Medal of Honor (2010) is Intense

So, I've done a couple of Call of Duty reviews recently, and I've had an absolute blast with them so far - yes, that pun was intended. As fun as that has been, however, I wanted to cover a game that doesn't really get much attention anymore. This is Medal of Honor!

The Medal of Honor Series

The Medal of Honor series has been around since 1999. Inspired by the film Saving Private Ryan, the first game created by film director Steven Spielberg. The game released on the original PlayStation on October 31, 1999.

Initially, people were hesitant to set up the game, viewing World War II as a bit too much for young audiences. Spielberg focused on balancing history and action and created something that was both entertaining and educational.

A sequel, Medal of Honor: Underground, was released in 2000. The third game, Medal of Honor: Allied Assault, was released in 2002. Later in 2002, the fourth entry, Medal of Honor: Frontline, was also released. Since then, there have been 10 other entries. Yes, there are 14 entries in this series, making it quite a franchise. Although, it doesn't have quite enough clout to hang with the big boys (Call of Duty, Battlefield, etc.) - so to speak.

The first few entries were well-received, but as the series progressed, the reviews began to get more negative.

The 2010 Reboot

The 2010 game was the 13th entry in the series, and it was developed by Danger Close Games in collaboration with EA DICE. Development started in 2007 shortly after three other Medal of Honor games (Vanguard, Airborne, and Heroes 2) were released.

Now, Infinity Ward's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 had been released the year before and done really, really well. With that in mind, the developers decided to go in the opposite direction from the rest of the series period-wise.

Where the other Medal of Honor titles were set during WWII, the 2010 reboot is set in the modern era - specifically during the war in Afghanistan.

The Storyline

Medal of Honor doesn't follow the traditional storyline structure; it starts with a cinematic of two Navy SEALs in a helicopter jumping out as the chopper is shot down. After that, it cuts to six months earlier, and from there, you alternate between three units:

1. AFO Neptune
2. AFO Wolfpack
3. Army Ranger

You play through a variety of missions against the Taliban - yes, that Taliban. Now, that might seem a bit odd, but like I said earlier, the game is set in Afghanistan, and that was and still is Taliban territory.

What Works?

Okay, what works in the game?

• The graphics are nice, and the combat is very satisfying.
• There's also an impressive amount of technical accuracy as far as terminology and weaponry goes.
• I'm no expert on firearms, but the guns in the game look quite accurate.

What Doesn't Work?

• The storyline is very bare bones.
• There's also a notable reliance on the trope of being outnumbered.
• There's a particular scene with a general that makes no sense.

How Accurate is Medal of Honor?

Now, I want to be clear about something here: I'm NOT a soldier. I'm NOT part of the U.S. military, so I might be wrong about certain things. Certain bits of lingo make sense, things like:

• Delta Hotel - direct hit
• Mikes - minutes
• Frag out - throwing a grenade
• WILCO - Will do

Of course, not everything is perfect - remember that scene with the general that I mentioned before? This man, Gen. Flagg is an arrogant, egotistical pain in the neck. He starts out questioning the battle plan of a colonel who's on the front lines.

Later in the game, he overrides the colonel completely and, as a result, the AC-130 in the area fires on the Afghan allies. He wants specifically U.S. troops on the ground and is constantly undermining the colonel and, in the end, he refuses to help two stranded Navy SEALs and promptly tries to forcibly take command of operations.

Here's why it makes no sense, the general is in the U.S. and the colonel is in Afghanistan. Now, while the general has the higher rank, it should actually have been the COLONEL who made the final call. It's called delegation of authority, and it's exactly what it sounds like; authority is given to subordinates so that they can make certain decisions in the field. The general should've kept his mouth shut and stayed out of it, but clearly he didn't.

Medal of Honor's Controversy

The multiplayer aspect of this game got some controversy, despite the positive reception. Why? Well...unfortunately, the multiplayer allowed gamers to play as the Taliban. Oh, boy...that's a problem. Worse still, was the reaction to the controversy.

"Most of us have been doing this since we were 7 – if someone's the cop, someone's gotta be the robber, someone's gotta be the pirate and someone's gotta be the alien. In Medal of Honor multiplayer, someone's gotta be the Taliban." - Amanda Taggart, Senior PR Manager, EA Games

That's a really, really bad response. There's a huge difference between a game of Cops and Robbers - which is fictional from the start - and a group of people who've done some frankly terrible things (that's probably an understatement). Of course, not every reaction was like that. For example, in the UK, the Defence Secretary said:

"It's shocking that someone would think it acceptable to recreate the acts of the Taliban against British soldiers. At the hands of the Taliban, children have lost fathers, and wives have lost husbands. It's hard to believe any citizen of our country would wish to buy such a thoroughly un-British game. I would urge retailers to show their support for our armed forces and ban this tasteless product." - Liam Fox, UK Defence Secretary

Liam Fox wasn't the only guy to have that sentiment either, with Canada and Denmark's Defence Ministers making similar statements. Now, since I didn't see any British troops in the campaign, I'd guess that was exclusive to the multiplayer.

I usually don't comment on controversies because they don't bother me - I discussed that in my review of 2009's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. In this case...yeah, this is different because it dealt with a real-world group, not a fictional one.

In Conclusion: A Good Shooter

Overall, Medal of Honor is a really good shooter. It's not perfect, but it doesn't really need to be either. It's a very intense game that's well worth playing, and if you haven't played it, I'd say give it a shot - yes, pun intended - and see how you like it.