Medal of Honor
by Electronic Arts
List Price:
Our Price: $13.99
You Save: $6.00 (30%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $6.99 (click here)
Category: Video Games
See more product details and other editions
Product Summary
Author: UnknownBrand: Electronic Arts
Audio: English (Unknown)
Published: 2010-09-30
Release Date: 2010-10-12
Platform: PlayStation 3
Model: 15435
Color: One Color
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Product features:
- In addition to multiplayer the game features a deep single player campaign in which players guide the storyline of multiple Tier 1 operators
- Elite Special Forces combat set across the rugged Afghanistan landscape
- Developed by the world-class team at DICE (makers of Battlefield Bad Company 2)
- The game supports up to 24 players in online multiplayer modes
Video Game Reviews of Medal of Honor
Customer Review: Decent, but too little too late...
Summary: 3 Stars
First off, let me say that I know this review is longer than many will care to read. If that's the case, check out part 6 at the end.
I've numbered and titles the different sections of this review to help you navigate through them, should you only be interested in finding out certain things. Hope this is helpful.
T.O.C.
1. Background
2. Single Player Campaign
3. Online Multiplayer
4. Graphics
5. Sound
6. Summary
1. BACKGROUND
After 12 games, Electronic Arts has finally seen fit to end the war. World War II, that is. As you no doubt know, this reboot of Medal of Honor takes place during the current conflict in Afghanistan. Some people have scoffed at Electronic Arts for making this jump from WWII to, eh hem, "modern warfare", saying that they're just stealing notes from Call of Duty's playbook. I find this rather funny, though, considering that the original Call of Duty was, of course, a WWII game that shared more than a few similarities with the Medal of Honor series. But that was nearly 7 years ago. The situation today is much different. In many people's minds, the Call of Duty franchise (Modern Warfare 2, especially) is a member of first person shooter royalty, if not the very king itself. On the other hand, the Medal of Honor series has failed to keep up, both in terms of sales and ratings. In a way, it's as if the apprentice has become the master. In order to make a comeback, EA knew that had to make some changes. And so they have, which brings us to this reboot of the Medal of Honor series.
2. SINGLE PLAYER CAMPAIGN
Medal of Honor takes place in 2002, several months following the terrorist attacks of September 11th. In the game, you assume the role of U.S. special operations soldiers tasked to eliminate Taliban forces located in the mountains of Afghanistan.
The story is very thin by traditional standards. As far as the actual knowledge that the game provides you with, you just play as some special ops guys, hunting some terrorists that are holed up in some Afghan mountains. There are some cheesy cut scenes involving higher ups calling some bad shots from back in the States, but those don't add much of anything. Really, the lack of story is most likely due to a couple of things: 1) EA wanting to shy away from the more Hollywood-ish elements of other first person shooters. In other words, since Medal of Honor tries to be "realistic", there's no clean and neat story arch. And 2) Because the games set in a current, ongoing war, you just sort of find yourself in the middle of things, with no real back story and no real ending. But I guess that's one of the drawbacks to setting the game when and where they did. I mean, it's not like the writers could write in an ending to the war. They just wrote in an ending to one of the guys you play as. Trouble is, he has no established personality or character.
As far as gunplay goes, in my opinion -- and some people will take exception with this -- the general feel of MoH's combat is very similar to Modern Warfare 2`s. The fact that the button layout between the two games is identical accounts for much of this feeling. If you've built up any muscle memory response at all with MW2, almost all of that programming will carry over perfectly to Medal of Honor. However similar, MoH's shooting system just isn't as polished or as balanced as Modern Warfare 2's. And this isn't coming from a CoD fanboy -- while I think MW2 is certainly a great game, old school Rainbow Six PC titles are more my thing, when it comes to shooters. Modern Warfare isn't close to being my soapbox -- I'm just calling the situation what it is.
Medal of Honor is a very linear game, sometimes painfully so. Linearity isn't necessarily a problem, as game developers have their ways of making you feel like you have at least some freedom, even when you don`t. But there are no such illusions in this game. There's one way to play it, and one way only. To take just one example, at one point, I wanted to go back through a door way I just walked through, and pick up a rifle off of a dead enemy. However, there was now an invisible door that had apparently formed over the doorway, even though I was still on the same level, and only a few seconds had passed. There are countless little invisible obstacles like this that the game uses to guide you along the mission. You feel like your hand is being held by the Invisible Man.
As a change of pace from running and gunning, there are several special sequences thrown in the mix. During one, you man the weapons of an Apache Gunship, taking out various ground targets. And then, my favorite, was the long range anti-personnel sniping level with the .50 cal Barret rifle, which takes place in the Afghan mountains. This is especially satisfying, in that your targets are so far away, that you must account for more than a second from when the bullet leaves the barrel to the time it reaches the target. In real life, the effect of this particular caliber is absolutely devastating; Metal of Honor reflects that fact well. Unfortunately, even these levels are on very strict "rails".
The Enemies are somewhat challenging, in that there are lots of them, and they can shoot straight. However, they're a few fries short of a Happy Meal. For instance, they almost always duck down, but the thing is, they'll sometimes do this regardless of whether there is cover or not. What this amounts to is they simply stop shooting, ball up, and wait for to you take a nice easy shot at them. But this is minor, and doesn't happen frequently. On the other side of the extreme, there are a few machine gun nests in the game that are apparently manned by people impervious to bullets. They can only be killed by explosives launched from aircraft. So much for realism...
The 3 teammates you have with you are similarly stupid, but fortunately, they can take care of themselves (being invincible makes that pretty easy). They can also give you ammunition when you run low (if you share the same weapon). There is no command system in Medal of Honor where you tell your teammate where to go or what to do. They are simply there, alongside you, doing what they're scripted to do, and nothing else.
All in all, the campaign itself is short. About 6 hours. Unless you're the kind of person who thinks training goats for money-eating contests is a smart idea, you probably won't feel that this game offers you $60 worth of single player gameplay, neither in quality nor quantity. It's basically a Modern Warfare 2 clone that lacks the polish and story. Some may not like the comparison of the two games, but that's just how EA set things up. Everyone knows that the Medal of Honor reboot is EA's answer to Call of Duty. Naturally, given this fact, on top of the fact that Call of Duty was once a challenger to Medal of Honor's crown, the comparison between the two games is completely called for.
(On a side note, as a bonus included with the Playstation 3 version of Medal of Honor, a remastered version of 2002's Medal of Honor: Frontline is added to the mix. The graphics have been smoothed out and tweaked, and features like aiming down the weapons' sights have been added. Personally, I consider Frontline to be the best of the Medal of Honor games on console, if not the greatest Medal of Honor game, period. It being included with this reboot is a fantastic perk for those like me who are fans of the old series, and it's certainly one of the best pieces of bonus content I've ever seen included with a game. This is the highlight of the package.)
3. ONLINE MULTIPLAYER
Surprisingly, the single player and multiplayer (MP) components had two different developers. EA Los Angeles did the single player campaign, while DICE did the multiplayer. Interestingly, while EA used a heavily-modified Unreal Engine 3 for the campaign game, DICE used Frostbite engine for the multiplayer. This lends a somewhat distinctive feel to the two components of the game.
Leading up the release of MoH, a lot of buzz was going on about it possibly being a hybrid between Modern Warfare 2 and Battlefield Bad Company 2. This was a fairly reasonable assumption, given the run and gun nature of both Call of Duty and Medal of Honor games, combined with the fact that DICE is also the developer behind Battlefield: Bad Company 2 . Well, there is a definite presence of both games, it seems EA stopped short of making MoH possess the best of both worlds. For instance, MoH has a class system (rifleman, special ops, and sniper), like Battlefield, but the classes aren't really assigned distinct roles as they are in that game. Also, the levels are on a much smaller scale.
While there is a system of leveling up and unlocking weapon upgrades, don't expect anything too deep. If leveling is the kind of thing you're concerned about, I'd say you won't find the process nearly as rewarding, interesting, or addicting as that of Modern Warfare 2. But if climbing the ranks isn't on your to-do list, and you just like playing for the sake of playing, you shouldn't have much of problem with this "lack".
One thing I like about MoH over and against similar games is that "noob-tubing" and across the map grenading isn't much of a problem, as those weapons are much more balanced om in MoH. This is good news for people who like to focus on actual gun battles, and not throwing contests.
One thing I find strange is that you can't go prone in multiplayer, or slide into cover when running -- two things that are available in the SP game. The slide, I think, would have added something a little unique to the MP experience, but apparently EA thought differently.
Over all, while not quite the super hybrid that many wished for, I'd say MoH's multilayer is good. Just good.
4. GRAPHICS
Medal of Honor by no means offers cutting-edge visuals, but the graphics are quite good. Certainly above "acceptable". But, if you get too close a look at something, there's no getting around the fact that the visuals do appear somewhat sub-standard for a big name release. For instance, textures are rather choppy, popping in and out, and often noticeably pixelated. On one level, it starts out with a close up of a goat, and, to my surprise, the goat didn't have eyes or a mouth, just a blank face (!). Unless there's some freakish breed of faceless goat that I'm unaware of that Medal of Honor wanted to showcase, I'd say this is a technical glitch, and one of many. However, the back ground and scenery very impressive, as are other things viewed from a distance. Night vision, infra red, and thermal vision are all very well done, offering a gritty realism. What's more, the lighting and shadows are both very good in Medal of Honor.
5. SOUND
This is one of the game's strongest points. Everything from the thump and echo of various rifles, to the buzz of the minigun on top of the chattering of helicopter blades, to the explosions in the distance -- they're all done so well as to be some of the best combat sounds in any FPS to date.
6. CONCLUSION & SUMMARY
Story - 3/10
Gameplay - 6/10
Graphics - 7/10
Sounds - 8/10
Replay Value (single player campaign) - 3/10
The new Medal of Honor is a decent attempt at a reboot of the series. But I can't help but wonder if Medal of Honor didn't reinvent itself, so much as it poorly mimicked its main competitor. It's gameplay is very derivative, but it at least borrows from some strong points of other games. As far as story, it offers something of a unique setting and perspective, in that it takes place during the current war in Afghanistan. But this setting placed some serious limitations on story development, and so that aspect of the game is noticeably lacking. At only about 6 hours long, most won't feel the single player is worth $60.
Even though the single player gameplay is derivative of Call of Duty, I think that the multiplayer in Medal of Honor might actually appeal more to Battlefield fans, given the fact that it shares the same developer, DICE. But even given that fact, I think MoH lacks many of the key elements that keep BFBC fans playing. Medal of Honot was thought to be a possible hybrid of Modern Warfare 2 and Battlefield: Bad Company 2. Sadly this just isn't the case. While fun for a time, MoH's multiplayer is nothing special.
All in all, I don't think it can be said that Medal of Honor brings anything exceptionally new or exciting to the FPS table. In fact, it's a basically a slightly less polished rehash of Modern Warfare 2's single player gameplay, with no compelling story or multiplayer to make up for it. But at the end of the day, it's a fairly solid first-person shooter, worthy of a rent. There was as much potential for this game as there was hype for it, and while it appears many copies are being sold, I think most buyers are going to get less than what they expected, if they are judging it against Modern Warfare 2. But that's just my opinion... Only time will tell if EA has succeeded in reinventing their classic FPS franchise.
Feel free to leave any questions or comments in the reply section.
Take care and thanks for reading.
-Chris Helton
Description of Medal of Honor
Operating directly under the National Command Authority, a relatively unknown entity of Operators. Over 2 million Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines wear the uniform. Of those, approximately 50 thousand fall under the direct control of the Special Operations Command. The Tier 1 Operator functions on a plane of existence above and beyond even the most highly trained Special Operations Forces. Their exact numbers, while classified, hover in the low hundreds. They are living, breathing, precision instruments of war. They are experts in the application of violence. The new Medal of Honor is inspired by and has been developed with Tier 1 Operators from this elite community. Players will step into the boots of these warriors and apply their unique skill sets to a new enemy in the most unforgiving and hostile battlefield conditions of present day Afghanistan. There is a new enemy.Medal of Honor is a first-person shooter from the makers of Battlefield Bad Company 2 that redefines the genre. For shooter fans and modern military enthusiasts, Medal of Honor is a way to experience today's authentic warfare, because unlike anywhere else in the world of video games, Medal of Honor can deliver intense modern warfare gameplay inspired by the actions of the elite Tier 1 Operators currently active in the military. Features include access to Tier 1 Ops and Army Ranger storylines, realistic weaponry and large-scale online multiplayer.
Welcome to the Top Tier
Operating directly under the National Command Authority, a relatively unknown entity of handpicked warriors are selected when it is crucial that a mission not fail. These are the Tier 1 Operators. There are over 2 million active soldiers. Of those, approximately 50 thousand fall under the direct control of the Special Operations Command. The Tier 1 Operator functions on a level above and beyond even the most highly trained Special Operations Forces. Their exact numbers, while classified, hover in the low hundreds. They are living, breathing, precision instruments of war, experts in the application of controlled violence. The new Medal of Honor game is inspired by and developed with actual Tier 1 Operators from this elite community. Players step into the boots of these warriors and apply their unique skill sets to fight a new enemy in the most unforgiving and hostile conditions of present day Afghanistan.
This is a new war. There is a new warrior. He is Tier 1.
Join the ranks of the Tier 1 Ops.
View larger.
View larger.
Multiplayer
Developed by the world-class team at DICE (makers of Battlefield Bad Company 2) the fast-paced multiplayer combat packed into Medal of Honor delivers the perfect mix of tactical warfare and all-out action. 2-24 players are supported in online modes.
Key Game Features
- Fight Today's War - Elite Special Forces in a gritty combat campaign using the surgical tactics of Tier 1 Operators combined with the sledgehammer force of Army Rangers
- Unparalleled Authenticity - Intense story with incredible pacing and variety set in the rugged Afghanistan landscape, creating a shooter experience only available from the storied Medal of Honor franchise
- Balanced Gameplay - Developed by the world-class team at DICE (makers of Battlefield Bad Company 2) the game's fast paced combat delivers the perfect mix of tactical warfare and all-out action
- Online Multiplayer Redefined - The game supports up to 24 players in online multiplayer modes
- A Deep Single Player Campaign - In addition to multiplayer the game features a deep single player campaign in which players guide the storyline of multiple Tier 1 operators, as well as an Army Ranger
Additional Screenshots
 Face insurgents in the field. View larger. |  And root them out as well. View larger. |  Vehicles large and small. View larger. |  Pros and cons of air support. View larger. |
Shooter Games
- Video Games > Categories > PlayStation 3 > Action > Shooter
Computer and Video Games
Bestsellers in Shooter Games
![Super Stardust HD: Solo Add-on Pack [Online Game Code - Game Add-on] Image](/images/Super-Stardust-HD-Solo-Add-on-Pack-Online-Game-Code-Game-Add-on-B002GU69J8-X.jpg)
Super Stardust HD: Solo Add-on Pack [Online Game Code - Game Add-on]Sony PlayStation Network; Sony; Sony PlayStation Network; Release date: 2008-04-14; Software Download; PlayStation 3; Digital Video Games
Price in other shops:
Metal Gear Solid 4 PS3Konami; Konami; PlayStation 3; Video Games
Best price: $14.00
Price in other shops:
Sniper: Ghost WarriorCity Interactive; City Interactive; Release date: 2011-06-28; PlayStation 3; Video Games
Best price: $21.98
Price in other shops:
![BioShock Official Theme [Online Game Code] Image](/images/BioShock-Official-Theme-Online-Game-Code-B002YD95ES-X.jpg)
BioShock Official Theme [Online Game Code]2K Games; 2K Games; 2K Games; Release date: 2008-10-08; Software Download; PlayStation 3; Digital Video Games
Price in other shops:
![Crash Commando Map Pack - Heist [Online Game Code] Image](/images/Crash-Commando-Map-Pack-Heist-Online-Game-Code-B002SG85ZG-X.jpg)
Crash Commando Map Pack - Heist [Online Game Code]Sony PlayStation Network; Sony; Sony PlayStation Network; Release date: 2009-08-27; Software Download; PlayStation 3; Digital Video Games
Price in other shops:
![Resistance 2 Skin Bundle [Online Game Code - Game Add-on] Image](/images/Resistance-2-Skin-Bundle-Online-Game-Code-Game-Add-on-B002IPHOAO-X.jpg)
Resistance 2 Skin Bundle [Online Game Code - Game Add-on]Sony PlayStation Network; Sony; Sony PlayStation Network; Release date: 2009-03-25; Software Download; PlayStation 3; Digital Video Games
Price in other shops:
![Crash Commando [Online Game Code - Full Game] Image](/images/Crash-Commando-Online-Game-Code-Full-Game-B002GP6WFO-X.jpg)
Crash Commando [Online Game Code - Full Game]Sony PlayStation Network; Sony; Sony PlayStation Network; Release date: 2008-12-17; Software Download; PlayStation 3; Digital Video Games
Price in other shops:
Saints Row 2 Collector's EditionTHQ; THQ; Release date: 2008-10-14; PlayStation 3; Video Games
Best price: $69.99
The ClubSega; Sega Of America, Inc.; Release date: 2008-02-20; Published: 2008-02; PlayStation 3; Video Games
Best price: $5.00
Price in other shops:
Similar Video and PC Games
Midnight Club: Los Angeles - Complete EditionRockstar Games; Rockstar Games; Release date: 2009-10-12; Published: 2009-08-31; PlayStation 3; Video Games
Best price: $11.73
Price in other shops:
Grand Theft Auto IVRockstar Games; Rockstar Games; Release date: 2008-04-29; Published: 2008-04-29; PlayStation 3; Video Games
Best price: $15.99
Price in other shops:
Mortal Kombat vs. DC UniverseMidway; Midway Entertainment; Release date: 2008-11-16; Published: 2008-11-14; PlayStation 3; Video Games
Best price: $12.50
Price in other shops:
Tekken 6 (Greatest Hits)Namco; Namco; Release date: 2009-10-27; Published: 2009-09-30; PlayStation 3; Video Games
Best price: $12.88
Price in other shops:
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (Greatest Hits)Activision; Activision Inc.; Release date: 2008-05-06; Published: 2010-09-02; PlayStation 3; Video Games
Best price: $14.49
Price in other shops:
Pro Evolution Soccer 2012Konami; Konami; Release date: 2011-09-27; Published: 2011-09-27; PlayStation 3; Video Games
Best price: $24.66
Price in other shops:
Battlefield Bad Company 2 - Greatest HitsElectronic Arts; Electronic Arts; Release date: 2011-08-29; Published: 2011-08-29; PlayStation 3; Video Games
Best price: $13.69
Price in other shops:
Killzone 3Sony; Sony Computer Entertainment; Release date: 2011-02-22; Published: 2011-01-31; PlayStation 3; Video Games
Best price: $19.42
Price in other shops:
Crysis 2Electronic Arts; Electronic Arts; Release date: 2011-03-22; Published: 2011-02-28; PlayStation 3; Video Games
Best price: $20.99
Price in other shops:
Resident Evil 5Capcom; Capcom; Release date: 2009-03-13; Published: 2009-03-13; PlayStation 3; Video Games
Best price: $10.01
Price in other shops: