PRESENTATION
The Medal of Honor series is a staple of the World War II shooter. From the early PlayStation days to the PC-exclusive Allied Assault to the WWII swan song Airborne, the series has seen many iterations in that particular theatre of war. Now, new developer Danger Close and publisher EA have decided to take the series into the new millennia, focusing on a disparate setting. The simply named reboot Medal of Honor takes place in Afghanistan and focuses on Tier 1 operators, military serviceman who went behind enemy lines and on secret op missions in order to seize Taliban authority. As part of the ongoing War on Terror, we play through scenarios from the perspective of those soldiers, and their fight to thwart the Afghan threat. Danger Close have frequently stressed the predominant focus on the Tier 1 soldiers and their fight, and here it is established very well. The setting, the atmosphere, the enemy and the personnel make this is a refreshing and authentic change not just for the Medal of Honor series, but for the modern shooters as a whole. It strips back the noisy, bombastic scenarios of Call of Duty in favour of a well-paced and sometimes tense experience, and for the most part, it succeeds handily. Thanks to its good presentation, great sound design and solid combat, Medal of Honor does the decade-long series proud.
Medal of Honor's visual design is, for the most part, quite impressive. Though night-time levels look minimalistic, its the day missions that provide the graphic quality, with great lighting, solid textures and some fantastic explosions. Hampered only by framerate drops, heavy screen-tearing in some areas and less than inspired animations, Medal of Honor still impresses. This extends to the audio design, too, which features great gun effects, intense explosions and a great soundtrack that punctuates powerful moments throughout the six-hour campaign.
GAMEPLAY
Medal of Honor relies on gameplay mechanics that are very familiar by today's standards. However, the change in setting and refreshing change in enemy presence make it more interesting. The gunplay is actually solid, with some good weapons and tense encounters. The Taliban can prove a resilient threat, forcing you to stick to cover regularly and take pot-shots, which are effective with your capable NPC allies. The controls work well and the level design is decent, albeit sometimes narrow and forced. This is a great setting and the later missions prove that point, with some memorable sequences such as a last stand amidst an overwhelming barrage of enemies, an impressive mission behind enemy lines using buggies and a tense retreat to an extraction point gone sideways. These are thrilling moments, and I'm glad Danger Close nailed most of the potential this game had. There are some criticisms, however. There are situations where enemies will disregard cover and run straight at you, which often breaks the immersion. There are also times when you'll be fired at from all directions and have no idea who is shooting at you, which can be a little confusing. These are small complaints though, and Medal of Honor is a mostly solid shooter regardless.
REPLAYABILITY
Though it is six hours long, Medal of Honor is still an impressive campaign with some powerful moments. The multiplayer, on the other hand, feels substantially different from the single player. Developed by Battlefield veteran DICE, the online component is a decent adversary to the offline experience. With three classes - Rifleman, Special Ops and Sniper - players work towards levelling up while venturing through the game's four modes: Combat Mission, Team Assault, Sector Control and Objective Raid. I didn't find it to be the best online offering, but its a decent companion to the campaign, however forgettable it may be afterwards.
SUMMARY
Presentation 8.0
Gameplay 8.0
Replayability 7.5
Overall - 8/10