Medal of Honor multiplayer de-Taliban-ized

Following Konami's dropping of Six Days in Fallujah, games set during modern-day conflicts have come under extra scrutiny. One game in particular has been put under the microscope--Electronic Arts' Medal of Honor reboot, which is set during the early days of the ongoing war in Afghanistan.

Following protestations of families who have lost members during the Afghan conflict, EA has now decided to no longer let players assume the role of the Taliban in the game's multiplayer mode. Instead, the forces opposing US soldiers in the mode will sport the far more generic moniker of "Opposing Force."

"Because the heartbeat of Medal of Honor has always resided in the reverence for American and Allied soldiers, we have decided to rename the opposing team in Medal of Honor multiplayer from Taliban to Opposing Force," said executive producer Greg Goodrich in a statement on the game's official Web site.

Goodrich also said that the multiplayer aspect of the game, designed by Battlefield: Bad Company 2 developer EA DICE, would otherwise remain unchanged. Players will also still fight the Taliban in the single-player campaign.

In development at EALA's Danger Close studio, Medal of Honor is due out on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC on October 12. It will initially be offered only in a limited-edition format, one that carries a standard-edition price tag of $60 across all three platforms.

Belying its price tag, the Medal of Honor Limited Edition includes many of the customary premium perks, including early access to EA DICE's Battlefield 3 multiplayer beta, two in-game shotguns, and an exclusive weapon. PS3 gamers will also find a free copy of the PS2 classic Medal of Honor: Frontline packed into the Limited Edition.

The first installment in the series not to be set during World War II, Medal of Honor will follow a group of elite commandos called Tier 1 Operators during operations behind enemy lines in Afghanistan. It will be set during the early stages of the war, when the US-backed Northern Alliance was pushing toward victory over the now-resurgent Taliban and their Al-Qaeda allies.

Though the Xbox 360 and PS3 multiplayer betas have come and gone, PC gamers still have a chance to participate in an open testing period beginning October 4. The online multiplayer beta download client will be available through Medal of Honor's official Web site beginning today, and the testing phase will close on October 7 at 11:59 p.m. PDT.

For more on EA's Medal of Honor reboot, check out GameSpot's previous coverage.