In one very clear and distinct way, EA’s Medal of Honor is two games rolled onto a single disk; a single player campaign and a multiplayer game. This is true of most first person shooters, but even more so with Medal of Honor, thanks to the fact that the two separate components were created by two different developers using two different game engines. 

Battlefield veterans DICE were tasked with putting the multiplayer game together using their trusty Frostbite engine, while lesser known developer, Danger Close, created the single player campaign using a heavily modified Unreal Engine 3. 

As a result, you may notice that the two components look, feel and play slightly differently from each other. 

First impressions and background

The first thing I noticed when loading up the single player campaign is that Danger Close clearly set out to create a cinematic gameplay experience, and the game opens with a lengthy, high-quality, opening sequence. 

The campaign is set in the currently raging Middle-East conflict in Afghanistan, and players will step into the boots of US military personal as they go up against Taliban forces. Specifically, players will play as regular US soldiers, as well as “Tier 1” operatives (the best of the best).

“Death waits in the dark”

As you would imagine, when playing as a Tier 1 operative, the game requires patience and stealth. These missions often take place under the cover of darkness, and require you to do things like wait for enemy patrols to pass, creep between shadows, and silently stalk guards. It’s a nice added dynamic, but there are times when the pace drops to a point at which it is difficult to remain engrossed, and boredom sneaks in. 

These missions are played out alongside the game’s bearded cover model, Dusty, who is the only vaguely memorable character from Medal of Honor, and that is mostly due to his epic facial hair and cheeky gangster-style backwards cap. 

There are moments of utter bliss which occur in these portions of the game. For one, the sniping never gets old. With Dusty as your trusty spotter, camping out Afghan mountain-scapes is great fun. Sadly, you can forget about the curving bullet trajectories which make sniping such a joy in Bad Company 2; bullets fly straight and true regardless of the distance. 

Another highlight that is brought to the fore in this portion of the campaign is the melee combat. Knife attacks feel light, fluid and absolutely brutal. 

“Join the Army, see the world, meet interesting people – and kill them.”

The second portion of the game is played from the perspective of a regular US soldier. These missions take place in broad daylight hours, and the action is unrelenting for the most part. You will have to navigate ruined villages, enemy encampments and other locations, all against the backdrop of the dusty Afghan countryside. 

These missions make use of the standard Call of Duty formula, with players having to advance through different areas, defeating waves of enemies along the way. These set-pieces are interspersed with specific objectives, such as calling in artillery on specific targets. 

There is also the much popularised helicopter pilot sequence, and various other less noteworthy diversions from the run-and-gun gameplay which takes up a good portion of the meager 4-6 hour campaign.

Where it goes wrong

Unfortunately, Medal of Honor ultimately fails to be anything more than a decent military shooter. The problem is, that while it does a few things right, it does not do anything which differentiates it from its biggest competitors.

Technically, it lags behind Bad Company 2 and Modern Warfare 2. Textures are not particularly detailed, explosions are fuzzy and generic, and the animation is mediocre. Occasionally a headshot will result in a satisfying vaporous red explosion of skull and brain, but for the most part, enemies flounder about randomly when taking fire. They also take far too much fire before going down – when you have to hold focus fire on an un-armoured Taliban operative for 3 seconds with a light machine gun to take him down, you know something is wrong. This results in guns feeling underpowered, which kinda defeats the point of playing a shooter. 

Another shortcoming is that the arid Afghan dust-bowl terrain becomes exceedingly repetitive and boring. Of course, this was inevitable as the game is based on reality, so there was not a lot of room for deviation in terms of surroundings. While this makes for an accurate depiction of the Middle-Easter conflict, it does not do anything for the gameplay experience. 

AI is another stumbling block that comes up far too often. The game’s various set-pieces feel rigid, and the Taliban resistance soldiers will often fire blindly at your entry location, failing to adjust effectively to any sort of tactical advancement. This means that it is incredibly easy to sneak around and flank them; a tactic which far too often allows you to progress with ease. Forget about dynamic enemy cover tactics, or anything for that matter which will make you think twice about approaching an encounter. To make matters worse, the campaign is extremely linear, offering zero scope for creative progression.  

Should you buy it for the single player?

It’s not all bad though. The sound is particularly good, with some pretty good voice acting, and some incredible sound-effects which really do help bring the action into your living room. There are also some well placed musical interludes which do a good job of heightening intensity.

While the gameplay is not great, it does not fail miserably either. The action is consistent and compelling for the most part, and as far as mindless shooters go, it performs just fine. 

Sadly, there is little reason to recommended this game, and it is definitely not worth the money if you are not planning dipping into the multiplayer. Battlefield: Bad Company 2 looks and plays better, with more varied terrain, and truly memorable characters. Modern Warfare 2 also blows Medal of Honor away with its massive scope, impressive locations and more advanced enemy AI. 

If you have not played either of those games, then check them out instead. If you have, then you will find that Medal of Honor compares poorly in almost every way.

Keep an eye on MyGaming for our full multiplayer review over the next few days.

Reviewed on PC

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