4cr Preview – Medal of Honor

The Medal of Honor series has a history that dates all the way back to the original PlayStation, where it was once at the forefront of the shooter genre. In recent years, though, the visibility of Medal of Honor games has been on a decline and with each new iteration the franchise has tried to reclaim its status as the console shooter. However, the debut and rise of the Call of Duty series has stood in the way of that goal being realized. It’s been a long and rocky road for Medal of Honor, but under the direction of EA Los Angeles and DICE Games it seems that the latest installment may mark a comeback for the franchise.

Finally moving into the modern day, Medal of Honor (no subtitle here) follows the Tier 1 operators of the US Army in Afghanistan and abroad. At E3 I had some hands-on time with the multiplayer component which was crafted by the studio behind the Battlefield franchise and, if you ask me, it seems that Medal of Honor is back and ready to shine. I had a chance to check out one map and 3 different classes: Rifleman, Special Ops, and Sniper. The weapon choices were somewhat limited but the modifications for each weapon made up for this lack of selection. The attachments ranged from sight types to grips to grenade launchers and while the big difference in classes was the weapons, some secondary load outs were also class specific. This variety was also compounded by the ranking and rewards system based on player performance during matches. A persistent statistic tracker will also record kills, deaths, killstreaks and achievements.

The match I played was 5v5 and despite what you may expect, this was not like Call of Duty. The controls were similar and the action was fast paced, but the battles felt small, chaotic and personal. There were no power-ups such as automated turrets, harriers hovering over the battlefield, and certainly no tactical nukes. DICE has decided to go towards the more realistic-yet-fun route in regards to the action on the ground.

So, then, what makes this game special? It’s the intimacy of the experience. Without any random helicopters or planes flying overhead- or rockets going off every four seconds- it felt close. There’s an intimacy to a map where any of the five members of the other team can be anywhere. Adding realistic support items such as air strikes and IED’s, it doesn’t feel safe walk anywhere. It feels like a personal Medal of Honor experience: it’s fast, it’s deadly, and it’s driven. That’s what DICE has achieved with a controlled and limited battlefield.

The graphics were superb. Details were vivid and appropriate and nothing was too over the top. Every scorch mark and piece of trash was right where it needed to be and I can only imagine what the other levels will look like. I’m expecting variety and stunning locales given DICE’s track record and their ability to craft great multiplayer masterpieces. The sound design, judging from what I took in, was superb as well. There’s the ambient noise to remind you that your battle is part of a larger war and the weapons sounded appropriate and not too overpowering.

If I had to complain about anything at this stage, it would have to be about the controls. They felt natural for the most part, but that’s because it was almost identical to Call of Duty(that’s not necessarily a bad thing either, it just goes to show what a good control scheme can do). The sensitivity was the big problem I noticed, though obviously it could easily be fixed by the time the game releases.

Given DICE’s history with multiplayer titles I have faith they can craft an entirely enjoyable experience. While I did not get hands on time with a map that included vehicles, I have seen them in action as depicted in the trailer below. It seems Medal of Honor is determined to make a comeback and Electronic Arts is making good headway into it with this release.

Medal of Honor is slated to release on Xbox 360, PS3, and PC on October 12, 2010.