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Medal of Honor Super Review
by Guest Tue 12 Oct 2010 - 15:23
Courtesy of GamesRadar
Medal of Honor, like Halo: Reach, really requires two reviews: one for the campaign, and one for the multiplayer. MoH's campaign and multiplayer weren’t even created by the same developers, and don’t run on the same engines. It's two games in one box, so even more so than Reach, its two sides need separate treatment. Of course, it's still one box for one price, so I'll give each half of the game separate attention, and then rate the whole as an amalgamation of both.
Medal of Honor – The Campaign
It’s funny that there was ever any controversy over Medal of Honor’s treatment of American soldiers, because one mission into Danger Close's campaign and it’s clear that this is the game version of God Bless the USA (“Where at least I know I’m freeeee!”).
The campaign is loosely based on real battles, but takes place in a fictional Afghanistan where the Coalition consists only of America (excepting a brief cut scene cameo by the Afghan National Army), and the mission is clear: kill as many Taliban soldiers as possible.
The game opens with a battle through a Taliban-infested town in search of an informant. Once rescued, the informant reveals that the Taliban is gathering in a nearby valley, and assures the elite Tier 1 operators of his sincerity with a should-be-satirical, “Puh-lease! I want my daughter to go to school, have a life! You must keel them all!” Bring in the red, white, and blue, bitch!
Short and bittersweet
But despite its over-simplification, the most exceptional aspects of the campaign are the writing and voice acting. The Tier 1 special-ops teams, Neptune and Wolfpack, contain surprisingly likable, sympathetic bearded warriors (Captain Price’s moustache has nothing on these guys). The story is kept simple, as it should be: there are a bunch of Taliban in a valley, the Tier 1 operators enter to weaken defenses and provide intel, a jerk-ass general insists that the rangers be sent in prematurely, and everything goes tits up.
Above: Tits up
But despite some tense moments and big explosions, the campaign is underwhelming. The Tier 1 missions will get your heart rate up a few times, but they're nevertheless linear, "go here do this" affairs, and lack much creativity or mental stimulation. Shoot guys, move to a new position, shoot more guys. If you're any good at shooters at all, play on "hard" for any kind of challenge.
Arguably the game’s best mission takes place around the middle of the campaign, and doesn’t involve either Tier 1 team - it’s as an Army Ranger that you charge up the side of dusty mountain and desperately hold off a Taliban ambush in the most Spielberg-esque moment of the game. More of that, and less driving ATVs around at night, and the game might have soared higher. It's just not dirty or terrifying enough to be the modern shooter to beat.
My biggest complaint is that the campaign ends somewhere in the second act, just as you've become invested in the characters, and the final line, “This isn’t over,” will leave you wondering, “So why are the credits playing?”
Aside from that, the hit detection isn’t fantastic, the enemy AI is occasionally glitchy, and while parts of it look and feel great, there’s a general lack of polish. A teammate opens a door by sticking his claw-hand ten inches away from it. Enemies standing right next to you, separated by only a half-wall, duck and shoot as if you’re half-a-mile away. When most of the game is so well-made, these things stick out.
You'll probably play through MoH's campaign in one or two sittings, and you'll have fun doing it. It's compelling enough, but it doesn’t bring a lot of new ideas (and borrows a few elements from Modern Warfare), and while it almost makes up for that with strong characters, it shoots itself in the foot when it gives up before the third act.
Tier 1 mode, which allows you to replay each level in arcade-style, with increased difficulty and a timer, should add some replay-value, but... meh. If it at least included co-op, like Modern Warfare 2's Special Ops mode, it may be a bonus, but it doesn't, and it's the same missions you already played, not new skirmishes.
Campaign Verdict: 7/10 ("Good")
Medal of Honor – The Multiplayer
If you don't care for multiplayer, think twice before buying Medal of Honor. But if multiplayer is your primary focus, as it is for many players, then while you may finish the campaign in five hours or so, you'll likely spend much more time combating human opponents.
Keep it simple, stupid
DICE has done a superb job combining the frantic, tight-spaces of Call of Duty and previous Medal of Honor games with Battlefield's open, objective-based matches. My favorite mode, Combat Mission, has one side defend a linear series of strongholds as the other attempts to capture them one by one. It takes the experience of Battlefield and compresses it into a straight line, which I prefer, as it focuses the action to a single front. Yes, it involves less strategy on the part of each team, but I'd call it "simplification" as opposed to a "dumbing down."
The other modes, Team Assault, Objective Raid, and Sector Control, are standard multiplayer modes, which are common amongst other games of the sort. Respectively, they equate to team deathmatch, "sabatoge," in which the OPFOR must plant explosives while Coalition forces disarm them, and "domination," in which both sides attempt to capture and hold objectives.
There are three classes, Rifleman, Special Ops, and Sniper, and to be effective, you'll probably have to switch between at least two of them. Like Battlefield, the more experience you gain with a class, the more you'll unlock for that class. There are far fewer unlocks than in Modern Warfare 2, but that's not a bad thing. Keeping the number of weapons and upgrades (scopes, extra magazines, etc.) down prevents the game from becoming an arms race - all of the weapons have advantages and disadvantages, and all are worth trying.
Support actions, which are acquired by earning score streaks, are available to everyone regardless of level, and none of them are so powerful that they crush the opposing team's will to fight. Still, there are times when you'll be spawn killed repeatedly as mortar fire and rockets rain down, or when the enemy spawns within firing range. Some of the maps are just too small. It's frustrating, but as part of a frantic defense it makes sense (sometimes). All multiplayer games are frustrating here and there.
But not too simple...
Combat Mission is by far my favorite mode, but there are only three scenarios: Helmand Valley, Mazar-I-Sharif Airfield, and Shahikhot Mountains. For the other three modes, there are five maps. It's not quite enough, but of course, DICE will be releasing new content in the same way it has for Battlefield: Bad Company 2.
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But does Medal of Honor's multiplayer bring anything new? Not really. If you're growing weary of military shooters, don't expect MoH to reinvigorate you. While I appreciate DICE's style of multiplayer, it could have taken more from the zeitgeist. I like Modern Warfare 2's customizable tags, which identify players with logos and background. I'm not a fan of Halo, but I'm fascinated by its Theater and Forge modes, and why they haven't been more copied baffles me.
MoH's multiplayer could be more exciting, flashier even. But DICE choose to keep it reserved, and that's okay, because it does what it does so well. It's an experience you can't get elsewhere, but its safer than it is innovative, and it isn't the Next Big Thing (sorry).
Multiplayer Verdict: 8/10 ("Great")
Final Judgment
If the campaign is your primary interest, consider looking elsewhere, but if you don't mind powering through a fun, if not groundbreaking, campaign before hunkering down for a long, cold multiplayer campaign this winter, MoH should be on your radar. That's especially true if the nature of recent CoD games has you desiring something with fewer detonating remote control cars.
Our final score reflects an overall impression of the game, and assumes you are the type who is willing to invest some time in the multiplayer.
Is it better than?
Modern Warfare 2? For me it is. MW2's campagin was superior - it took more risks, and just did more. But I quickly tired of MW2's multiplayer gimmicks. I much prefer DICE's straight-laced, more focused approach. Heartbeat sensors? None of that here - just me, my rifle, and my targets.
Battlefield: Bad Company 2? Again, it depends. MoH's campaign will offer more thrills-per-second, and more character, but... who bought Bad Company 2 for the singleplayer? In the multiplayer department, well, it's DICE vs. DICE, so take your pick. If you prefer Battlefield's style, then so be it, but for a change of pace, MoH tightens things up and stands strong on its own. Even if you're a diehard Battlefield fan, MoH is at least a worthy segue between BC2 and Battelfield 3. For me, MoH is the better experience.
Medal of Honor: Allied Assault? No. Sure, you'd probably have more fun playing the modern reboot than going back to MoHAA, but that's because MoHAA is almost ten years old. But I just can't call it "better" when Allied Assault was such a revelation. In both the campaign and the multiplayer, it was big, bold, and new. It was to war games what Saving Private Ryan was to film, and this reboot just doesn't stun in the same way.
Just for you, Metacritic!
Medal of Honor's campaign is well-scripted and well-acted, and parts of it are superbly nerve-racking, but its uninventive missions and premature ending left us wanting. The multiplayer, however, is a different game. No, it's actually a different game, and it's what DICE does best. If you've tired of CoD, Medal of Honor might be just the medicine you need.
8/10
You'll love
+ The exceptional multiplayer
+ The characters, voice acting, and storytelling
+ That when it works, it's thrilling
You'll hate
- The campaign's premature ending
- Dull, repetitive combat
- Knowing how much more it could have done
Medal of Honor, like Halo: Reach, really requires two reviews: one for the campaign, and one for the multiplayer. MoH's campaign and multiplayer weren’t even created by the same developers, and don’t run on the same engines. It's two games in one box, so even more so than Reach, its two sides need separate treatment. Of course, it's still one box for one price, so I'll give each half of the game separate attention, and then rate the whole as an amalgamation of both.
Medal of Honor – The Campaign
It’s funny that there was ever any controversy over Medal of Honor’s treatment of American soldiers, because one mission into Danger Close's campaign and it’s clear that this is the game version of God Bless the USA (“Where at least I know I’m freeeee!”).
The campaign is loosely based on real battles, but takes place in a fictional Afghanistan where the Coalition consists only of America (excepting a brief cut scene cameo by the Afghan National Army), and the mission is clear: kill as many Taliban soldiers as possible.
The game opens with a battle through a Taliban-infested town in search of an informant. Once rescued, the informant reveals that the Taliban is gathering in a nearby valley, and assures the elite Tier 1 operators of his sincerity with a should-be-satirical, “Puh-lease! I want my daughter to go to school, have a life! You must keel them all!” Bring in the red, white, and blue, bitch!
Short and bittersweet
But despite its over-simplification, the most exceptional aspects of the campaign are the writing and voice acting. The Tier 1 special-ops teams, Neptune and Wolfpack, contain surprisingly likable, sympathetic bearded warriors (Captain Price’s moustache has nothing on these guys). The story is kept simple, as it should be: there are a bunch of Taliban in a valley, the Tier 1 operators enter to weaken defenses and provide intel, a jerk-ass general insists that the rangers be sent in prematurely, and everything goes tits up.
Above: Tits up
But despite some tense moments and big explosions, the campaign is underwhelming. The Tier 1 missions will get your heart rate up a few times, but they're nevertheless linear, "go here do this" affairs, and lack much creativity or mental stimulation. Shoot guys, move to a new position, shoot more guys. If you're any good at shooters at all, play on "hard" for any kind of challenge.
Arguably the game’s best mission takes place around the middle of the campaign, and doesn’t involve either Tier 1 team - it’s as an Army Ranger that you charge up the side of dusty mountain and desperately hold off a Taliban ambush in the most Spielberg-esque moment of the game. More of that, and less driving ATVs around at night, and the game might have soared higher. It's just not dirty or terrifying enough to be the modern shooter to beat.
My biggest complaint is that the campaign ends somewhere in the second act, just as you've become invested in the characters, and the final line, “This isn’t over,” will leave you wondering, “So why are the credits playing?”
Aside from that, the hit detection isn’t fantastic, the enemy AI is occasionally glitchy, and while parts of it look and feel great, there’s a general lack of polish. A teammate opens a door by sticking his claw-hand ten inches away from it. Enemies standing right next to you, separated by only a half-wall, duck and shoot as if you’re half-a-mile away. When most of the game is so well-made, these things stick out.
You'll probably play through MoH's campaign in one or two sittings, and you'll have fun doing it. It's compelling enough, but it doesn’t bring a lot of new ideas (and borrows a few elements from Modern Warfare), and while it almost makes up for that with strong characters, it shoots itself in the foot when it gives up before the third act.
Tier 1 mode, which allows you to replay each level in arcade-style, with increased difficulty and a timer, should add some replay-value, but... meh. If it at least included co-op, like Modern Warfare 2's Special Ops mode, it may be a bonus, but it doesn't, and it's the same missions you already played, not new skirmishes.
Campaign Verdict: 7/10 ("Good")
Medal of Honor – The Multiplayer
If you don't care for multiplayer, think twice before buying Medal of Honor. But if multiplayer is your primary focus, as it is for many players, then while you may finish the campaign in five hours or so, you'll likely spend much more time combating human opponents.
Keep it simple, stupid
DICE has done a superb job combining the frantic, tight-spaces of Call of Duty and previous Medal of Honor games with Battlefield's open, objective-based matches. My favorite mode, Combat Mission, has one side defend a linear series of strongholds as the other attempts to capture them one by one. It takes the experience of Battlefield and compresses it into a straight line, which I prefer, as it focuses the action to a single front. Yes, it involves less strategy on the part of each team, but I'd call it "simplification" as opposed to a "dumbing down."
The other modes, Team Assault, Objective Raid, and Sector Control, are standard multiplayer modes, which are common amongst other games of the sort. Respectively, they equate to team deathmatch, "sabatoge," in which the OPFOR must plant explosives while Coalition forces disarm them, and "domination," in which both sides attempt to capture and hold objectives.
There are three classes, Rifleman, Special Ops, and Sniper, and to be effective, you'll probably have to switch between at least two of them. Like Battlefield, the more experience you gain with a class, the more you'll unlock for that class. There are far fewer unlocks than in Modern Warfare 2, but that's not a bad thing. Keeping the number of weapons and upgrades (scopes, extra magazines, etc.) down prevents the game from becoming an arms race - all of the weapons have advantages and disadvantages, and all are worth trying.
Support actions, which are acquired by earning score streaks, are available to everyone regardless of level, and none of them are so powerful that they crush the opposing team's will to fight. Still, there are times when you'll be spawn killed repeatedly as mortar fire and rockets rain down, or when the enemy spawns within firing range. Some of the maps are just too small. It's frustrating, but as part of a frantic defense it makes sense (sometimes). All multiplayer games are frustrating here and there.
But not too simple...
Combat Mission is by far my favorite mode, but there are only three scenarios: Helmand Valley, Mazar-I-Sharif Airfield, and Shahikhot Mountains. For the other three modes, there are five maps. It's not quite enough, but of course, DICE will be releasing new content in the same way it has for Battlefield: Bad Company 2.
But does Medal of Honor's multiplayer bring anything new? Not really. If you're growing weary of military shooters, don't expect MoH to reinvigorate you. While I appreciate DICE's style of multiplayer, it could have taken more from the zeitgeist. I like Modern Warfare 2's customizable tags, which identify players with logos and background. I'm not a fan of Halo, but I'm fascinated by its Theater and Forge modes, and why they haven't been more copied baffles me.
MoH's multiplayer could be more exciting, flashier even. But DICE choose to keep it reserved, and that's okay, because it does what it does so well. It's an experience you can't get elsewhere, but its safer than it is innovative, and it isn't the Next Big Thing (sorry).
Multiplayer Verdict: 8/10 ("Great")
Final Judgment
If the campaign is your primary interest, consider looking elsewhere, but if you don't mind powering through a fun, if not groundbreaking, campaign before hunkering down for a long, cold multiplayer campaign this winter, MoH should be on your radar. That's especially true if the nature of recent CoD games has you desiring something with fewer detonating remote control cars.
Our final score reflects an overall impression of the game, and assumes you are the type who is willing to invest some time in the multiplayer.
Is it better than?
Modern Warfare 2? For me it is. MW2's campagin was superior - it took more risks, and just did more. But I quickly tired of MW2's multiplayer gimmicks. I much prefer DICE's straight-laced, more focused approach. Heartbeat sensors? None of that here - just me, my rifle, and my targets.
Battlefield: Bad Company 2? Again, it depends. MoH's campaign will offer more thrills-per-second, and more character, but... who bought Bad Company 2 for the singleplayer? In the multiplayer department, well, it's DICE vs. DICE, so take your pick. If you prefer Battlefield's style, then so be it, but for a change of pace, MoH tightens things up and stands strong on its own. Even if you're a diehard Battlefield fan, MoH is at least a worthy segue between BC2 and Battelfield 3. For me, MoH is the better experience.
Medal of Honor: Allied Assault? No. Sure, you'd probably have more fun playing the modern reboot than going back to MoHAA, but that's because MoHAA is almost ten years old. But I just can't call it "better" when Allied Assault was such a revelation. In both the campaign and the multiplayer, it was big, bold, and new. It was to war games what Saving Private Ryan was to film, and this reboot just doesn't stun in the same way.
Just for you, Metacritic!
Medal of Honor's campaign is well-scripted and well-acted, and parts of it are superbly nerve-racking, but its uninventive missions and premature ending left us wanting. The multiplayer, however, is a different game. No, it's actually a different game, and it's what DICE does best. If you've tired of CoD, Medal of Honor might be just the medicine you need.
8/10
You'll love
+ The exceptional multiplayer
+ The characters, voice acting, and storytelling
+ That when it works, it's thrilling
You'll hate
- The campaign's premature ending
- Dull, repetitive combat
- Knowing how much more it could have done
Last edited by killswitchmad on Wed 13 Oct 2010 - 17:40; edited 1 time in total
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Re: Medal of Honor Super Review
by N1NJA FWG Tue 12 Oct 2010 - 15:44
Hmmm. still not totally sold. It sounds like a stripped back MW2 with a lot of the issues still intact.
5 hours for a SP game imo is unacceptable regardless of how much the MP offers - not every gamer will buy a game purely for the MP component and there are gamers who may not even be online to make use of that side of the game. For those effected the SP length (irrespective of quality) is not enough to justify a purchase.
I didnt get to play this the other week @ Eurogamer becasue a) the queues was always very long and I couldnt be bothered to wait and b) the game was only available to play on PS3. I did watch people playing it though and it looked so much like MW2 (noob tube spamming included) that if the stand wasnt branded as MOH I would have sworn I was watching MW2 being played on new maps.
5 hours for a SP game imo is unacceptable regardless of how much the MP offers - not every gamer will buy a game purely for the MP component and there are gamers who may not even be online to make use of that side of the game. For those effected the SP length (irrespective of quality) is not enough to justify a purchase.
I didnt get to play this the other week @ Eurogamer becasue a) the queues was always very long and I couldnt be bothered to wait and b) the game was only available to play on PS3. I did watch people playing it though and it looked so much like MW2 (noob tube spamming included) that if the stand wasnt branded as MOH I would have sworn I was watching MW2 being played on new maps.
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Re: Medal of Honor Super Review
by Andy Tue 12 Oct 2010 - 15:48
i do wonder though if a lot of the lag issues on mw2 are to do with the complexities of what is going on under the hood and perhaps a stripped down version may be better on this count?
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Re: Medal of Honor Super Review
by N1NJA FWG Tue 12 Oct 2010 - 16:11
I think a lot of the lag issues on mw2 were more to do with the games coding. I heard some time ago that it wasn't beneficial to have full signal bars but 3 was preferable as that would delay your actions being seen by your enemy enough to give you a split second more. I will see if I can find something to validate this theory though
This game still makes me wonder what the hell the devs have been up to. The game has been in development for how long? The mp was outsourced to Dice and the sum of it is a stripped down MW2 mp with a lack of maps and an under developed sp. Sounds like a wasted opportunity to me
This game still makes me wonder what the hell the devs have been up to. The game has been in development for how long? The mp was outsourced to Dice and the sum of it is a stripped down MW2 mp with a lack of maps and an under developed sp. Sounds like a wasted opportunity to me
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Re: Medal of Honor Super Review
by Pais Wed 27 Oct 2010 - 18:57
thank fuck it came free with me xbox 'cos the sp only took me 3 and a half hours on the 'reg' setting. piss poor. feel sorry for anyone that paid full price for it.
might give 'mp' a try tonight and see what thats like.
might give 'mp' a try tonight and see what thats like.
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Re: Medal of Honor Super Review
by Andy Wed 27 Oct 2010 - 19:02
wouldnt mind a wee borrow of this if anyone doesnt mind - would like to try the multiplayer myself some time
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Re: Medal of Honor Super Review
by Pais Thu 28 Oct 2010 - 18:46
mp aint too bad. maps are just about the right size and no fecking kill cam. the down sides are that there aint enough maps or game types or players. there was only around 12,000 on last night. had no trouble getting games as it puts you in a 'pre-round' while waiting for the lobby to fill up.
i'd put it as the 3rd best fps mp i've played on xbox ( 1st being CoD4 & 2nd R6:Vegas (1 not 2))
i'd put it as the 3rd best fps mp i've played on xbox ( 1st being CoD4 & 2nd R6:Vegas (1 not 2))
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