grenade. This
could be frustrating, but the single player mode offers frequent save
points that offer the chance to respawn close to where you left off.
Instead of giving players weapons that
seem out of place, and marking up a too-elaborate storyline, Medal of
Honor sticks to the basics. You can choose a variety of real-world weapons
and their shooting mechanics are fairly straightforward. There's a limited
amount of ammo at your disposal and you have to fire wisely or find
yourself defenseless. In addition, you also have a limited number of
grenades that you can throw at opponents. When you encounter a fallen
soldier, you can pick up their weapons and any extra ammo they have, which
is another FPS type of thing. You need to be careful since the opponents'
weapons aren't always as effective as yours. Its on-ground FPS action is
fairly good and you'll battle a traditional set of enemies that seem to
pop-out at you from every direction - there are a seemingly endless supply
of foes to blockade your progress. Mission objectives are typically
clearly defined and you can usually tell which direction to head by the
position of your team members. The FPS action is solidly executed with
excellent set-pieces, such as an elaborate confrontation where you have to
take out an encamped tower-based machine gun or take over an enemy
air-traffic base that brings some expertly designed combat sequences into
play. However, Medal of Honor is more than just a boots on the ground
experience. There are some sequences that require you to call in air
strikes. This is done using a set of binoculars and targeting enemy forces
such as tanks. This needs to be done quickly or else these opponents will
unleash heavy fire on your forces. When you're in this mode, you also need
to account for the slight delay in getting the bombs to blow up the
opponents, while also working quickly to avoid needless combat. The game
also includes some missions where you need to drive an ATV through the
night undetected. Unfortunately, the driving sequences fall a little bit
flat since the vehicles are hard to control and seem to wave around too
much. That said, Medal of Honor's single-player gameplay is generally
solid throughout as the combat missions unfold at a fast pace throughout
with only the occasional interruption for a cinematic sequence that moves
the plot forward efficiently.
While Medal of Honor's single-player
experience delivers a cinematic exploration of clandestine, anti-terror
operations, the game also includes an elaborate multiplayer mode. Since
the online portion of the game was developed by DICE, you'd expect a solid
multiplayer component and Medal of Honor delivers a solid, if uninspired
online experience. What's most interesting about the online modes is its
ranking system. You begin at the bottom of the ladder and can work your
way up to the Tier One level. In the online mode, there are three basic
types of players you can use: Riflemen, who are the basic soldiers who
carry basic weapons. The next type are Special Ops who are experts in
close-range combat and finally Snipers who sit behind enemy lines and can
use their goggles to call in strikes or take out enemies from a distance.
Each type of player has their own advantages and weaknesses in online
play, which means you'll need to discover which one is the right match for
your skills. The online player starts with a basic weapon and can unlock
stronger ones as they win matches and earn medals. Medal of Honor's
ranking system comes into play after each match, and the game keeps track
of your medals ribbons and overall ranking, which allows you to unlock
additional weapons. The half-dozen maps on offer are fairly decent and
mirror the settings seen in the main storyline. These include mountainous
regions, the ruins of the Afghan city Kandahar, deadly valley encounters
and more. Each map in online mode is expertly rendered and has the sleek
production values and polish seen in the main game. Medal of Honor keeps
the realism here as well, with the same weapons and tactics you see in the
main game.
The
half-dozen or so included maps makes for a fairly large battlefield and
most players will have little trouble traversing them. There's a good
cross-section of level types with different maps assigned for specific
game modes. For example, you can choose to frag each orher in open areas
for all out combat and more closed-in sections where strategic warfare and
team tactics are more important. Several online modes are available
including one that's very close to the single player game. This is called
Combat Mission and the objective is to complete five tasks in a row while
the opposition tries to stop you. True to life, the objectives that you
need to complete change from map to map and include securing areas,
cleaning out opponents and reaching the enemy camp. Another interesting
mode is the Sector Control variation where you have to fight with an
opposing team to secure three sections of the map, which is a more
elaborate version of capture the flag made more interesting by the
requirement that players can secure these sections faster by bringing in
additional support troops. The online mode is fairly easy to set up and
use and we found that it operated smoothly with little lag and only the
occasional glitch. Medal of Honor's online mode is excellent and gives you
the feel of actually commanding an elite force. This is enhanced by the
fact that its modes can support anywhere from 2 to 24 players at once,
which gives you a full compliment of soldiers at your side.
Whether you're playing online or in solo
mode, Medal of Honor delivers a consistently excellent experience as far
as aesthetics are concerned. The rendering of the various locations in
Afghanistan is excellent with brilliantly realized locations that feel
realistic and authentic. Its character models are superb with your forces
and enemy combatants moving realistically through the various levels. The
varied set-pieces and locations look quite convincing throughout and its
this attention to detail that makes Medal of Honor so much fun to play.
The action moves at a fairly consistent frame rate throughout and the
various special effects, such as massive explosions and jets flying
overhead are quite effective. There are some areas that feel a little
glitchy or under-done, such as large empty sections of the map where
there's almost nothing to see. These sections show a few rough edges, and
feel a little bit rushed. The game does a decent job overall and its
variety of locations is impressive. Medal of Honor's excellent sound
effects are likewise superb with the sounds of gunfire and cross-talk from
your fellow soldiers effectively creating an ambience of war. The game's
mixture of action and stealth creates some tense moments where you wait to
be discovered, knowing that full-bore combat will be unleashed the second
the enemy knows you're there. Snaking through the dense mountains while
avoiding detection makes for another key element that makes the game feel
realistic, but there's definitely an element of quasi-realism in the way
that things are structured that makes things a bit too predictable in some
ways, while almost becoming completely unpredictable in others.
Medal of Honor's mission objectives are
very straightforward and the game's linear design and level mapping
approach means that there aren't very many surprises or branches to keep
things interesting. The other soldiers on your team are usually effective
in the more straightforward sections but you can't rely on them during the
more complex areas. For example, they aren't very good at close combat and
the opponents can penetrate your perimeter without much effort. This can
make for a frustrating experience at points that becomes less realistic.
Medal of Honor also suffers from some very poorly designed section and
sub-par AI appears at some points that leaves you defenseless when there
are too many opponents and not enough allies nearby. There were some
instances where the game would seemingly lock up and your soldiers would
stand by and would do nothing while you can under attack. Despite these
flaws, the game was mostly solid and offered a fairly interesting and
immersive combat experience. While its gameplay balance isn't quite as
polished or smooth as the recent Call of Duty, this is still a reasonably
entertaining shooter with an interesting single player campaign. Its solid
multiplayer modes offer a challenging experience with an interesting
ranking feature that keeps you motivated to keep playing. There are
definitely faults with the design that detract from its overall quality,
but EA and DICE have done an overall solid job in contemporizing the
long-running combat franchise for the HD era.
-
Michael Palisano
