Medal of Honor Message Board older than one year ago

In our review of Medal of Honor we said the "campaign is an exceptional experience, but the total package simply doesn't beat Call of Duty." The real drag was the game's "unremarkable" multiplayer, developed by DICE, not standing up to the single-player campaign or being able to headshot Call of Duty's twitch-based multiplayer, its clear inspiration and competition. Critical opinion of Medal of Honor is definitely mixed.

• Eurogamer (80/100): "As a game about the Afghanistan war that does its absolute utmost to avoid being about the Afghanistan war, Medal of Honor is arguably just a shooting gallery spliced with a fairground ride and a solid multiplayer accessory which owes a lot to Bad Company 2."
• 1Up (B): "But while the multiplayer is very much a worthwhile experience, it lacks the scope and grandeur of Modern Warfare 2, let alone the upcoming Black Ops. By comparison, the number of play modes and customization/rank options seem quite limited, and it's hard to believe fevered Call of Duty or Bad Company 2 players will break from their current favorites to dedicate themselves to Medal of Honor."
• Game Informer (70/100): "All the parts for a great multiplayer experience are here - class unlocks, a variety of familiar modes, lots of guns - but they don't come together in a way that makes Medal of Honor a must-play shooter. Military buffs may enjoy the game on some level, but in such a densely packed genre, EA must try harder to stand out."
• IGN (60/100): "Swinging wildly between the horrors and danger of war and unrealistic action movie moments and hampered by a surplus of boring scripted sequences, not even DICE's talented multiplayer designers are able to elevate Medal of Honor to something memorable."
• Giant Bomb (3/5): "But all of those scripting bugs and boring unlockables quickly add up, death-of-a-thousand-cuts style. In the absolutely ruthless world of online shooters, there's little room for weakness. Medal of Honor alternates between its derivative style and its annoying technical glitches way too frequently to rise above the crowd."

Share prices down in the wake of muted response to first person shooter.

Share prices down in the wake of muted response to first person shooter.

"Examines" is perhaps not specific enough a word in this context -- Digital Foundry fully dissects the "updated" Medal of Honor: Frontline that's included in a limited run of the PS3 version of Medal of Honor ... and then rips it apart. Aside from noting the "low-poly and low-fi textures", DF also claims the game's visuals have "an absolute mammoth level of screen-tear," and its frame rate "varies dramatically."

When compared with the God of War Collection's HD remastering and the forthcoming Sly Cooper remix, MoH: Frontline is said to do little more than serve as "a reminder of how far the genre has progressed over the last eight years." But then, being free, it's hard to argue that the inclusion of Frontline is a ripoff -- it's just not all that "updated," is all.

In his Medal of Honor review, Joystiq's Andrew Yoon writes: "Recalling the terminology, remembering the technology and feeling the burden of the mission, the campaign is a true learning experience -- one that I didn't expect, but ultimately enjoyed." This statement is a testament to EA and Danger Close's ability to successfully execute the so-called "historical fiction" element that was so key to the game's design and marketing. Andrew hadn't learned to be a soldier, but he was drawn into the "perceived realism" much in the way that any celebrated war movie or book has sucked in its consumers. Certainly, games' ascent into the high art of "realism" has rasied some issues for a medium commonly associated with kids stuff.

If you're concerned that war (video) games are becoming too real, especially for the kids who get their hands on them one way or another, give former U.S. Marine Corps infantry officer Benjamin Busch's editorial on NPR a read. "The game cannot train its players to be actual skilled special operations soldiers, nor is it likely to lure anyone into Islamic fundamentalism," Busch writes of Medal of Honor. "It can grant neither heroism nor martyrdom. What it does do is make modern war into participatory cinema. That is its business."

Busch's problem with Medal of Honor is in its depiction of the War in Afghanistan -- a war that's obviously going on "right now." He believes that it "equates the war with the leisure of games" (perhaps distorting how best for a civilian, including those considering enlistment, to understand war), and he argues that, despite "the fully articulated violence," Medal of Honor can't possibly emulate the reality of combat. "There is a truth common to all, and that is that playing war in any medium is not combat, and for a gamer, it's not even political. It's just sedentary adventurism in need of a subject."

"The power of controlling your situation, to be able to stop the war and rest, is something that our soldiers are quietly desperate for. For those who patrol the valleys of Helmand, it is a way to impose limits on the uncertainty of war and the constancy of vulnerability," Busch reminds us. "A video game can produce no wounds and take no friends away."

It is finally time to take that step; a step so critical that it will elevate you to a new level of gamer. It’s time to step up to Tier 1! Medal of Honor for the PS3 is now on retail store shelves in the US.

Edit: Below, Sid Shuman from the PlayStation.Blog interviews Medal of Honor Executive Producer Greg Goodrich about the differences between the Danger Close-developed single-player campaign and the DICE-led multiplayer mode, the PS3-exclusive Medal of Honor: Frontline HD campaign included on the Blu-ray disc, and more.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with Medal of Honor, it’s a modern reboot of the venerable franchise that has existed for ten years. Operating directly under the National Command Authority, a relatively unknown entity of handpicked warriors are called on when the mission must not fail. They are the Tier 1 Operators.

Over two million Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines wear the uniform. Of those, approximately 50 thousand fall under the direct control of the Special Operations Command. The Tier 1 Operator functions on a plane of existence above and beyond even the most highly trained Special Operations Forces. Their exact numbers, while classified, hover in the low hundreds.

They are living, breathing, precision instruments of war. They are experts in the application of violence. The new Medal of Honor is inspired by and has been developed with Tier 1 Operators from this elite community. Players will step into the boots of these warriors and apply their unique skill sets to a new enemy in the most unforgiving and hostile battlefield conditions of present day Afghanistan.

The single-player, created by Danger Close, is an authentic, emotional and exhilarating look at the war in Afghanistan through the lens of a band of fictional characters. The multiplayer, created by world-class studio DICE, is an adrenaline-fuelled experience that will put your first-person shooter gaming skills to the ultimate test.

Also, the PS3 edition of the game comes with the re-mastered Medal of Honor Frontline. For the first time ever, you’ll be able to storm the shores of Normandy in full HD! Medal of Honor Frontline was a landmark title for the PS2 when the game was released in 2002. It helped pave the way for first-person shooter titles and defined and established Medal of Honor as a force to be reckoned with.

When we started to talk with Sony Computer Entertainment about the possibility of releasing an HD version, everyone familiar with the franchise was extremely excited and considered it a no-brainer; it had to be done! Visual aesthetics wasn’t the only thing to get improved, however. The team also managed to implement the “aim down the sight” mechanic into the game. Get ready to suit up as Lt. Jimmy Patterson once again and head back behind enemy lines for 15 missions based on real events that occurred during WWII.

Make sure you follow us on Twitter, fan us on Facebook, and visit us at the official website for up-to-the-date Medal of Honor news and information.

EA has tasked Danger Close and DICE with the formidable challenge of not only rebooting the Medal of Honor brand but making it a direct competitor to Call of Duty, arguably the biggest franchise on the planet. Instead of taking a more fanciful approach to "modern warfare," EA's offering zooms dangerously close to ongoing combat operations. Set in modern day Afghanistan, Medal of Honor is inherently provocative, if only for setting alone. But, is it good? It depends on what you're looking for.

Single Player
Medal of Honor is essentially two games in one, with two developers and two engines (Unreal for campaign; Frostbite for multiplayer) powering the distinctly different components of the package. The decision to splinter the development of the game has a certain logic to it: single player gamers are not necessarily multiplayer gamers, and vice versa. Presumably, EA's approach allows each mode to be optimized for their respective audience. As it turns out, this method makes for a rather confusing end product.

When viewed as a standalone offering, Danger Close's campaign is one of the finest shooters I've experienced in years, successfully finding the middle ground between a realistic military simulation and a great piece of entertainment. The story, which covers two action-packed days in the US military's ongoing battle against insurgents in Afghanistan, masterfully switches between the perspective of an elite group of soldiers (Tier 1), and the Army Rangers, and offers a genuine, realistic look into the struggles of being a modern warrior.

#videogames Based on real battles fought in Afghanistan in 2002, Medal of Honor has you taking on the role of rangers and other Tier 1 operators as they fight there way through enemy territory on the hunt for Taliban encampments. More »

Not-so-Special Operations.

U.S. sales top 14 million units sold to date.

In writing about the "controversy" surrounding Medal of Honor's multiplayer and the subsequent name change of one faction from "Taliban" to "Opposing Force," we've heard from two sides, primarily -- EA corporate and the Army and Air Force Exchange Service. But we've never heard directly from the folks developing MOH -- Danger Close Games. Earlier this week at an EA event in New York City, we talked with Danger Close marketing director Craig Owens. Owens spoke to why he believes the name change occurred, what it will accomplish, and how internal reactions have been at Danger Close.

In his eyes, it wasn't a result of AAFES-based GameStop stores not carrying Medal of Honor -- as he points out, the change hasn't affected the AAFES' sale embargo of MOH. "The objection was, kind of from an older generation that doesn't understand games, that the soundbyte was 'Play as the Taliban and kill US soldiers,'" though he admitted "There still is, it seems, a group that's still a little bit leery of a game taking place around an active conflict."

Owens further clarified, adding that "Really the big thing was playing as a Taliban killing US troops. So we basically just changed it to 'Opfor' -- which is a term they [the US Armed Forces] use, some of our competitors use -- more out of respect." The AAFES, he contends, didn't factor into the decision whatsoever. He also pointed out that during the beta earlier this year, there were "about 500,000 people playing it, as the Taliban, killing US troops," without a single complaint. He further lamented the nefarious "soundbyte" that lead to the seemingly inevitable controversy, adding "Later that soundbyte kinda caught wind and got taken out of context, really."

#controversy Stars and Stripes, the foremost independent publication covering the United States military, examined the Army and Air Force's recent decision to forbid Medal of Honor from being sold in their exchanges. One enlisted man blasted the decision as shortsighted. More »

The Army & Air Force Exchange Service has decided that, despite EA's recent moniker change of "Taliban" to "Opposing Force" in Medal of Honor's multiplayer component, that its decision not to sell the title "remains unchanged."

In a statement, the AAFES's Commander Maj. Gen. Bruce Casella said, "Out of respect to those touched by the ongoing, real-life events presented as a game, Exchanges will not be carrying this product." He continued, "I expect the military families who are authorized to shop the Exchange are aware, and understanding, of the decision not to carry this particular offering."

Last week, the AAFES was "engaged in a thorough review to fully understand the extent of the modifications." Apparently it wasn't enough. We've contacted EA for a statement.

#screengrab Medal of Honor error message as Tweeted by @Hellchick and as screencapped by @Rydog. More »

Taliban renaming wasn't enough.

Yesterday's Monday Night Football festivities were sponsored by a comparatively solemn advertisement for EA's Medal of Honor -- one that compiles all the testimonies from the game's anonymous military advisers into a single ad. Check it out after the break, provided you have codeword clearance.

#betawatch Care for a first-hand look at how the PC version of EA's Medal of Honor multiplayer stacks up to Call of Duty? Three days of free multiplayer play is now underway. Did renaming the Taliban make a difference? More »

Gamers invited to experience the most authentic modern combat action game set in today's war, fighting today's enemy in Afghanistan.

#feature The sounds of guns echoed throughout Al-Assad Library Book Exhibition in Damascus, Syria. The guns weren't tangible, but virtual. The conflict, however, was from real life. More »

#news Electronic Arts' military shooter set during the modern war in Afghanistan could have lost its official U.S. Army support over the inclusion of Taliban fighters as playable characters in the game's online mode, military officials told Kotaku. More »

On the heels of this morning's announcement that Medal of Honor's multiplayer mode swapped the "Taliban" moniker in favor of "Opposing Force," we asked GameStop and the Army and Air Force Exchange Service if they would now allow the sale of the title on military bases. A representative for GameStop referred us to the AAFES, refusing to give comment and suggesting that we should check if the the military retailer's "position had changed."

A representative from the AAFES told us that the service is "aware of reported changes to the latest Medal of Honor game" and that "the organization has been, and continues to be, engaged in a thorough review to fully understand the extent of the modifications." EA's Jeff Brown noted that the publisher isn't directly asking to "rescind the ban on the game," but did send the AAFES a letter last month "clarifying some facts about Medal of Honor." It seems there's still a possibility that this October's release will be available on military bases after all.

Strength, weakness and disrespect in the trenches of online entertainment.

#news Responding to the reaction of the "friends and families of fallen soldiers," Electronic Arts today said today they are removing the Taliban as playable characters from their upcoming military shooter Medal of Honor. More »

On Monday, PC players looking to get a taste of Medal of Honor's multiplayer component can participate in an open multiplayer beta. Anxious would-be soldiers can download the client in advance over at Big Download. Preparation is, like, the first thing they teach you in the military, folks.

The beta includes Sector Control on Kunar Base and Combat Mission on Shahikot Mountains -- both of which we recently sampled at an EA event. The beta concludes on October 7. For more details, hit up the official site here.

Download: Medal of Honor Multiplayer Beta Client at Big Download (1.6 GB)

The 11th-hour renaming of the playable Taliban fighters as the "Opposing Force" in this month's forthcoming Medal of Honor game is upsetting some gamers who say publisher Electronic Arts isn't standing up for games or free speech. More »

EA renames multiplayer team to "Opposing Force."

In a reaction to outcry from friends and families of fallen soldiers, Medal of Honor developer Danger Close and publisher EA have decided to rename the multiplayer faction in their game from "Taliban" to "Opposing Force." Executive producer Greg Goodrich announced as much on the MOH blog this morning, explaining the alteration by saying, "We are making this change for the men and women serving in the military and for the families of those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice -- this franchise will never willfully disrespect, intentionally or otherwise, your memory and service."

This isn't the first such predicament Medal of Honor has faced in its development -- early last month it was revealed that GameStop stores within Army and Air Force bases wouldn't carry the game, with GameStop's internal memo naming the playable Taliban as its reasoning.

Unfortunately, we're not sure we see a solution here -- considering combatant casualties in any war are "opposing forces," won't considerably more people be offended this way?

In a reaction to outcry from friends and families of fallen soldiers, Medal of Honor developer Danger Close and publisher EA have decided to rename the multiplayer faction in their game from "Taliban" to "Opposing Force." Executive producer Greg Goodrich announced as much on the MOH blog this morning, explaining the alteration by saying, "We are making this change for the men and women serving in the military and for the families of those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice -- this franchise will never willfully disrespect, intentionally or otherwise, your memory and service."

This isn't the first such predicament Medal of Honor has faced in its development -- early last month it was revealed that GameStop stores within Army and Air Force bases wouldn't carry the game, with GameStop's internal memo naming the playable Taliban as its reasoning.

These Tier 1 guys, they sure know how to ... umm ... remind us that Medal of Honor is a modern war game -- you know, in the sense that they're tough looking and are clearly armed to the teeth. Heck, amidst all the danger they're in, they don't even shed tear one!

Electronic Arts announced this morning that its massively marketed Medal of Honor reboot, launching October 12, has had the highest number of "pre-sells," as it calls them, "in the franchise's 11-year history." Considering the franchise's shaky history for the past eight years, and the absence of bonus goodies like Battlefield 3 beta access, that achievement is kinda like winning the Tour de France on a Harley.

No actual pre-sell figures were shared by EA. We'll get our first retail reports from the UK charts next month, followed by a much clearer picture from the NPD report in November. Our blessings go out to all the games getting involved in that brutal month's retail warfare.