Difficulty:

Easy

Time Spent:

10 to 20 Hours

The Bottom Line:

"Mixed reactions"

Being a great fan of FPS games like BF and COD, I had great expectations for this game. I participated in the beta which many were quite disappointed in the gameplay mechanics. No recoil, hacking, and small maps were just a few of the complaints. It was hard for me to get a good feel for it since there were only a couple of maps and there were some issues on server connectivity. When I got the official release, I played the single player campaign for about an hour. The campaign is quite immersive and the action is intense. The visuals are stunning, voice acting is great and sound quality is very good. Although it not the best single player campaign I have ever played. The missions were very linear and freedom of movement was limited. The overall feel is good but not great. The main reason why anyone would want to get this game is the multiplayer. To sum it up, it is good but again not great. The best way to describe the gameplay is between BF2 and MW2. It is not quite as arcade as MW2 but not as a simulation feel like BF2. It fits somewhere in between. Deaths are very fast and perhaps a little too quick to kill or be killed. The game is very simplistic and does not offer many play modes. Conquest and team deathmatch are a familiar but seem to lack some substance. There are lots of campers and lots of spawn killers that seem to take away the fun. There are only a few perks and they make very little impact on the benefits of the match. EA tries to create a MW2 feel but falls a bit short. I like planting sentries, or entering a chopper gunner. That is fun and plays a much bigger role in the outcome of the match. You would be lucky to get a kill on a mortar strike. With only 3 classes, it tries to simulate BF2 but again, the role you play has little impact of teamwork and roleplay. It just comes down to what weapons you prefer. It is a direct on shoot'em up and missing substance that is fulfilled by it's competition. The dedicated servers are nice but frustrating when you see a server and can't click on it because the list is refreshing so quickly. A stop or pause feature would be nice. The best way to describe the multiplayer is that it feels like it is only half completed. Don't get me wrong, I think it is still enjoyable and gameplay always seems quite intense but it doesn't feel compelling and complete enough to have you keep coming back for more. There are so many elements that EA could have designed to make this game stand out more and feel more substantial. Gamers want choices and variety in multiplayer and this is where Medal of Honor falls short. More weapons, more game modes, more perks, more roleplay and bigger maps with better freedom of movement are just some examples. A very dark night map with night vision would be cool. It's hard to say whether EA created this game to be a serious competitor or just fill in a gap until something else better comes out. For the time being, I think this game offers enough to keep me entertained for a while, but again only until something better comes out.