Medal of Honor does what other FPS's have done before it, but does so with an extra sense of attachment and dedication.
Engrossing and enjoyable campaign
Good Multi-player
Great Graphics
More Direct Look At The War In Iraq
Stronger Dedication to Our Modern Day Soldiers
Variety of Missions
Realistic Strategy Input
Attachment to Characters
Ending Is Very Meaningful
Cons:
Story Sometimes Hard To Follow
Noticeable Lag and Frame Rate Issues
When I first heard of "Medal of Honor"'s transition to the modern day war, I wasn't exactly blown away. In fact, I felt it was just another franchise trying to jump on the big bucks train that Infinity Ward had laid the tracks for with their "Modern Warfare" games. Most FPS's had begun to abandon WW2 altogether in order to rake in larger profits, since it appeared that modern warfare games were where the cash cows were grazing; and that's not exactly dis-proven in "Medal of Honor". It does feel like another game trying to make the big leagues like "Call of Duty 4" did, and it's understandable as to why. Call of Duty and Medal of Honor have been duking it out for plenty of years now; but "Call of Duty" inevitably won since it provided the stronger titles people seemed to enjoy more. Now that Call of Duty has decided to change direction, EA knew Medal of Honor would have to gain the same ground in order to have a fighting chance to reach a large audience. While I can't say I recommend the new Medal of Honor over the new Call of Duty's, I can say that in Medal of Honor's own merits, everything comes together nicely to create a superb experience.
"Medal Of Honor" is set up through several missions revealing the details of a group of soldiers fighting their way through Iraq. The story area is where I found myself a little lost at times, not possessing the same strong qualities story-wise I felt "Call of Duty: Black Ops" did, but it felt like what most shooters do; provide characters you come to enjoy, fighting their way through an impossible war. Here, it appears to work pretty well. Some soldiers get lost, some perish, some learn to love the miracles they've been given, and that to me is just enough to provide a decent story structure. Although, I must admit I found myself liking the game a whole lot more when I reached the ending; it's like the developers truly do care about the people fighting in the War Against Terror, dedicating a small bit of their game to thanking them. This touched me pretty well, and I applaud Danger Close for taking the time to do a small, yet sincere thank you.
One of the stronger aspects of "Medal of Honor" is it's great attention to detail; boasting great visuals with large scale environments. Firefights seem to be way more about strategy than non brainier shoot em ups, and that helps "Medal of Honor" set itself apart from "Call of Duty". Namely, I do enjoy "Call of Duty" more, but I highly praise Danger Close for not copying "Modern Warfare" in game-play details. Namely, it does still have those moments of no-brainer shootings, but the s tragedy behind everything is much more prevalent.
So where does this leave Medal of Honor in a shooters world? It leaves it on a high pedistool if you ask me. It may not top the likes of the strong "Call of Duty" titles that have come out recently, but I did have a good amount of fun playing around in Afghanistan, and recommend shooter fans to take this journey as well.
Graphics:
An obvious highlight of "Medal of Honor", visuals boast strong attention to detail and realism despite occasional frame rate issues.
Gameplay:
Not much new here. Standard shooter controls applied to differentiations in the franchise's elements compared to other shooters. Something any shooter fan could pick up and know instantly.
Sound:
Music is electrifying and exhilarating. Providing heavy rock acts, and moments of slow song build up for a stronger sense of sadness really add to the game's strong points.
Story:
While you learn to care for some of the characters you act along side through the war, the story itself can become hard to follow except for the occasional cut scene explaining the given situations.
Replay Value:
Moderately High. Multiplayer is strong enough to keep players interested, and the added downloadable content makes for some extra hours playing around with the "Medal of Honor" franchise.
Final Verdict:
To some everything up to a point where anyone can understand my feelings, I really enjoyed my time with the new "Medal of Honor". It's another excellent shooter to add to anyone's collection. I felt the game did a great job facing certain controversies on actually fighting the Taliban in a video game; what better way to educate someone than to get them inside the experience. It isn't the greatest shooter created, but it does almost everything excellently to engage you through fire fights and touching moments of anguish.
BUY. (It's really cheap right now on Amazon)
8.5/10 or 4/5