World War II shooters used to be the trend with last generation’s system, where a WWII game would be released with many others trying to copy it. Now, today, and probably for the future, it seems as we are in the same spot; but instead of WWII games, we are getting a fair amount of modern warfare games. After a few blunders in recent years, EA tries to revive the highly-acclaimed Medal of Honor franchise known for its WWII prowess and cinematic experience. Medal of Honor for the PS3 is franchise’s first game to dabble into modern day warfare. This game was developed by two different developers using two different engines for single player and multiplayer. Single player was developed by Danger Close using the Unreal engine and multiplayer portion was created by DICE utilizing their Frostbite engine which they created for Battlefield games; recently Battlefield: Bad Company. Medal of Honor has the story following a variety of soldiers in the Middle East through intense, realistic missions which were created with the help of actual elite soldiers of the U.S. Armed Forces. Can the Medal of Honor franchise take back the king’s throne of the FPS war genre from games like Call of Duty?

Danger Close, the developer of the single player campaign, chose to take a more serious approach to present day combat. Medal of Honor definitely does manage to distinguish itself from its obvious competition that exaggerates on the story a bit. Add to that a multiplayer portion developed by the established reliable team at DICE and you are left with not only a product that can survive in such a competitive atmosphere but also a game that could stand up through time until the next game in the series comes out. But can it?

The story comes in at around six hours long and filled to the walls with scripted events and serious linear level design. Medal of Honor’s single player campaign does sound very similar to Call of Duty’s on paper, but the thing that sets it apart the pledge to create a more realistic game that depicts the lives and bravery of today’s soldiers in the Middle East. By setting the game in Afghanistan and building the story around the current war, Medal of Honor immediately has the potential for more emotions flying around. This dedication to a war currently being has led Danger Close to create a campaign that has a tactical approach to action than competitors. The story sees you fighting the battle from numerous different perspectives: a Navy Seal, a US Army Ranger, an Apache gunner or as a fabled Tier 1 Operator. Medal of Honor does a great job of explaining how each group’s actions fit into the larger scale battle at hand. It’s charging in head first as a US Army Ranger or taking a more measured, professional approach as a Tier 1 Operator, Medal of Honor successfully distinguishes each group by bringing attention to their specific skills and aims. Medal of Honor may attempt to be a more meaningful game than its competitors, but, enemies still spawn and attack at an almost laughable rate. It feels as though it’s whack-a-mole with a hide behind cover system, and shoot the terrorist when he pops his head up. Very repetitive.

Danger Close’s choice to use Unreal Engine 3 doesn’t help the game out either. While the engine is great, UE3 simply doesn’t go well with the long draw distances required throughout much of Medal of Honor’s campaign. The graphics of the terrain and a handful of textures look terrible compared to other games. Medal of Honor’s single player campaign has high production values at every turn but it’s just a shame that these values aren’t matched by a level of polish required to make this technically solid game a technically great one.

For the majority of gamers out there, it’ll be the games multiplayer component that will keep them playing in the long run. Although Medal of Honor is on the same engine as Bad Company 2, it doesn’t have the level of destruction. It does run smoothly, and looks a lot better than the single player. It definitely does feel a little too familiar to Bad Company 2. Although there are only three classes to choose from, each of them feel well balanced with enough in the way of unique abilities to not only set them apart but to also make their actions felt on the field of battle. Playing as a Rifleman, Special Ops or a Sniper, the level design and skill set will provide more than enough opportunity for players to be a credit to the team. It does feel like if Bad Company 2 and Call of Duty had a kid together, but I don’t know if it can stand up to them in the long run. It does have solid maps and great options for tactical gameplay, but it feels as though you have already played it.

Medal of Honor may not be perfect but it’s a hefty offering with extremely high production values and plenty of content to keep shooter fans happy. It probably won’t knock Call of Duty out of the king spot of modern shooters, but as an alternative, it’ll provide a semi-new perspective on modern warfare. As a fresh iteration to an old highly-acclaimed series, Medal of Honor has definitely done enough to put the franchise back on the map. With a bit more polish in the single player campaign and a push towards a more unique, personalized multiplayer experience, the predictable Medal of Honor 2 could very well be the next go-to shooter for this modern warfare FPS genre.

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Buy Medal of Honor for the PlayStation 3 online from EBGames.com

Click here to buy Medal of Honor for the PlayStation 3 online from EBGames.com

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