A jump from the sky that doesn't quite hit the ground running.

User Rating: 6 | Medal of Honor: Airborne PS3

PRESENTATION

Medal of Honor: Airborne is a shooter that benefits from EA's budget, delivering a polished experience with high production values throughout - somewhat of a staple of EA's internal catalogue. Through many operations during World War II, from Operation Husky and Neptune to the immersive and effervescent Market Garden, Airborne delivers on the intense qualities of the WWII shooter, through the unique albeit limited parachuting mechanic. This freedom of choosing your own descent onto the battlefield doesn't really add anything specific to the game, but it at least makes you feel like protagonist Boyd Travers.

At certain points, the game can look good, with convincing environments, some nice lighting and really cool effects like grenade smoke and fire from burning debris. The framerate can drop during the start of every jump, and animations are quite immersion-breaking, but it's a visually adept shooter. The sound is top notch, though, with great gun effects and a fantastic, epic swirling score from series veteran Michael Giacchino, which will add significantly to the fight.

GAMEPLAY

It's a familiar experience, but one where Airborne implements its mechanics adequately, making shooting feel fun for the most part, despite stiff controls and inconsistent hit detection. The AI is schizophrenic and can often threaten to derail the entire experience, as they lack any sense of awareness and often run into gunfire, jump between cover and generally being a pain to fight. They also prefer to run toward you and try to beat you down, and it's these moments that make the game feel borderline comical. There are also some moments, particularly later on, that are downright frustrating, so there's that as well.

The level design allows players to take out said objectives in any order they desire, and at any time, which is good, with the exception of those frustrating moments. The game features pre-level loadouts, though you'll find other weapons from enemies should you regret a decision, but the weapon upgrades you can acquire are a highlight and make the guns feel even better as the game goes on. Scoring headshots and generally making good use of a specific gun will lead to added features such as scopes, dual clips for faster reloading and even a bayonet for more adaptable close encounters. There are also in-game skilldrops that task players with parachuting on a specific marker, of which there are a certain amount per level. These don't add anything to the game's six-to-eight hour running time, but I suppose EA needed a reason to justify the parachuting.

REPLAYABILITY

The online component of Medal of Honor: Airborne is initial fun, though it suffers from the same mechanical deficiencies as the single player campaign, though its in the online portion that the game provides respite from the AI encounters. It's certainly a serviceable mode, but one that won't feature prominently in the playlist of gamers, especially when considering the other popular options available.

SUMMARY

In the end, I'm disappointed with Medal of Honor: Airborne. The first in the series to land on the seventh generation of consoles, the game has some strengths - particularly the opening levels and the great sound design - but falters when it comes to delivering a reliable shooter. If it wasn't for the terrible AI, clunky controls and sloppy mechanics, it could have been a memorable high point in the franchise. As it stands, its probably one of the lowest, or at least, most insignificant.

Presentation 8.0

Graphics/Sound 7.5

Gameplay 5.0

Replayability 6.0

Overall - 6/10