Medal of Honor

Alright folks, here it is. A look into the FPS that looks to take over Modern Warfare's crown.

Before I begin, I'd like to make two points, for you fanboys.

A) Being a Call of Duty game doesn't make it good. Put the Kool-Aid down.

B) NOT being a Call of Duty game doesn't make it bad. Grow up and think for yourself.

And yes, I know I said I have zero respect for EA. But I was interested in the game before EA copped out, so I agreed to give the game itself a fair crack.

So here we go, my review of Medal of Honor.

Storyline - 3/5

The one thing I give EA credit for is being ballsy enough to even release this game. If anyone knows about a game called Six Days In Fallujah by Konami, you know what I'm talking about. For those that don't, either Google it or look it up on Wikipedia.

The game takes place in current-day Afghanistan, around the start of the current war. You assume the role of a soldier in different branches such as the Army Rangers, Navy SEALs, Special Forces group known as Wolfpack, and a couple other minor roles, as well.

The game actually opens at the beginning of a mission near the end of the game, and almost the entire storyline is spent telling you how it got to that point. On the bad side, the storyline is pretty predictable. On the good side, the the way the story and the missions unravel is not. Still, you're not gonna find a whole lot of stuff you haven't seen before here.

Graphics - 4/5

Visually, the game is stunning. Everything looks authentic. Guns, vehicles, armor, environments, everything looks like it was taken from real life and put directly into the game.

There's little to dislike about the visuals, only that sometimes the characters seem kind of dull and emotionless. Now I know that they're soldiers, but they don't even seem happy when celebrating a victory or upset when they're backed into a corner. I also noticed some minor graphical glitches here and there, but they were extremely minor, and most people probably won't even catch them at all.

Just about everything else is stellar, however. Explosions are gorgeous, realistic muzzle flashes, Night-Vision Goggle effects, even the optic white-out when an enemy uses a flare with NODs on, and the temporary disorientation that comes with taking them off afterwards. Even stabbing an enemy with a knife is satisfying, watching the looks of surprise and horror as their eyes roll back and they crumple to the floor.

Audio - 4/5

The audio is probably one of the more pleasant aspects of the game. Even though music is kept to a minimum, it always seems to fit in to where they put it. Hearing Linkin Park's "The Catalyst" was a pleasant treat, as well.

Yes, I like Linkin Park.

No, I'm not Emo.

Shut the hell up.

And stop laughing.

Voice acting is surprisingly good, and even though I won't even pretend to know what an "Oscar Mike" or a "Whiskey Tango" is, the game actually does a great job of making me feel like I do. Communication between squadmates is top-notch. Even if they don't show emotion on their faces, you can hear it through the urgency and the diligence in the voices. Be it Dusty's warming encouragement, or Mother's smartass comments, it's all fun to listen to.

Gun experts will really appreciate how each gun sounds like its real world counterpart. If you're able to tell the difference in real life, you'll be able to tell whether you're being shot at with an AK-47, or an AKS-74u, even when you're cooped up behind a rock for cover. From an M9 handgun to the RPG, everything has its place.

Gameplay - 3/5

The game is your standard First-Person Shooter, with firing and aiming being on the shoulder buttons, along with throwing grenades. On the face, you have the left side D-Pad for changing your optics, switching to your "Noob Tube", alternate firing modes, and what have you. Right side has the typical jump/reload/other context sensitive action. Left stick for movement, right stick for aiming, with pressing the stick in for your melee attack.

Starting to sound familiar? Good. You're not retarded. You've seen this all before, nobody's re-inventing the wheel here.

Controls are tight and responsive, doing what you need it to do at any given time, be it stabbing, shooting, aiming, or painting targets with the SOFLAM. It all works pretty well, with all the events put together, so that nothing feels old or repetitive.

The single player campaign was a little disappointing at about 8-10 hours, depending on skill level and difficulty setting. But, then again. If you shell out $60 for a First-Person Shooter JUST to play the single-player campaign, well... There's something to be said about a fool and his money.

Now, HERE's where it becomes hit-or-miss for most people. The Multiplayer.
Multiplayer gives you your choice of three classes: Assault, Spec-Ops, or Sniper.
Assault, like its namesake, is built for assault, using assault rifles, machine guns, and
other heavy weapons. Spec-Ops is the close-combat class, favoring shotguns and machine pistols. Sniper is, naturally, the long-range specialist, using battle rifles and sniper rifles from afar to pick his foes off. Each class gathers experience independently of each other, unlocking new weapons and equipment mods for that specific class.

The game has several multiplayer modes, including the classic Team Combat, where you try and rack up more points than the opposing team. Combat Mission, which has players trying to accomplish multiple goals on the same map while the opposing team attempts to foil them, usually with a violent and painful death. And there's also Sector Control, which has the two sides fighting to gain control of three sectors. Each mode presents its own challenge and fun factor.

Combat rewards come in the form of scorechains where you have to score a specific amount of points through either assisting with kills, making kills, or accomplishing combat missions. The actual rewards can be artillery strikes, UAVs for recon, radar jamming, or upgrades to armor and/or ammunition for your teammates. Once you earn a reward, you keep it until you use it. It doesn't disappear when you die, although you will have to restart your scorechain from the beginning.

Military fanatics and advanced FPS players will probably enjoy the multiplayer, but casual gamers and fans of the Rambo-style "Spray and Pray" tactics may find themselves frustrated by the steep learning curve.

Now, you may wonder why I didn't put a single Call of Duty comparison in there. Well, the answer is easy... It's NOT CALL OF DUTY. It is its own game, and deserves to be treated as such, hence my two points before the review even started. I feel it's important to judge a game for what it is, not what people think it should be. I think that's why some games get judged more harshly than others. I'll bet $100 that if Infinity Ward made this and Slapped Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 on the cover, people would eat it up. But that's why I'm here. To seperate the fanboyism from facts, and show things for what they are.

Score

Storyline - 3/5 Pretty decent story, if generic and predictible, carried by some memorable characters.

Graphics - 4/5 Visually remarkable, with all the weapons, equipment, vehicles, etc. very authentic-looking, but dull character models and some glitching mar the potential perfection.

Audio - 4/5 Next to no music, but sheer excellence where it is. Great voice acting and realistic weapon effects are a treat for the ears.

Gameplay 3/5 Disappointingly short campaign, with love-it-or-hate-it multiplayer.
Multiplayer is great for veterans of FPS games and military fans, but lesser-skilled or casual players may get burned too many times to be fun.

Total - 14/20

At its core, Medal of Honor is a good game that deserves a rental at the very least, especially from anyone who is a fan of Military or FPS games. The single player campaign is decent enough and the Tier 1 mode may enhance play time if you like a challenge.

If you think you have what it takes, give Multiplayer a shot. But if you're not a team player, or if you like to rush in, guns blazing like some kind of lame 90's action hero...
Well, you can either adapt or get used to taking sniper bullets to the face.

As usual, if you have any questions, comments, constructive criticism, or would like me to review a game for you. Drop me a line at grifsgamereviews(at)gmail(dot)com. There's also a donation button if you feel like helping out.

Thanks for reading, and look forward to my next review!