Medal of Honor Rising Sun E3 2003 Preshow Report

This week at E3, Electronic Arts will show off the latest build of its upcoming first-person shooter, Medal of Honor Rising Sun. For years now, the Medal of Honor series has offered gamers an authentic-looking World War II shooter experience that emphasizes intensity and excitement over pure realism, and Rising Sun will not buck the trend. The game will place you at the heart of the American conflict against the empire of Japan, beginning with the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, and will offer 10 action-packed missions in total. We got an early look at the game shortly before E3, in which we caught a glimpse of some of the game's scenarios and new features.

As Allied soldier Joseph Griffin, you'll single-handedly have to make a difference in the war against Japan. You'll begin in the thick of a chaotic surprise attack against Pearl Harbor but will proceed into Pacific theater hotspots such as the Philippines, Guadalcanal, Thailand, Burma, and more, where you'll engage Japanese forces in cities, forests, and jungles. The jungle environments are completely new to Rising Sun, which renders these densely wooded areas with fairly convincing results from what we've seen so far. Enemy soldiers will attempt to use cover, but all the trees can be just as advantageous to you and your squadmates.

The Medal of Honor series has always been praised for its extremely realistic audio, and Rising Sun shouldn't disappoint in this regard. In fact, there will reportedly be four times as much audio in each mission as compared with the previous game, Frontline. Weapon effects will be different depending on the environment--for instance, firing a pistol indoors will sound much different from firing it out in the open. Additionally, a brand-new orchestral soundtrack recorded by the world-renowned Hollywood Studio Symphony should add an appropriately epic flair to the proceedings--it certainly sounded impressive from what we heard.

Will Medal of Honor Rising Sun feature online play? No comment, an EA representative told us at the time, but he didn't say no. At the very least, there will be a split-screen cooperative multiplayer mode, which sounds well suited for a game like this.

Ten missions may not sound like a lot, but Rising Sun promises more replay value than its predecessors. Hidden objectives in each mission will lead to unlockable bonuses such as making-of footage, animated cutscenes, and even interviews with real WWII veterans about the Pacific theater conflict.

Of further note, EA has already revealed that a sequel to Rising Sun is planned for next year. That game will tell the story of Joseph's brother, who is also a soldier but is fighting in different parts of the Pacific theater.

Medal of Honor Rising Sun is scheduled for release this fall for the PS2, Xbox, and GameCube. Stay tuned to GameSpot for more information.